🔗 Share this article Big 12 Commissioner Calls Notre Dame Comments After CFP Omission as ‘Totally Out of Bounds’ In a notable statement, Brett Yormark declared that Notre Dame's athletic director, Pete Bevacqua, was “totally out of bounds” for his comments about the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). Root of the Dispute Notre Dame maintains a gridiron scheduling agreement with the ACC and is a full member in all other sports. The AD has claimed that the ACC hurt Notre Dame’s chances to qualify for the College Football Playoff, instead choosing to advocating for the spot 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 go out of your way to try to hurt us in this process,” Bevacqua stated. Miami eventually secured the CFP invitation over Notre Dame, mostly due to winning the head-to-head matchup between the two teams. Notre Dame's AD also claimed that the ACC ran a coordinated social media campaign over multiple weeks showing its preference for Miami. An Egregious Rebuke Later on Tuesday, Yormark responded to the criticism at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum. “I think his conduct has been unacceptable,” Yormark commented. “He is totally out of bounds in his approach and if he was in the room, I’d say to him the same thing.” This public response is especially striking given Bevacqua’s special standing. He sits on the College Football Playoff Management Committee with the ten FBS conference commissioners, advocating for the concerns of independent Notre Dame. Historical Support and Future Rumors The commissioner further remarked the support the ACC provided Notre Dame during the pandemic-disrupted 2020 season, giving the Irish a full conference schedule and a place in its championship game. “His behavior has been unacceptable,” Yormark said again. “It’s been egregious going after the ACC commissioner, when they helped Notre Dame during Covid...” Talk had spread about Notre Dame possibly leaving the ACC and aligning with the Big 12. However, Yormark's strong comments on Tuesday seem to make such a partnership highly improbable in the immediate future. Notre Dame, who reached the CFP championship game last season, have indicated they will decline a postseason invitation after missing out this year.