🔗 Share this article Big 12 Chief Calls Notre Dame Comments After CFP Omission as ‘Totally Out of Bounds’ At a strong criticism, Brett Yormark declared that Notre Dame's athletic director, Pete Bevacqua, was “totally out of bounds” for public comments about the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). Root of the Dispute The Fighting Irish has a gridiron scheduling agreement with the ACC and is a participating member in all other sports. Bevacqua has claimed that the ACC hurt Notre Dame’s opportunities to qualify for the College Football Playoff, instead advocating for the spot of the University of Miami. “The ACC does great things for Notre Dame, but we offer tremendous football value to the ACC, and we couldn't comprehend why you would make an effort to try to undermine us in this selection,” Bevacqua stated. The Hurricanes eventually secured the CFP berth over Notre Dame, primarily due to securing the direct matchup between the two programs. Notre Dame's AD additionally stated that the ACC ran a coordinated social media push over multiple weeks showing its support for Miami. An Egregious Response Later on Tuesday, Yormark spoke about the criticism at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum. “My opinion is that his actions has been out of line,” the commissioner commented. “He is completely 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 particularly notable given Bevacqua’s unique standing. He sits on the College Football Playoff Management Committee alongside the ten FBS conference commissioners, representing the concerns of football independent Notre Dame. Historical Context and Speculative Moves Yormark further highlighted the assistance the ACC gave Notre Dame in the Covid-affected 2020 season, providing the Irish a full ACC schedule and a berth in its championship game. “His behavior has been unacceptable,” he said again. “It’s been egregious criticizing Jim Phillips, when they rescued Notre Dame during Covid...” Rumors had spread about Notre Dame possibly splitting with the ACC and partnering with the Big 12. However, the commissioner's pointed comments on Tuesday seem to make such a scenario highly improbable in the near term. Notre Dame, who made the CFP final last season, have announced they are declining a postseason invitation after missing out this season.