Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark Criticizes Notre Dame AD's 'Outrageous' Remarks on CFP Rejection
LAS VEGAS — The College Football Playoff meeting among conference commissioners and Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua is set to be a heated affair in Miami, ahead of the national championship game. This isn't due to any potential format changes, but rather the fallout from Bevacqua's recent comments about Notre Dame's exclusion from the 12-team playoff this season.
Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark had strong words for his peer on the CFP management council.
"I'm not happy with how Notre Dame has reacted. I think Pete's behavior has been outrageous," Yormark said at the Sports Business Journal's Intercollegiate Athletics Forum. "It's outrageous that he's gone after Jim Phillips, especially when Notre Dame was supported by the conference during the pandemic. We all knew it was transparent. The chair, Hunter Yurachek, made it clear that head-to-head matchups would be a factor as Notre Dame and Miami drew closer. BYU's loss and subsequent ranking shift highlighted the impact of these matchups."
"I think he's completely out of line with his approach. If he were in the room, I'd tell him the same."
Bevacqua has been vocal in the past 48 hours, criticizing the selection committee's decision to exclude his school. He expressed his displeasure to several media outlets, including an interview on The Dan Patrick Show, where he emphasized the ACC's perceived favoritism towards one of its full-time members over a partial member. While the reaction from South Bend is understandable, the administration's response, particularly Bevacqua's, stands out for its intensity compared to past disagreements over playoff selections.
"Look, we all signed up for this," Yormark said. "I was surprised by his approach."
Yormark's league played a significant role in the committee's decision to reorder the teams, considering BYU's drop from 11th to 12th place after losing the Big 12 championship game to Texas Tech. Despite the initial reaction, Yormark believes the committee made the right call.
"I think they got it right. While I wasn't happy about BYU's ranking, they lost to Texas Tech earlier in the season and dropped five spots. They couldn't regain those spots. They ended up on the outside looking in at 12. Overall, they did a good job. This is progress, not perfection. The selection committee will never be perfect. Our goal is to improve each year."
These discussions will continue in the coming weeks, and the civil or otherwise nature of these conversations might be more intriguing to hear about after the recent back-and-forth.
