🔗 Share this article Big 12 Chief Calls Notre Dame Remarks After CFP Omission as ‘Completely Out of Bounds’ At a public statement, Big 12 chief stated that Notre Dame's AD, Pete Bevacqua, was “totally out of bounds” for recent remarks about the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). The Source of the Controversy Notre Dame maintains a gridiron scheduling agreement with the ACC and is a participating member in all other sports. Bevacqua has contended that the ACC hurt Notre Dame’s opportunities to enter the College Football Playoff, instead pushing for the selection of the University of Miami. “The ACC do great things for Notre Dame, but we bring significant 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 process,” the athletic director said. Miami eventually secured the CFP invitation over Notre Dame, primarily due to securing the head-to-head matchup between the two schools. Notre Dame's AD additionally stated that the ACC ran a coordinated social media push over multiple weeks indicating its support for Miami. An Egregious Reaction Subsequently on Tuesday, the Big 12 commissioner spoke about the comments at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum. “In my view his behavior has been unacceptable,” the commissioner stated. “He is totally out of bounds in his approach and if he was in the same room, I’d say to him the same thing.” This public criticism is especially significant given Bevacqua’s prominent position. He serves on the College Football Playoff Management Committee with the ten FBS conference commissioners, representing the interests of football independent Notre Dame. Historical Context and Future Rumors Yormark also remarked the support the ACC provided Notre Dame in the Covid-affected 2020 season, providing the Irish a complete ACC schedule and a place in its title game. “It has been egregious,” he reiterated. “It’s been unacceptable going after the ACC commissioner, when they rescued Notre Dame during Covid...” Speculation had spread about Notre Dame possibly splitting with the ACC and aligning with the Big 12. Yet, Yormark's pointed reprimand on Tuesday appear to make such a partnership highly improbable in the near term. Notre Dame, who reached the CFP final last season, have indicated they are declining a bowl game after failing to qualify this year.