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

During a public rebuke, Big 12 Conference commissioner declared that Notre Dame athletic director, Pete Bevacqua, was “entirely out of bounds” for his 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 other sports. Bevacqua has argued that the ACC actively damaged Notre Dame’s bid to qualify for the College Football Playoff, instead choosing to advocating for the selection of the University of Miami.

“The ACC does great things for Notre Dame, but we offer tremendous football value to the ACC, and we didn’t understand why you would make an effort to try to hurt us in this process,” the athletic director remarked.

Miami ultimately secured the CFP invitation over Notre Dame, primarily due to securing the head-to-head contest between the two schools. Bevacqua additionally stated that the ACC ran a targeted social media campaign over several weeks indicating its preference for Miami.

A Strong Reaction

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

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

The response is particularly significant given Bevacqua’s prominent position. He sits on the College Football Playoff Management Committee alongside the ten FBS conference commissioners, representing the interests of football independent Notre Dame.

Past Support and Future Rumors

The commissioner also highlighted the support the ACC gave Notre Dame during the Covid-affected 2020 season, providing the Irish a full conference schedule and a place in its title game.

“It has been egregious,” he said again. “It’s been egregious attacking the ACC commissioner, when they rescued Notre Dame during Covid...”

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

Notre Dame, who made the CFP championship game last season, have indicated they plan to decline a bowl game after missing out this season.