AD: Despite snub, Irish on good terms with ACC
Key takeaways
- In the run-up to the committee's final verdict, the ACC had backed Miami as a playoff team, noting the on-field result as a point of context.
- Phillips had specifically avoided direct critiques of Notre Dame, but the ACC Network had re-aired the Week 1 matchup several times -- something Notre Dame administrators saw as a slight against their school.
- The Irish, frustrated by the playoff snub, opted out of postseason play.
Why this matters: a sports story that could shift standings, legacies, or fan conversations.
AMELIA ISLAND, Fla. -- What started as a "permanently damaged" relationship in the wake of Notre Dame's College Football Playoff snub in favor of Miami is now little more than water under the bridge as Irish AD Pete Bevacqua and the ACC appear to have moved on from last year's hurt feelings.
Bevacqua called the school's relationship with the ACC "very good and healthy" and said he's had numerous conversations with conference commissioner Jim Phillips in the months since the playoff snub that have helped heal any wounds.
Notre Dame, which is an ACC member in all sports except football, had been ranked ahead of ACC member Miami in every College Football Playoff release until the final top 25, despite the Hurricanes' head-to-head win in Week 1. In the run-up to the committee's final verdict, the ACC had backed Miami as a playoff team, noting the on-field result as a point of context.