🔗 Share this article Big 12 Chief Labels Notre Dame Comments Following CFP Snub as ‘Completely Out of Bounds’ In a public criticism, Big 12 chief stated that Notre Dame AD, Pete Bevacqua, was “entirely out of bounds” for recent criticisms concerning the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). The Source of the Controversy Notre Dame has a gridiron scheduling agreement with the ACC and is a participating member in all other sports. The AD has contended that the ACC actively damaged Notre Dame’s bid to qualify for the College Football Playoff, instead choosing to pushing for the inclusion of the University of Miami. “They does great things for Notre Dame, but we offer tremendous football value to the ACC, and we didn’t understand why you would make an effort to try to damage us in this process,” Bevacqua stated. The Hurricanes ultimately earned the CFP invitation over Notre Dame, mostly due to winning the direct matchup between the two programs. Bevacqua also claimed that the ACC engaged in a targeted social media campaign over multiple weeks demonstrating its preference for Miami. An Egregious Response Later on Tuesday, the Big 12 commissioner responded to the comments at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum. “My opinion is that his conduct has been unacceptable,” Yormark said. “He is totally out of bounds in his approach and if he was in the room, I’d tell him the same thing.” This public response is particularly striking given Bevacqua’s prominent role. He serves on the College Football Playoff Management Committee with the ten FBS conference commissioners, representing the concerns of football independent Notre Dame. Past Support and Future Moves Yormark also remarked the assistance the ACC provided Notre Dame during the Covid-affected 2020 season, providing the Irish a full conference schedule and a berth in its title game. “His behavior has been egregious,” Yormark reiterated. “It’s been egregious criticizing the ACC commissioner, when they saved Notre Dame during Covid...” Speculation had spread about Notre Dame potentially leaving the ACC and aligning with the Big 12. However, Yormark's public comments on Tuesday appear to make such a scenario highly improbable in the immediate future. Notre Dame, who made the CFP final last season, have announced they plan to decline a postseason invitation after failing to qualify this season.