🔗 Share this article Big 12 Chief Calls Notre Dame Comments After CFP Snub as ‘Completely Out of Bounds’ In a public rebuke, Big 12 Conference commissioner declared that Notre Dame athletic director, Pete Bevacqua, was “completely out of bounds” for recent remarks about the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). Root of the Dispute Notre Dame maintains a football scheduling alliance with the ACC and is a participating member in other sports. Bevacqua has contended that the ACC harmed Notre Dame’s bid to qualify for the College Football Playoff, instead pushing for the selection of the University of Miami. “They does wonderful things for Notre Dame, but we offer 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 process,” the athletic director remarked. Miami eventually secured the CFP invitation over Notre Dame, primarily due to winning the head-to-head meeting between the two programs. Notre Dame's AD also claimed that the ACC engaged in a coordinated social media campaign over multiple weeks showing its preference for Miami. An Egregious Response Later on Tuesday, the Big 12 commissioner spoke about the allegations at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum. “My opinion is that his behavior has been unacceptable,” Yormark stated. “He is totally out of bounds in his method and if he was in the room, I’d say to him the same thing.” The pushback is especially striking given Bevacqua’s unique role. He sits on the College Football Playoff Management Committee with the ten FBS conference commissioners, advocating for the concerns of independent Notre Dame. Past Support and Speculative Moves The commissioner also highlighted the lifeline the ACC gave Notre Dame in the Covid-affected 2020 season, giving the Irish a complete conference schedule and a berth in its title game. “It has been egregious,” Yormark said again. “It’s been egregious going after the ACC commissioner, when they rescued Notre Dame during Covid...” Talk had circulated about Notre Dame possibly leaving the ACC and partnering with the Big 12. However, Yormark's pointed reprimand on Tuesday appear to make such a scenario unlikely in the near term. Notre Dame, who reached the CFP championship game last season, have announced they are declining a postseason invitation after failing to qualify this season.