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

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

The Source of the Dispute

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

“They do 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 undermine us in this selection,” the athletic director said.

Miami eventually earned the CFP spot over Notre Dame, largely due to winning the head-to-head contest between the two teams. Notre Dame's AD also claimed that the ACC ran a coordinated social media effort over several weeks showing its preference for Miami.

A Strong Response

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

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

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

Historical Context and Future Moves

Yormark also remarked the support the ACC provided Notre Dame in the Covid-affected 2020 season, giving the Irish a full conference schedule and a berth in its championship game.

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

Talk had spread about Notre Dame possibly leaving the ACC and aligning with the Big 12. However, the commissioner's public reprimand on Tuesday appear to make such a scenario highly improbable in the immediate future.

Notre Dame, who reached the CFP final last season, have announced they are declining a bowl game after failing to qualify this season.