🔗 Share this article Big 12 Conference Chief Labels Notre Dame Comments Following CFP Snub as ‘Totally Out of Bounds’ At a strong statement, Brett Yormark declared that Notre Dame's athletic director, Pete Bevacqua, was “totally out of bounds” for his remarks targeting the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). The Source of the Dispute Notre Dame maintains a gridiron scheduling agreement with the ACC and is a participating member in other sports. The AD has claimed that the ACC harmed Notre Dame’s chances to make the College Football Playoff, instead pushing for the inclusion of the University of Miami. “They does great things for Notre Dame, but we provide significant football value to the ACC, and we didn’t understand why you would go out of your way to try to hurt us in this selection,” the athletic director said. The Hurricanes eventually earned the CFP invitation over Notre Dame, primarily due to winning the direct contest between the two schools. Notre Dame's AD also claimed that the ACC ran a targeted social media push over several weeks indicating its preference for Miami. An Egregious Rebuke Later on Tuesday, Yormark addressed the criticism at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum. “I think his behavior has been out of line,” Yormark commented. “He is completely out of bounds in his method and if he was in the same room, I’d tell him the same thing.” This public criticism is especially striking given Bevacqua’s prominent standing. He sits on the College Football Playoff Management Committee with the ten FBS conference commissioners, advocating for the interests of independent Notre Dame. Historical Context and Speculative Moves Yormark also pointed out the support the ACC provided Notre Dame during the pandemic-disrupted 2020 season, giving the Irish a complete ACC schedule and a berth in its title game. “It has been egregious,” Yormark said again. “It’s been unacceptable attacking Jim Phillips, when they helped Notre Dame during Covid...” Talk had circulated about Notre Dame possibly splitting with the ACC and aligning with the Big 12. Yet, Yormark's strong reprimand on Tuesday appear to make such a scenario less likely in the near term. Notre Dame, who made the CFP final last season, have announced they plan to decline a postseason invitation after failing to qualify this season.