🔗 Share this article Big 12 Chief Calls Notre Dame Comments After CFP Omission as ‘Completely Out of Bounds’ During a notable rebuke, Brett Yormark declared that Notre Dame athletic director, Pete Bevacqua, was “totally out of bounds” for recent comments about the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). Root of the Dispute Notre Dame maintains a gridiron scheduling agreement with the ACC and is a participating member in other sports. Bevacqua has claimed that the ACC actively damaged Notre Dame’s chances to qualify for the College Football Playoff, instead campaigning for the selection of the University of Miami. “The ACC does wonderful things for Notre Dame, but we bring substantial football value to the ACC, and we couldn't comprehend why you would make an effort to try to undermine us in this procedure,” the athletic director stated. The Hurricanes ultimately received the CFP spot over Notre Dame, largely due to winning the head-to-head meeting between the two teams. Notre Dame's AD also claimed that the ACC ran a targeted social media campaign over multiple weeks demonstrating its preference for Miami. A Strong Reaction Later on Tuesday, the Big 12 commissioner responded to the allegations at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum. “I think his conduct has been unacceptable,” the commissioner said. “He is completely out of bounds in his approach and if he was in the room, I’d tell him the same thing.” This public criticism is especially notable given Bevacqua’s unique standing. He sits on the College Football Playoff Management Committee alongside the ten FBS conference commissioners, representing the interests of football independent Notre Dame. Historical Support and Future Moves The commissioner further highlighted the support the ACC offered Notre Dame during the pandemic-disrupted 2020 season, giving the Irish a full ACC schedule and a berth in its title game. “His behavior has been unacceptable,” Yormark said again. “It’s been unacceptable attacking the ACC commissioner, when they rescued Notre Dame during Covid...” Speculation had spread about Notre Dame potentially splitting with the ACC and aligning with the Big 12. However, the commissioner's strong comments on Tuesday appear to make such a move unlikely in the near term. Notre Dame, who made the CFP final last season, have stated they plan to decline a bowl game after failing to qualify this season.