🔗 Share this article Big 12 Commissioner Calls Notre Dame Remarks Following CFP Omission as ‘Totally Out of Bounds’ During a public rebuke, Brett Yormark stated that Notre Dame athletic director, Pete Bevacqua, was “entirely out of bounds” for recent remarks targeting the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). The Source of the Dispute Notre Dame maintains a gridiron scheduling agreement with the ACC and is a participating member in other sports. Bevacqua has argued 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 do great things for Notre Dame, but we bring significant football value to the ACC, and we didn’t understand why you would make an effort to try to hurt us in this selection,” the athletic director said. Miami eventually earned the CFP spot over Notre Dame, largely due to securing the head-to-head contest between the two programs. Bevacqua additionally stated that the ACC engaged in a coordinated social media effort over multiple weeks indicating its preference for Miami. A Strong Reaction Subsequently on Tuesday, Yormark addressed the comments at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum. “In my view his behavior has been egregious,” Yormark said. “He is totally out of bounds in his method and if he was in the same room, I’d tell him the same thing.” The response is particularly significant given Bevacqua’s special role. He serves on the College Football Playoff Management Committee alongside the ten FBS conference commissioners, representing the concerns of independent Notre Dame. Past Support and Speculative Rumors The commissioner further pointed out the lifeline the ACC provided Notre Dame during the pandemic-disrupted 2020 season, giving the Irish a complete conference schedule and a place in its championship game. “It has been unacceptable,” Yormark said again. “It’s been egregious criticizing Jim Phillips, when they helped Notre Dame during Covid...” Talk had spread about Notre Dame potentially splitting with the ACC and partnering with the Big 12. However, the commissioner's strong reprimand on Tuesday seem to make such a scenario less likely in the near term. Notre Dame, who made the CFP championship game last season, have stated they plan to decline a bowl game after failing to qualify this year.