🔗 Share this article Big 12 Commissioner Calls Notre Dame Remarks Following CFP Omission as ‘Completely Out of Bounds’ In a public statement, Big 12 chief declared that Notre Dame athletic director, Pete Bevacqua, was “completely out of bounds” for public comments about the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). Root of the Tension Notre Dame has a football scheduling alliance with the ACC and is a participating member in all other sports. Bevacqua has argued that the ACC hurt Notre Dame’s bid to enter the College Football Playoff, instead choosing to pushing for the selection of the University of Miami. “They does great things for Notre Dame, but we bring tremendous football value to the ACC, and we didn’t understand why you would make an effort to try to undermine us in this process,” the athletic director said. The Hurricanes eventually received the CFP berth over Notre Dame, mostly due to winning the direct contest between the two teams. Bevacqua further alleged that the ACC ran a coordinated social media campaign over several weeks showing its preference for Miami. A Strong Reaction Later on Tuesday, the Big 12 commissioner spoke about the comments at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum. “In my view his behavior has been unacceptable,” Yormark said. “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 especially significant given Bevacqua’s special standing. He sits 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 also highlighted the support the ACC offered Notre Dame during the Covid-affected 2020 season, giving the Irish a complete conference schedule and a berth in its title game. “It has been unacceptable,” he reiterated. “It’s been egregious going after the ACC commissioner, when they rescued Notre Dame during Covid...” Talk had circulated about Notre Dame possibly leaving the ACC and partnering with the Big 12. However, Yormark's strong comments on Tuesday seem to make such a move unlikely in the near term. The Irish, who reached the CFP final last season, have stated they will decline a bowl game after missing out this season.