🔗 Share this article Big 12 Conference Chief Labels Notre Dame Comments After CFP Snub as ‘Completely Out of Bounds’ In a strong rebuke, Big 12 chief declared that Notre Dame's athletic director, Pete Bevacqua, was “totally out of bounds” for recent comments targeting the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). Root of the Controversy Notre Dame maintains a football scheduling alliance with the ACC and is a full member in other sports. The AD has argued that the ACC hurt Notre Dame’s bid to enter the College Football Playoff, instead choosing to advocating for the inclusion of the University of Miami. “The ACC does wonderful things for Notre Dame, but we provide significant football value to the ACC, and we didn’t understand why you would go out of your way to try to damage us in this selection,” Bevacqua said. The Hurricanes eventually received the CFP berth over Notre Dame, largely due to winning the head-to-head contest between the two teams. Notre Dame's AD also claimed that the ACC conducted a targeted social media push over multiple weeks demonstrating its support for Miami. A Strong Reaction Subsequently on Tuesday, Yormark addressed the allegations at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum. “I think his conduct 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 tell him the same thing.” The response is especially striking given Bevacqua’s unique position. He sits on the College Football Playoff Management Committee with the ten FBS conference commissioners, representing the interests of independent Notre Dame. Past Context and Future Rumors Yormark also highlighted the support the ACC gave Notre Dame in the Covid-affected 2020 season, providing the Irish a full conference schedule and a berth in its title game. “His behavior has been unacceptable,” he said again. “It’s been egregious going after 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. Yet, Yormark's pointed comments on Tuesday appear to make such a partnership highly improbable in the immediate future. Notre Dame, who reached the CFP final last season, have stated they are declining a postseason invitation after missing out this season.