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

During a notable statement, Big 12 Conference commissioner declared that Notre Dame's athletic director, Pete Bevacqua, was “totally out of bounds” for his remarks targeting the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).

Root of the Dispute

The Fighting Irish maintains a football scheduling alliance with the ACC and is a participating member in other sports. The AD has argued that the ACC hurt Notre Dame’s opportunities to enter the College Football Playoff, instead pushing for the spot of the University of Miami.

“The ACC does great things for Notre Dame, but we provide significant football value to the ACC, and we couldn't comprehend why you would go out of your way to try to damage us in this procedure,” the athletic director remarked.

The Hurricanes eventually earned the CFP invitation over Notre Dame, primarily due to securing the head-to-head contest between the two programs. Notre Dame's AD also claimed that the ACC ran a coordinated social media push over several weeks indicating its preference for Miami.

An Egregious Reaction

Later on Tuesday, the Big 12 commissioner addressed the comments at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.

“My opinion is that his actions has been out of line,” Yormark stated. “He is totally out of bounds in his tactics and if he was in the same room, I’d tell him the same thing.”

This public criticism is especially notable given Bevacqua’s special position. He sits on the College Football Playoff Management Committee alongside the ten FBS conference commissioners, advocating for the concerns of football independent Notre Dame.

Past Context and Speculative Rumors

Yormark also remarked the lifeline the ACC provided Notre Dame in the pandemic-disrupted 2020 season, giving the Irish a complete ACC schedule and a berth in its title game.

“It has been egregious,” Yormark reiterated. “It’s been unacceptable criticizing the ACC commissioner, when they helped Notre Dame during Covid...”

Speculation had circulated about Notre Dame possibly leaving the ACC and aligning with the Big 12. However, Yormark's pointed comments on Tuesday appear to make such a scenario highly improbable in the near term.

Notre Dame, who made the CFP final last season, have indicated they are declining a postseason invitation after failing to qualify this year.