Big 12 Chief Labels Notre Dame Remarks After CFP Snub as ‘Completely Out of Bounds’
During a public criticism, Brett Yormark declared that Notre Dame athletic director, Pete Bevacqua, was “entirely out of bounds” for his remarks about the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
Root of the Dispute
Notre Dame maintains a gridiron scheduling agreement with the ACC and is a participating member in all other sports. The AD has argued that the ACC actively damaged Notre Dame’s chances to qualify for the College Football Playoff, instead pushing for the selection of the University of Miami.
“The ACC does great things for Notre Dame, but we bring significant football value to the ACC, and we couldn't comprehend why you would make an effort to try to undermine us in this procedure,” Bevacqua remarked.
Miami eventually secured the CFP invitation over Notre Dame, mostly due to winning the head-to-head contest between the two teams. Notre Dame's AD additionally stated that the ACC engaged in a targeted social media push over several weeks showing its preference for Miami.
An Egregious Reaction
Subsequently on Tuesday, Yormark addressed the allegations at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.
“My opinion is that his conduct has been out of line,” Yormark commented. “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.”
This public pushback is especially notable given Bevacqua’s special position. He sits on the College Football Playoff Management Committee with the ten FBS conference commissioners, representing the concerns of independent Notre Dame.
Past Context and Future Rumors
Yormark also pointed out the assistance the ACC provided Notre Dame during the pandemic-disrupted 2020 season, providing the Irish a complete ACC schedule and a place in its championship game.
“His behavior has been egregious,” he reiterated. “It’s been unacceptable criticizing Jim Phillips, when they helped Notre Dame during Covid...”
Talk had circulated about Notre Dame potentially splitting with the ACC and aligning with the Big 12. However, Yormark's strong reprimand on Tuesday seem to make such a scenario highly improbable in the immediate future.
The Irish, who reached the CFP final last season, have announced they are declining a postseason invitation after missing out this season.
