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During a public statement, Big 12 chief declared that Notre Dame AD, Pete Bevacqua, was “completely out of bounds” for recent comments about the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).

The Source of the Tension

Notre Dame has a gridiron scheduling agreement with the ACC and is a full member in other sports. Bevacqua has argued that the ACC actively damaged Notre Dame’s bid to make the College Football Playoff, instead pushing for the inclusion of the University of Miami.

“They do wonderful things for Notre Dame, but we bring significant football value to the ACC, and we didn’t understand why you would go out of your way to try to undermine us in this procedure,” the athletic director remarked.

The Hurricanes eventually earned the CFP invitation over Notre Dame, largely due to securing the head-to-head matchup between the two teams. Notre Dame's AD further alleged that the ACC engaged in a targeted social media push over several weeks demonstrating its support for Miami.

A Strong Response

Subsequently on Tuesday, Yormark addressed the comments at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.

“I think his conduct has been out of line,” Yormark stated. “He is completely out of bounds in his approach and if he was in the room, I’d say to him the same thing.”

The response is especially significant given Bevacqua’s unique position. He sits on the College Football Playoff Management Committee alongside the ten FBS conference commissioners, representing the concerns of football independent Notre Dame.

Past Context and Future Moves

Yormark also remarked the lifeline the ACC provided Notre Dame during the pandemic-disrupted 2020 season, providing the Irish a full ACC schedule and a berth in its title game.

“His behavior has been unacceptable,” he said again. “It’s been egregious attacking the ACC commissioner, when they helped Notre Dame during Covid...”

Rumors had spread about Notre Dame potentially splitting with the ACC and aligning with the Big 12. However, Yormark's pointed reprimand on Tuesday seem to make such a scenario highly improbable in the near term.

Notre Dame, who reached the CFP championship game last season, have announced they are declining a postseason invitation after missing out this season.