Big 12 Conference Chief Calls Notre Dame Comments After CFP Omission as ‘Completely Out of Bounds’
In a strong rebuke, Brett Yormark asserted that Notre Dame's athletic director, Pete Bevacqua, was “entirely out of bounds” for recent criticisms targeting the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
The Source of the Dispute
The Fighting Irish maintains a football scheduling alliance with the ACC and is a participating member in other sports. Bevacqua has argued that the ACC harmed Notre Dame’s opportunities to make the College Football Playoff, instead advocating for the inclusion of the University of Miami.
“The ACC do wonderful things for Notre Dame, but we offer tremendous football value to the ACC, and we didn’t understand why you would go out of your way to try to damage us in this procedure,” Bevacqua said.
The Hurricanes ultimately secured the CFP invitation over Notre Dame, primarily due to securing the direct contest between the two teams. Bevacqua additionally stated that the ACC ran a targeted social media push over several weeks demonstrating its preference for Miami.
A Strong Rebuke
Later on Tuesday, Yormark addressed the comments at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.
“My opinion is that his conduct has been out of line,” Yormark said. “He is totally out of bounds in his tactics and if he was in the same room, I’d tell him the same thing.”
This public pushback is especially notable given Bevacqua’s unique role. He sits on the College Football Playoff Management Committee alongside the ten FBS conference commissioners, advocating for the concerns of football independent Notre Dame.
Past Context and Future Rumors
Yormark further pointed out the assistance the ACC offered Notre Dame during the pandemic-disrupted 2020 season, giving the Irish a full ACC schedule and a berth in its title game.
“His behavior has been unacceptable,” he said again. “It’s been unacceptable attacking the ACC commissioner, when they rescued Notre Dame during Covid...”
Talk had spread about Notre Dame potentially splitting with the ACC and aligning with the Big 12. Yet, Yormark's public reprimand on Tuesday appear to make such a move unlikely in the near term.
Notre Dame, who reached the CFP final last season, have indicated they will decline a postseason invitation after missing out this season.
