Big 12 Commissioner Calls Notre Dame Remarks After CFP Snub as ‘Completely Out of Bounds’

At a strong criticism, Big 12 Conference commissioner stated that Notre Dame's athletic director, Pete Bevacqua, was “totally out of bounds” for recent remarks concerning the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).

The Source of the Controversy

Notre Dame maintains a gridiron scheduling agreement with the ACC and is a full member in other sports. The AD has argued that the ACC harmed Notre Dame’s chances to enter the College Football Playoff, instead choosing to advocating for the inclusion of the University of Miami.

“They does wonderful things for Notre Dame, but we provide substantial football value to the ACC, and we didn’t understand why you would go out of your way to try to hurt us in this selection,” Bevacqua stated.

Miami ultimately earned the CFP spot over Notre Dame, mostly due to securing the head-to-head contest between the two teams. Bevacqua additionally stated that the ACC conducted a targeted social media effort over several weeks demonstrating its preference for Miami.

An Egregious Reaction

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

“In my view his conduct has been egregious,” Yormark stated. “He is totally out of bounds in his approach and if he was in the room, I’d say to him the same thing.”

This public response is especially notable given Bevacqua’s prominent standing. He sits on the College Football Playoff Management Committee with the ten FBS conference commissioners, representing the interests of football independent Notre Dame.

Past Support and Future Rumors

The commissioner also pointed out the support the ACC provided Notre Dame in the Covid-affected 2020 season, giving the Irish a complete ACC schedule and a place in its title game.

“It has been unacceptable,” Yormark said again. “It’s been unacceptable criticizing Jim Phillips, when they saved Notre Dame during Covid...”

Rumors had circulated about Notre Dame potentially splitting with the ACC and aligning with the Big 12. However, Yormark's pointed comments on Tuesday appear to make such a move unlikely in the immediate future.

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