Big 12 Conference Chief Calls Notre Dame Comments After CFP Snub as ‘Completely Out of Bounds’

In a strong statement, Big 12 Conference commissioner declared that Notre Dame's AD, Pete Bevacqua, was “entirely out of bounds” for his remarks about the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).

The Source of the Dispute

Notre Dame maintains a gridiron scheduling agreement with the ACC and is a full member in all other sports. Bevacqua has claimed that the ACC actively damaged Notre Dame’s opportunities to enter the College Football Playoff, instead campaigning for the spot of the University of Miami.

“The ACC do wonderful things for Notre Dame, but we provide substantial football value to the ACC, and we didn’t understand why you would make an effort to try to undermine us in this procedure,” Bevacqua said.

Miami ultimately received the CFP berth over Notre Dame, largely due to securing the head-to-head meeting between the two teams. Notre Dame's AD additionally stated that the ACC engaged in a coordinated social media push over multiple weeks demonstrating its preference for Miami.

A Strong Response

Later on Tuesday, the Big 12 commissioner responded to the comments at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.

“I think his behavior has been unacceptable,” the commissioner commented. “He is totally out of bounds in his approach and if he was in the room, I’d tell him the same thing.”

The pushback is especially significant given Bevacqua’s special position. He serves on the College Football Playoff Management Committee with the ten FBS conference commissioners, representing the concerns of independent Notre Dame.

Past Context and Future Rumors

Yormark further pointed out the lifeline the ACC provided Notre Dame in the pandemic-disrupted 2020 season, providing the Irish a full conference schedule and a berth in its title game.

“His behavior has been unacceptable,” Yormark said again. “It’s been unacceptable criticizing the ACC commissioner, when they rescued Notre Dame during Covid...”

Talk had spread about Notre Dame potentially leaving the ACC and partnering with the Big 12. However, Yormark's strong comments on Tuesday seem to make such a partnership less likely in the near term.

Notre Dame, who reached the CFP final last season, have indicated they plan to decline a postseason invitation after failing to qualify this year.