🔗 Share this article Big 12 Chief Calls Notre Dame Remarks After CFP Snub as ‘Completely Out of Bounds’ In a strong statement, Brett Yormark declared that Notre Dame's athletic director, Pete Bevacqua, was “entirely out of bounds” for recent comments concerning the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). Root of the Dispute Notre Dame has a gridiron scheduling agreement with the ACC and is a full member in all other sports. Bevacqua has argued that the ACC actively damaged Notre Dame’s opportunities to qualify for the College Football Playoff, instead advocating for the selection of the University of Miami. “The ACC do great things for Notre Dame, but we bring substantial 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 stated. Miami ultimately earned the CFP invitation over Notre Dame, primarily due to winning the head-to-head contest between the two teams. Bevacqua also claimed that the ACC ran a coordinated social media push over multiple weeks demonstrating its preference for Miami. An Egregious Rebuke Subsequently on Tuesday, Yormark responded to the criticism at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum. “My opinion is that his actions has been out of line,” the commissioner said. “He is completely out of bounds in his approach and if he was in the same room, I’d say to him the same thing.” The criticism is particularly notable given Bevacqua’s prominent standing. He serves on the College Football Playoff Management Committee alongside the ten FBS conference commissioners, representing the concerns of independent Notre Dame. Historical Support and Speculative Moves The commissioner further pointed out the assistance the ACC provided Notre Dame during the pandemic-disrupted 2020 season, giving the Irish a complete ACC schedule and a berth in its championship game. “It has been unacceptable,” he reiterated. “It’s been egregious criticizing the ACC commissioner, when they saved Notre Dame during Covid...” Talk had circulated about Notre Dame possibly splitting with the ACC and partnering with the Big 12. However, Yormark's strong reprimand on Tuesday seem to make such a partnership less likely in the near term. Notre Dame, who reached the CFP final last season, have stated they are declining a bowl game after missing out this year.