The silence in South Bend broke quickly after Selection Sunday. Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua has been on the warpath ever since the committee snubbed the Fighting Irish for the No. 10 Miami Hurricanes.
While Bevacqua claims the ACC launched a social media campaign to keep his team out, the rest of the college football world isn’t offering much sympathy. In fact, some of the sport’s biggest names are saying the quiet part out loud: independence has consequences.
Why Did Cam Newton Slam Notre Dame’s Independence?
Cam Newton didn’t hold back during Tuesday’s segment of the “4th & 1” podcast, telling listeners he was happy to see the Irish excluded. He argued that Notre Dame wants the financial perks of independence without the grind of conference play.
“I’m glad that Notre Dame ain’t in, straight up,” Newton said. “Too many times, too many years, these teams have been getting away with sheer murder. And if y’all don’t decide to be in a conference, you don’t reap the benefits of what being in a conference will award you.”
Newton suggested the program is trying to have it both ways.
“Notre Dame feels like they don’t need any conference play for them to be a real contender, to get that coin,” Newton said. “If Notre Dame wanna talk business with any other conference, I’m pretty sure that they can have a loophole somewhere where they keep their media rights.”
The numbers back up the lucrative nature of their status. The Fighting Irish have a TV deal with NBC Sports worth $50 million annually that runs through 2029. However, according to Nielsen ratings, their viewership lags behind the sport’s elite. Notre Dame ranked No. 15 with 3,925,000 viewers, a far cry from the No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide, who averaged 8,493,000 viewers this season.
How Did Brett Yormark Respond to the ACC Accusations?
The criticism intensified when Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark blasted Bevacqua for criticizing ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips. Yormark pointed out that the ACC threw Notre Dame a lifeline during the pandemic, making the current attacks feel like a betrayal.
“I don’t like how Notre Dame’s reacted to it. I think Pete’s behavior has been egregious,” Yormark said. “It’s been egregious going after Jim Phillips, when they saved Notre Dame during COVID. The chair said that as Notre Dame and Miami got closer together, head-to-head would be a factor, OK?”
This public feud has only added to the drama surrounding the program. The Fighting Irish’s reaction has further divided opinion among fans and analysts, especially after they opted to decline the invite to the Pop-Tarts Bowl against the BYU Cougars.
