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At a strong criticism, Big 12 chief declared that Notre Dame athletic director, Pete Bevacqua, was “completely out of bounds” for public comments about the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).

Root of the Controversy

The Fighting Irish maintains a gridiron scheduling agreement with the ACC and is a participating member in all other sports. The AD has contended that the ACC actively damaged Notre Dame’s bid to enter the College Football Playoff, instead choosing to campaigning for the inclusion of the University of Miami.

“The ACC does wonderful things for Notre Dame, but we offer significant football value to the ACC, and we didn’t understand why you would make an effort to try to hurt us in this selection,” Bevacqua said.

The Hurricanes eventually received the CFP berth over Notre Dame, largely due to winning the head-to-head contest between the two teams. Bevacqua also claimed that the ACC ran a coordinated social media push over several weeks indicating its support for Miami.

A Strong Reaction

Later on Tuesday, Yormark responded to the comments at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.

“In my view his behavior has been out of line,” Yormark commented. “He is completely out of bounds in his approach and if he was in the same room, I’d tell him the same thing.”

This public criticism is especially striking given Bevacqua’s special standing. He serves on the College Football Playoff Management Committee alongside the ten FBS conference commissioners, advocating for the interests of football independent Notre Dame.

Historical Context and Speculative Rumors

Yormark further remarked the support the ACC offered Notre Dame in the pandemic-disrupted 2020 season, providing the Irish a complete ACC schedule and a place in its championship game.

“His behavior has been unacceptable,” Yormark reiterated. “It’s been unacceptable attacking Jim Phillips, when they saved Notre Dame during Covid...”

Rumors had spread about Notre Dame potentially splitting with the ACC and partnering with the Big 12. However, Yormark's public comments on Tuesday appear to make such a scenario less likely in the immediate future.

The Irish, who reached the CFP championship game last season, have stated they plan to decline a postseason invitation after failing to qualify this year.