Big 12 Conference Commissioner Calls Notre Dame Remarks Following CFP Omission as ‘Completely Out of Bounds’
In a public statement, Big 12 chief asserted that Notre Dame's athletic director, Pete Bevacqua, was “completely out of bounds” for his comments concerning the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
The Source of the Tension
Notre Dame has a gridiron scheduling agreement with the ACC and is a participating member in all other sports. Bevacqua has claimed that the ACC actively damaged Notre Dame’s chances to qualify for the College Football Playoff, instead campaigning for the selection of the University of Miami.
“The ACC does wonderful things for Notre Dame, but we bring substantial football value to the ACC, and we didn’t understand why you would go out of your way to try to hurt us in this selection,” the athletic director stated.
The Hurricanes eventually received the CFP spot over Notre Dame, mostly due to securing the direct contest between the two schools. Notre Dame's AD also claimed that the ACC engaged in a coordinated social media effort over multiple weeks demonstrating its preference for Miami.
An Egregious Reaction
Later on Tuesday, the Big 12 commissioner spoke about the allegations at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.
“I think his behavior 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 criticism is particularly striking given Bevacqua’s prominent position. He sits on the College Football Playoff Management Committee with the ten FBS conference commissioners, advocating for the interests of football independent Notre Dame.
Past Support and Speculative Moves
The commissioner also remarked the assistance the ACC offered Notre Dame during the pandemic-disrupted 2020 season, giving the Irish a full conference schedule and a berth in its championship game.
“His behavior has been egregious,” he reiterated. “It’s been unacceptable going after the ACC commissioner, when they helped Notre Dame during Covid...”
Speculation had circulated about Notre Dame potentially leaving the ACC and partnering with the Big 12. Yet, the commissioner's public comments on Tuesday seem to make such a scenario unlikely in the near term.
Notre Dame, who reached the CFP championship game last season, have announced they plan to decline a bowl game after missing out this season.
