🔗 Share this article Big 12 Conference Commissioner Calls Notre Dame Comments Following CFP Snub as ‘Completely Out of Bounds’ During a strong rebuke, Brett Yormark stated that Notre Dame AD, Pete Bevacqua, was “completely out of bounds” for his remarks concerning the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). The Source of the Tension The Fighting Irish maintains a gridiron scheduling agreement with the ACC and is a participating member in other sports. Bevacqua has claimed that the ACC hurt Notre Dame’s bid to qualify for the College Football Playoff, instead choosing to advocating for the selection of the University of Miami. “They does great things for Notre Dame, but we provide tremendous football value to the ACC, and we couldn't comprehend why you would go out of your way to try to hurt us in this procedure,” the athletic director stated. Miami ultimately earned the CFP invitation over Notre Dame, primarily due to winning the head-to-head contest between the two schools. Bevacqua further alleged that the ACC ran a coordinated social media campaign over multiple weeks demonstrating its support for Miami. A Strong Reaction Later on Tuesday, the Big 12 commissioner responded to the criticism at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum. “In my view his conduct has been unacceptable,” Yormark stated. “He is totally out of bounds in his approach and if he was in the room, I’d say to him the same thing.” This public pushback is particularly notable given Bevacqua’s prominent role. He sits on the College Football Playoff Management Committee alongside the ten FBS conference commissioners, representing the interests of independent Notre Dame. Past Support and Future Rumors Yormark further pointed out the lifeline the ACC gave Notre Dame during the Covid-affected 2020 season, giving the Irish a full conference schedule and a berth in its championship game. “His behavior has been unacceptable,” Yormark said again. “It’s been unacceptable criticizing Jim Phillips, when they helped Notre Dame during Covid...” Rumors had circulated about Notre Dame potentially splitting with the ACC and aligning with the Big 12. However, Yormark's public comments on Tuesday appear to make such a scenario less likely in the near term. Notre Dame, who made the CFP final last season, have stated they are declining a postseason invitation after missing out this season.