Notre Dame won't join major conference due to 'permanent damage', AD Pete Bevacqua says

Jeff Hauser

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Notre Dame won't join major conference due to 'permanent damage', AD Pete Bevacqua says image

Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua said Monday that the aftermath of the Fighting Irish’s College Football Playoff snub has pushed the school further from ever considering full ACC membership in football, calling the league’s recent behavior “permanent damage” to the relationship.

While appearing on The Dan Patrick Show, Bevacqua said the program was stunned by how aggressively the ACC against the Irish during the final weeks of CFP rankings debates. He noted that the frustration is not with Miami, which beat Notre Dame head-to-head and had every reason to advocate for its own inclusion. But rather ACC leadership repeatedly comparing the Irish to the Hurricanes in public comments as part of the league’s push to secure a Playoff berth.

“I have tremendous respect for Miami, great team, great school,” Bevacqua said. “Their athletic director, Dan Radakovich, is a good friend. We were mystified by the actions of the conference, to attack their biggest business partner in football and a member of their conference in 24 of our other sports. I wouldn’t be honest with you if I didn’t say that they have certainly done permanent damage to the relationship between the conference and Notre Dame.”

Bevacqua added that Notre Dame does not publicly tear down other institutions and was surprised to be targeted by a league with which it has deep competitive and financial ties.

“We didn’t appreciate the fact that we were singled out repeatedly and compared to Miami, not by Miami, but by the conference,” he said. “People might disagree with us, but that’s just not something we choose to do and wouldn’t choose to do in the future.”

This also comes after the ACC Network aired Miami's win over Notre Dame for 48 hours straight before the committee's decision. 

Notre Dame entered the weekend at No. 10, ahead of Miami despite the Week 1 loss. When BYU fell in the Big 12 title game, that separation vanished, allowing the committee to apply head-to-head and elevate Miami into the 12-team Playoff while dropping the Irish to the first team out.

Bevacqua said the result stings even more because much of the sport believed Notre Dame was capable of winning a national title. “Everybody was saying we were one of a handful of teams that could win this whole thing, and now we have 0% chance,” he said.

For Notre Dame, the disappointment feels more like betrayal. Bevacqua made clear that this will shape how the Irish view conference affiliation going forward. But it won't be in the ACC. 

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Staff Writer