Big 12 Conference Chief Calls Notre Dame Remarks After CFP Omission as ‘Totally Out of Bounds’

At a notable statement, Brett Yormark declared that Notre Dame AD, Pete Bevacqua, was “totally out of bounds” for his criticisms targeting the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).

Root of the Controversy

The Fighting Irish has a football scheduling alliance with the ACC and is a participating member in all other sports. The AD has claimed that the ACC harmed Notre Dame’s bid to make the College Football Playoff, instead choosing to pushing for the selection of the University of Miami.

“The ACC do wonderful things for Notre Dame, but we provide tremendous football value to the ACC, and we couldn't comprehend why you would go out of your way to try to undermine us in this procedure,” Bevacqua said.

Miami eventually secured the CFP invitation over Notre Dame, primarily due to winning the head-to-head matchup between the two schools. Bevacqua additionally stated that the ACC ran a targeted social media push over multiple weeks indicating its preference for Miami.

A Strong Response

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

“My opinion is that his behavior has been unacceptable,” Yormark stated. “He is completely out of bounds in his tactics and if he was in the room, I’d say to him the same thing.”

This public pushback is especially striking given Bevacqua’s prominent position. He sits on the College Football Playoff Management Committee with the ten FBS conference commissioners, advocating for the concerns of independent Notre Dame.

Historical Support and Speculative Moves

The commissioner also remarked the assistance the ACC provided Notre Dame during the pandemic-disrupted 2020 season, giving the Irish a complete conference schedule and a place in its championship game.

“His behavior has been egregious,” Yormark reiterated. “It’s been egregious going after the ACC commissioner, when they helped Notre Dame during Covid...”

Talk had spread about Notre Dame possibly splitting with the ACC and partnering with the Big 12. Yet, Yormark's strong reprimand on Tuesday seem to make such a move less likely in the near term.

Notre Dame, who reached the CFP final last season, have stated they are declining a bowl game after failing to qualify this season.