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At a strong criticism, Big 12 Conference commissioner asserted that Notre Dame athletic director, Pete Bevacqua, was “entirely out of bounds” for his comments concerning the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).

Root of the Controversy

Notre Dame maintains a football scheduling alliance with the ACC and is a participating member in all other sports. The AD has contended that the ACC actively damaged Notre Dame’s opportunities to make the College Football Playoff, instead choosing to advocating for the selection of the University of Miami.

“The ACC do wonderful things for Notre Dame, but we provide substantial football value to the ACC, and we didn’t understand why you would make an effort to try to undermine us in this procedure,” Bevacqua remarked.

The Hurricanes ultimately earned the CFP invitation over Notre Dame, primarily due to winning the direct contest between the two programs. Notre Dame's AD also claimed that the ACC conducted a coordinated social media campaign over several weeks demonstrating its support for Miami.

An Egregious Response

Later on Tuesday, the Big 12 commissioner addressed the criticism at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.

“I think his behavior has been out of line,” Yormark said. “He is totally out of bounds in his method and if he was in the room, I’d tell him the same thing.”

This public pushback is particularly striking given Bevacqua’s special standing. He sits on the College Football Playoff Management Committee alongside the ten FBS conference commissioners, advocating for the interests of football independent Notre Dame.

Past Support and Future Moves

Yormark further remarked the lifeline the ACC gave Notre Dame in the Covid-affected 2020 season, providing the Irish a full ACC schedule and a place in its title game.

“It has been egregious,” Yormark said again. “It’s been unacceptable criticizing the ACC commissioner, when they rescued Notre Dame during Covid...”

Talk had circulated about Notre Dame possibly splitting with the ACC and partnering with the Big 12. Yet, Yormark's strong reprimand on Tuesday seem to make such a partnership less likely in the immediate future.

The Irish, who made the CFP championship game last season, have announced they will decline a bowl game after failing to qualify this year.