Big 12 Commissioner Labels Notre Dame Remarks After CFP Snub as ‘Totally Out of Bounds’

During a notable rebuke, Big 12 Conference commissioner declared that Notre Dame AD, Pete Bevacqua, was “entirely out of bounds” for recent remarks about the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).

The Source of the Tension

Notre Dame has a football scheduling alliance with the ACC and is a participating member in all other sports. Bevacqua has argued that the ACC harmed Notre Dame’s chances to qualify for the College Football Playoff, instead pushing for the spot of the University of Miami.

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

The Hurricanes eventually earned the CFP invitation over Notre Dame, largely due to securing the head-to-head matchup between the two teams. Notre Dame's AD also claimed that the ACC ran a targeted social media push over several weeks indicating its support for Miami.

An Egregious Response

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

“In my view his behavior has been out of line,” Yormark 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 response is particularly significant given Bevacqua’s prominent position. He serves on the College Football Playoff Management Committee with the ten FBS conference commissioners, representing the concerns of football independent Notre Dame.

Past Context and Speculative Moves

The commissioner also highlighted the lifeline the ACC provided Notre Dame during the Covid-affected 2020 season, giving the Irish a complete ACC schedule and a berth in its championship game.

“His behavior has been unacceptable,” he reiterated. “It’s been egregious criticizing the ACC commissioner, when they rescued Notre Dame during Covid...”

Rumors had spread about Notre Dame potentially splitting with the ACC and partnering with the Big 12. However, Yormark's strong comments on Tuesday appear to make such a scenario unlikely in the near term.

The Irish, who made the CFP final last season, have stated they plan to decline a bowl game after failing to qualify this year.