🔗 Share this article Big 12 Commissioner Calls Notre Dame Remarks After CFP Snub as ‘Completely Out of Bounds’ At a public criticism, Big 12 Conference commissioner stated that Notre Dame's AD, Pete Bevacqua, was “entirely out of bounds” for public criticisms targeting 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 claimed that the ACC hurt Notre Dame’s opportunities to make the College Football Playoff, instead choosing to pushing for the inclusion of the University of Miami. “They do 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 damage us in this procedure,” Bevacqua stated. Miami ultimately earned the CFP berth over Notre Dame, largely due to securing the direct meeting between the two programs. Notre Dame's AD further alleged that the ACC ran a coordinated social media effort over several weeks demonstrating its support for Miami. A Strong Response Subsequently on Tuesday, Yormark spoke about the comments at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum. “In my view his actions has been egregious,” the commissioner stated. “He is totally out of bounds in his tactics and if he was in the same room, I’d say to him the same thing.” This public criticism is especially significant given Bevacqua’s unique position. He serves on the College Football Playoff Management Committee with the ten FBS conference commissioners, representing the concerns of football independent Notre Dame. Historical Context and Speculative Rumors Yormark also remarked the lifeline the ACC gave Notre Dame in the pandemic-disrupted 2020 season, providing the Irish a full ACC schedule and a berth in its championship game. “His behavior has been egregious,” Yormark said again. “It’s been unacceptable attacking the ACC commissioner, when they saved Notre Dame during Covid...” Rumors had circulated about Notre Dame potentially splitting with the ACC and aligning with the Big 12. Yet, the commissioner's pointed comments on Tuesday seem to make such a partnership highly improbable in the near term. The Irish, who made the CFP final last season, have announced they plan to decline a bowl game after failing to qualify this season.