As the Notre Dame football team was snubbed from the CFP bracket of 12 teams, there's no doubt that athletic director Pete Baavacqua has made his thoughts known on the matter. With the Notre Dame football athletic director saying the ACC pushed for Miami to push Notre Dame out of the bracket, the conference commissioner has responded to the claim.
ACC commissioner Jim Philipps would release a statement saying that there was “no time” when it was said by the conference that the Fighting Irish weren't a “worthy candidate” to be in the CFP. He expressed that they “stand behind” their efforts to advocate for one of their schools to be in the playoffs.
“The University of Notre Dame is an incredibly valued member of the ACC, and there is tremendous respect and appreciation for the entire institution,” Phillips wrote, via Brett McMurphy. “With that said, when it comes to football, we have a responsibility to support and advocate for all 17 of our football-playing member institutions, and I stand behind our conference efforts to do just that leading up to the College Football Playoff Committee selections on Sunday.”
“At no time was it suggested by the ACC that Notre Dame was not a worthy candidate for inclusion in the field,” Phillips continued. “We are thrilled for the University of Miami while also understanding and appreciating the significant disappointment of the Notre Dame players, coaches, and program.”
Notre Dame football AD calls out the ACC
While this has become a controversy surrounding the Notre Dame football team, the feeling is one of shock and disbelief at the decision to be left out of the CFP. With Phillips' statement, it comes after Bevacqua would say that the program is “mystified” by the ACC and that the relationship has sustained “permanent damage” between the conference and the Fighting Irish.
“We were mystified by the actions of the conference to attack their biggest, really, partner in football and a member of their conference in 24 of our other sports,” Bevacqua said, via ESPN. “They have certainly done permanent damage to the relationship between the conference and Notre Dame.”
There's no denying that the decision to leave Notre Dame off the CFP will continue to be talked about.
