Big 12 Conference Commissioner Labels Notre Dame Comments Following CFP Snub as ‘Completely Out of Bounds’

At a public statement, Brett Yormark stated that Notre Dame's athletic director, Pete Bevacqua, was “completely out of bounds” for public criticisms about the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).

Root of the Dispute

The Fighting Irish has a football scheduling alliance with the ACC and is a participating member in all other sports. Bevacqua has contended that the ACC hurt Notre Dame’s opportunities to enter the College Football Playoff, instead choosing to campaigning for the selection of the University of Miami.

“The ACC do great things for Notre Dame, but we provide substantial football value to the ACC, and we couldn't comprehend why you would make an effort to try to hurt us in this selection,” the athletic director stated.

Miami ultimately received the CFP invitation over Notre Dame, mostly due to securing the head-to-head matchup between the two teams. Notre Dame's AD further alleged that the ACC ran a coordinated social media push over multiple weeks showing its support for Miami.

An Egregious Reaction

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

“I think his actions has been unacceptable,” Yormark commented. “He is completely out of bounds in his tactics and if he was in the room, I’d tell him the same thing.”

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

Past Support and Speculative Moves

The commissioner also remarked the assistance the ACC provided Notre Dame in the pandemic-disrupted 2020 season, providing the Irish a complete ACC schedule and a berth in its title game.

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

Speculation had circulated about Notre Dame possibly splitting with the ACC and partnering with the Big 12. Yet, Yormark's public reprimand on Tuesday seem to make such a partnership highly improbable in the immediate future.

Notre Dame, who made the CFP championship game last season, have announced they plan to decline a bowl game after failing to qualify this season.