Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua found himself on the receiving end of a public rebuke Tuesday, as Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark sharply criticized his handling of the fallout from the Fighting Irish’s exclusion from the College Football Playoff.
Bevacqua was already facing widespread pushback outside South Bend and escalated tensions earlier in the day during a news conference in which he accused the ACC of orchestrating “social media propaganda” to boost Miami’s case for a playoff berth over Notre Dame. He said the conference’s behavior strained what has long been a cooperative partnership.
“What we were really surprised by and disappointed was how the ACC conference really went on social media in my opinion attacking our football program,” Bevacqua said. He also questioned the ACC Network’s decision to re-air Miami’s season-opening win over Notre Dame multiple times in the lead-up to Selection Sunday.
But while Bevacqua’s comments caused skepticism, Yormark’s response raised the volume in the room. During an IAF event in Las Vegas, the Big 12 commissioner delivered a blunt assessment of Notre Dame’s behavior.
Brett Yormark said on stage at IAF that he thinks the CFP got it right.
— Sports Business Journal (@SBJ) December 9, 2025
"Was I happy about BYU, no...but I think overall they did the right job. Listen, it's progress over perfection."
He also called out Notre Dame AD Pete Bevacqua: "I think his behavior has been egregious."
“I don’t like how Notre Dame has reacted to it,” Yormark said. “I think Pete, his behavior to it, has been egregious. It’s been egregious going after Jim Phillips when they saved Notre Dame during Covid.”
Yormark defended the CFP selection process, noting that head-to-head data became decisive as Notre Dame and Miami finished adjacent in the final rankings. He added that Bevacqua’s public accusations were “totally out of bounds,” saying he would tell the Irish athletic director the same “if he was in the room.”
Bevacqua said he has spoken with SEC commissioner Greg Sankey about the framework for a potential 16-team playoff. Commissioners and Notre Dame must reach agreement by January or the current 12-team model will continue into 2026-27.
Given Yormark’s unusually sharp remarks, Notre Dame may enter those negotiations with fewer allies than usual.
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