🔗 Share this article Big 12 Commissioner Labels Notre Dame Comments After CFP Snub as ‘Totally Out of Bounds’ In a strong rebuke, Big 12 chief asserted that Notre Dame athletic director, Pete Bevacqua, was “totally out of bounds” for recent remarks about the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). Root of the Controversy The Fighting Irish maintains a football scheduling alliance with the ACC and is a participating member in all other sports. The AD has claimed that the ACC actively damaged Notre Dame’s chances to enter the College Football Playoff, instead choosing to advocating 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 didn’t understand why you would go out of your way to try to undermine us in this process,” Bevacqua said. Miami eventually received the CFP spot over Notre Dame, largely due to winning the direct matchup between the two schools. Bevacqua further alleged that the ACC conducted a targeted social media push over several weeks showing its preference for Miami. A Strong Response Later on Tuesday, Yormark addressed the criticism at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum. “My opinion is that his actions has been egregious,” Yormark stated. “He is totally out of bounds in his approach and if he was in the same room, I’d say to him the same thing.” This public response is particularly notable given Bevacqua’s unique position. He sits on the College Football Playoff Management Committee with the ten FBS conference commissioners, representing the interests of independent Notre Dame. Past Context and Speculative Rumors The commissioner further pointed out the assistance the ACC offered Notre Dame in the pandemic-disrupted 2020 season, giving the Irish a full conference schedule and a berth in its championship game. “It has been unacceptable,” he reiterated. “It’s been egregious criticizing Jim Phillips, when they saved Notre Dame during Covid...” Talk had spread about Notre Dame potentially splitting with the ACC and partnering with the Big 12. Yet, the commissioner's strong reprimand on Tuesday appear to make such a move unlikely in the immediate future. Notre Dame, who made the CFP championship game last season, have announced they will decline a bowl game after missing out this year.