With Notre Dame left out of the College Football Playoff, nearly everyone in college football landscape has weighed in on the fallout.
But few statements have generated more confusion than the one issued by ACC commissioner Jim Phillips, whose attempt at clarification only seemed to deepen the divide between the league and its most visible football partner.
In a statement released Monday, Phillips praised Notre Dame as “an incredibly valued member of the ACC” before attempting to explain the conference’s public push for Miami in the final days before the CFP selections.
“With that said, when it comes to football, we have a responsibility to support and advocate for all 17 of our football-playing member institutions, and I stand behind our conference efforts to do just that,” Phillips wrote. He added that “at no time was it suggested by the ACC that Notre Dame was not a worthy candidate,” even as the league celebrated Miami’s campaign for a Playoff bid.
ACC commish Jim Phillips: “The University of Notre Dame is an incredibly valued member of the ACC and there is tremendous respect and appreciation for the entire institution. With that said, when it comes to football, we have a responsibility to support and advocate for all 17 of…
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) December 8, 2025
The statement did little to quiet criticism, especially after the ACC Network aired Miami’s win over Notre Dame for 48 consecutive hours ahead of Selection Sunday. Notre Dame entered the weekend ranked No. 10, one spot ahead of Miami despite the Week 1 loss. But BYU’s defeat in the Big 12 title game leveled the resumes, allowing the committee to lean on head-to-head and elevate the Hurricanes into the bracket while dropping the Irish out.
Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua made clear Monday that the frustration goes far beyond the snub. On today's Dan Patrick Show, Bevacqua said the ACC’s public messaging caused “permanent damage” to the school’s relationship with the conference, effectively ending any remote possibility of future football membership.
Bevacqua added that Miami was not the issue, calling the Hurricanes “a great team” with every reason to advocate for themselves. His concern centered on ACC leadership repeatedly using Notre Dame as a comparison point during the Playoff debate.
“We were mystified by the actions of the conference,” Bevacqua said. “To attack their biggest business partner in football and a member of their conference in 24 of our other sports … they have certainly done permanent damage to the relationship.”
Bevacqua said Notre Dame would never publicly tear down another institution and was stunned to be targeted by a league with longstanding financial and competitive ties.
“Everybody was saying we were one of a handful of teams that could win this whole thing,” he said. “And now we have 0% chance.”
For Notre Dame, any future conference home for Football will not be the ACC.
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