🔗 Share this article Big 12 Commissioner Labels Notre Dame Comments After CFP Omission as ‘Totally Out of Bounds’ At a strong rebuke, Brett Yormark declared that Notre Dame's AD, Pete Bevacqua, was “totally out of bounds” for public remarks about the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). Root of the Dispute The Fighting Irish maintains a gridiron scheduling agreement with the ACC and is a participating member in all other sports. Bevacqua has contended that the ACC actively damaged Notre Dame’s opportunities to enter the College Football Playoff, instead choosing to pushing for the spot of the University of Miami. “The ACC does great things for Notre Dame, but we bring tremendous football value to the ACC, and we couldn't comprehend why you would go out of your way to try to damage us in this selection,” Bevacqua remarked. The Hurricanes ultimately secured the CFP berth over Notre Dame, primarily due to winning the direct matchup between the two schools. Notre Dame's AD further alleged that the ACC engaged in a coordinated social media push over several weeks indicating its preference for Miami. An Egregious Rebuke Subsequently on Tuesday, the Big 12 commissioner responded to the allegations at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum. “My opinion is that his actions has been unacceptable,” the commissioner said. “He is totally out of bounds in his method and if he was in the same room, I’d say to him the same thing.” The response is especially striking given Bevacqua’s special standing. 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 Speculative Moves The commissioner further remarked the assistance the ACC gave Notre Dame in the pandemic-disrupted 2020 season, giving the Irish a full ACC schedule and a berth in its title game. “It has been egregious,” he reiterated. “It’s been egregious attacking the ACC commissioner, when they helped Notre Dame during Covid...” Speculation 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 move highly improbable in the near term. The Irish, who reached the CFP final last season, have indicated they are declining a bowl game after failing to qualify this season.