🔗 Share this article Big 12 Commissioner Labels Notre Dame Comments Following CFP Omission as ‘Completely Out of Bounds’ At a notable criticism, Big 12 chief declared that Notre Dame athletic director, Pete Bevacqua, was “completely out of bounds” for recent comments about the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). The Source of the Tension Notre Dame maintains a gridiron scheduling agreement with the ACC and is a full member in other sports. Bevacqua has claimed that the ACC actively damaged Notre Dame’s opportunities to make the College Football Playoff, instead advocating for the inclusion of the University of Miami. “The ACC do great things for Notre Dame, but we bring tremendous 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 process,” Bevacqua stated. The Hurricanes ultimately received the CFP berth over Notre Dame, primarily due to winning the head-to-head meeting between the two teams. Bevacqua further alleged that the ACC ran a targeted social media effort over several weeks indicating its support for Miami. A Strong Reaction Later on Tuesday, the Big 12 commissioner addressed the allegations at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum. “In my view his actions has been unacceptable,” the commissioner stated. “He is completely out of bounds in his method and if he was in the same room, I’d say to him the same thing.” The criticism is particularly notable given Bevacqua’s special role. He serves on the College Football Playoff Management Committee with the ten FBS conference commissioners, advocating for the concerns of football independent Notre Dame. Past Context and Future Moves Yormark further remarked the assistance the ACC gave Notre Dame in the Covid-affected 2020 season, giving the Irish a full conference schedule and a berth in its championship game. “His behavior has been unacceptable,” he said again. “It’s been egregious going after the ACC commissioner, when they saved Notre Dame during Covid...” Speculation had spread about Notre Dame potentially leaving the ACC and partnering with the Big 12. However, the commissioner's strong reprimand on Tuesday seem to make such a move less likely in the near term. Notre Dame, who made the CFP final last season, have stated they are declining a bowl game after missing out this year.