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

At a notable criticism, Big 12 Conference commissioner declared that Notre Dame's athletic director, Pete Bevacqua, was “completely out of bounds” for recent comments about the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).

The Source of the Controversy

The Fighting Irish maintains a gridiron scheduling agreement with the ACC and is a participating member in all other sports. The AD has argued that the ACC hurt Notre Dame’s opportunities to make the College Football Playoff, instead advocating for the selection of the University of Miami.

“They do great things for Notre Dame, but we bring significant 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 selection,” Bevacqua said.

Miami ultimately received the CFP invitation over Notre Dame, largely due to securing the direct matchup between the two schools. Bevacqua also claimed that the ACC ran a targeted social media campaign over multiple weeks indicating its support for Miami.

A Strong Reaction

Later on Tuesday, the Big 12 commissioner spoke about the allegations at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.

“I think his conduct has been unacceptable,” the commissioner stated. “He is totally out of bounds in his tactics and if he was in the room, I’d say to him the same thing.”

The criticism is particularly striking given Bevacqua’s special standing. He serves on the College Football Playoff Management Committee alongside the ten FBS conference commissioners, representing the concerns of independent Notre Dame.

Past Context and Future Rumors

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

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

Rumors had spread about Notre Dame possibly splitting with the ACC and aligning with the Big 12. Yet, Yormark's strong reprimand on Tuesday appear to make such a scenario highly improbable in the near term.

Notre Dame, who reached the CFP championship game last season, have announced they will decline a bowl game after missing out this season.