Big 12 Chief Labels Notre Dame Comments Following CFP Omission as ‘Completely Out of Bounds’
During a public criticism, Brett Yormark asserted that Notre Dame's athletic director, Pete Bevacqua, was “totally out of bounds” for public criticisms targeting the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
The Source of the Controversy
The Fighting Irish has a gridiron scheduling agreement with the ACC and is a participating member in all other sports. The AD has claimed that the ACC hurt Notre Dame’s chances to enter the College Football Playoff, instead choosing to advocating for the selection of the University of Miami.
“They do wonderful things for Notre Dame, but we provide tremendous 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,” the athletic director remarked.
The Hurricanes eventually secured the CFP berth over Notre Dame, largely due to winning the head-to-head matchup between the two programs. Notre Dame's AD further alleged that the ACC engaged in a targeted social media push over several weeks indicating its support for Miami.
A Strong Rebuke
Subsequently on Tuesday, Yormark addressed the allegations at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.
“I think his conduct has been egregious,” 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 alongside the ten FBS conference commissioners, advocating for the concerns of football independent Notre Dame.
Historical Context and Future Moves
Yormark also highlighted the lifeline the ACC offered Notre Dame during the pandemic-disrupted 2020 season, giving the Irish a full ACC schedule and a berth in its championship game.
“It has been unacceptable,” Yormark said again. “It’s been unacceptable attacking the ACC commissioner, when they saved Notre Dame during Covid...”
Talk had spread about Notre Dame potentially leaving the ACC and partnering with the Big 12. However, Yormark's pointed reprimand on Tuesday appear to make such a scenario highly improbable in the near term.
Notre Dame, who reached the CFP final last season, have indicated they are declining a postseason invitation after missing out this year.