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In a notable statement, Big 12 chief asserted that Notre Dame's athletic director, Pete Bevacqua, was “completely out of bounds” for his criticisms about the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).

Root of the Dispute

Notre Dame has a gridiron scheduling agreement with the ACC and is a participating member in all other sports. Bevacqua has contended that the ACC hurt Notre Dame’s chances to qualify for the College Football Playoff, instead choosing to campaigning for the spot of the University of Miami.

“They do wonderful things for Notre Dame, but we provide 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 procedure,” the athletic director stated.

The Hurricanes ultimately earned the CFP invitation over Notre Dame, primarily due to winning the direct matchup between the two schools. Bevacqua also claimed that the ACC conducted a coordinated social media effort over multiple weeks indicating its preference for Miami.

An Egregious Reaction

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

“I think his behavior has been unacceptable,” the commissioner 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.”

The pushback is especially striking given Bevacqua’s special role. He serves on the College Football Playoff Management Committee alongside the ten FBS conference commissioners, advocating for the concerns of football independent Notre Dame.

Past Support and Speculative Moves

Yormark also remarked the assistance the ACC gave Notre Dame during the pandemic-disrupted 2020 season, providing the Irish a full ACC schedule and a place in its championship game.

“His behavior has been egregious,” Yormark reiterated. “It’s been egregious criticizing the ACC commissioner, when they helped Notre Dame during Covid...”

Talk had circulated about Notre Dame possibly leaving the ACC and aligning with the Big 12. Yet, Yormark's strong reprimand on Tuesday seem to make such a partnership highly improbable in the near term.

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