Paul Finebaum: Notre Dame, Pete Bevacqua have lost ‘all credibility’ amid levying empty threats at ACC

Paul Finebaum escalated his criticism of Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua on Wednesday’s edition of First Take. The SEC Network analyst argued that the Fighting Irish have undermined their own position in their ongoing dispute with the ACC. 

Finebaum, who already called the Big 12’s Brett Yormark’s public rebuke of Bevacqua “a seminal moment” on Get Up earlier in the morning, took it even further. He stated his belief that Notre Dame has now “lost all credibility” in the matter.

“The real problem, it goes back to Notre Dame,” Finebaum said. “Pete Bevacqua said a lot of things, but he hasn’t backed up anything. He just threw a bunch of rocks at the street, but he didn’t touch anything. 

“If he wanted to make a statement, say you’re getting out of the ACC, whatever it costs, whatever the legalities. But he didn’t do that. He just made a bunch of empty threats. I think as a result, Notre Dame has lost all credibility in this matter.”

Alas, Bevacqua’s frustration stems from what he believes was an orchestrated push by the ACC to elevate Miami into the 12-team College Football Playoff field at Notre Dame’s expense. His public comments criticizing commissioner Jim Phillips sparked widespread administrative backlash.

As stated, the most notable response was from Yormark, the Big 12 commissioner. He claimed Bevacqua’s actions were “egregious” and “totally out of bounds.”

In response, Finebaum has noted how unprecedented Yormark’s comments were. Conference commissioners almost never call out another high-ranking official in public, preferring to maintain alignment across college football’s leadership.

Yormark’s willingness to break that norm, Finebaum argued, exposed just how reckless Bevacqua’s accusations appeared to decision-makers across the sport.

Is Notre Dame losing credibility, respect due to Bevacqua’s insistent comments? 

Additionally, part of Yormark’s irritation also came from his own conference’s disappointment on Selection Sunday. The Big 12 earned just one CFP berth with Texas Tech, despite strong lobbying from BYU late in the year. Though Yormark admitted he wasn’t thrilled with the result, he still supported the committee’s decisions. “Overall they did the right job. … It’s progress over perfection,” he said.

Meanwhile, tensions between Notre Dame and the ACC remain unresolved. Bevacqua acknowledged communication with SEC commissioner Greg Sankey regarding CFP structure but said he has not spoken with either Yormark or Phillips since the controversy erupted. That silence, Finebaum argued, only further explains the depth of the rift.

For Finebaum, Notre Dame’s stance has shifted from frustrated to flailing, with Bevacqua lobbing accusations without the willingness to take real action. In college football’s evolving landscape, he believes that approach has cost the Irish credibility.

— On3’s Griffin McVeigh contributed to this article.