Notre Dame officials haven't cooled off since Sunday. If anything, athletic director Pete Bevacqua says the fallout from the College Football Playoff snub has spilled into their relationship with the ACC, and that relationship may never look the same.
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Bevacqua joined "The Dan Patrick Show" on Monday and made it clear the frustration isn't limited to the CFP committee. He said the ACC's behavior in the lead-up to the final rankings caused "permanent damage" between the conference and Notre Dame.
The league openly pushed for Miami to make the playoff over the Irish, highlighting the Hurricanes' 27-24 win and repeatedly airing the matchup on the ACC Network.
"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," Bevacqua said. "I wouldn't be honest with you if I didn't say they have certainly done permanent damage to the relationship between the conference and Notre Dame."
Bevacqua added that Miami had every right to campaign for itself, but the ACC choosing to take shots at Notre Dame "raised a lot of eyebrows." He said the Irish never would have handled it that way.
"We were mystified by the actions of the conference... They have certainly done permanent damage to the relationship between the conference and Notre Dame."
– Notre Dame AD Pete Bevacqua on their relationship with the ACC. pic.twitter.com/uvpWqrU8PM
— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) December 8, 2025
Notre Dame's football program remains independent, but the rest of its athletic department operates under the ACC umbrella, and the school maintains a football scheduling partnership with the league. That made the ACC's aggressive posture even more jarring to Irish officials.
Bevacqua pointed out that both teams had strong cases. Notre Dame finished No. 10 in the final regular-season CFP rankings. Miami was No. 12. Neither played on championship weekend, yet the committee elevated Miami and slid Notre Dame out of the field. Bevacqua blasted that decision on Sunday, and the chair's explanation didn't bring much clarity.
The frustration is real in South Bend, and it goes far beyond a single playoff bracket.
