Big 12 Commissioner Slams Notre Dame AD’s ‘Egregious’ Moves Amid Shocking CFP Snub—What Really Went Down?

Ever get that gut punch feeling when you think you’re in, but then—bam!—you’re out? That’s exactly the mood swirling around Notre Dame these days, still smarting from being cut out of the College Football Playoff despite a solid 10-2 record. Here’s the kicker: Notre Dame was ranked ahead of Miami heading into the final weekend but got nudged aside because the Hurricanes held the head-to-head win from Week 1. Now, Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark is throwing down some serious shade on Notre Dame’s athletic director, Pete Bevacqua, for the way he’s handled the fallout—calling his behavior “egregious” and, frankly, over the top. It’s a messy cocktail of rivalries, grudges, and what some call an overdue playoff shakeup—because when emotions run high, who really wins? If Notre Dame thinks the committee’s decision was a gut-punch, Yormark suggests there’s a limit to how far you can throw the punches back. What’s next for the Fighting Irish’s tangled conference ties? Stay tuned, this drama’s got legs far beyond the gridiron. LEARN MORE.

The fallout from Notre Dame Fighting Irish’s exclusion from the College Football Playoff continued Tuesday, as Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark publicly condemned the way Irish athletic director Pete Bevacqua responded to the committee’s decision.

Notre Dame, which finished 10-2 and entered the final weekend ranked ahead of the Miami Hurricanes (10-2), was ultimately bumped from the 12-team field in favor of the Hurricanes, who held the head-to-head tiebreaker after beating the Irish 27-24 in Week 1. Bevacqua reacted aggressively, criticizing both the ACC and commissioner Jim Phillips for what he felt was a failure to support Notre Dame’s candidacy.

Yormark, speaking at Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum in Las Vegas, did not hold back when addressing those comments. He said Notre Dame’s public frustration crossed an unacceptable line.

“I don’t like how Notre Dame has reacted to it. I think his behavior has been egregious,” Yormark said. “It’s been egregious going after Jim Phillips when they saved Notre Dame during Covid. We all knew, it was very transparent. Hunter [Yurachek], the chair, was very transparent about it that as Notre Dame and Miami got closer together, that head-to-head would be a factor. BYU lost, they came closer together, and head-to-head made a difference. I think he is totally out of bounds in his approach. If he was in the room, I would tell him the same thing.”

IAF on stage exclusive:

Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark's full comments on the CFP decision, Notre Dame and athletic director Pete Bevacqua pic.twitter.com/XWpXRio8mg

— Sports Business Journal (@SBJ) December 10, 2025

The backlash stems from Bevacqua’s series of emotional media appearances after the CFP bracket was revealed. He recently told that he felt “overwhelming shock and sadness,” labeled the weekly rankings show a “farce,” and declared that the playoff “was stolen from our student-athletes.”

Bevacqua also suggested that the ACC caused “permanent damage” to its relationship with Notre Dame by supporting a full-time league member over a partial one.

Notre Dame’s frustration was amplified by the fact that the Irish had been consistently ranked ahead of Miami for four straight weeks before the final reshuffle. Their 10-game winning streak and strong finish only intensified the belief that the committee changed course too late in the process.

As conference leaders spar publicly and Notre Dame evaluates its next steps, the drama surrounding the 2025 postseason could shape not just playoff drama but the future of Notre Dame’s conference relationships.

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