Paul Finebaum calls out college football athletic director after several playoff complaints

Paul Finebaum this program's athletic director for his prolonged criticism of the College Football Playoff and the ACC.

ESPN college football analyst Paul Finebaum criticized Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua for his prolonged public campaign of complaints against the College Football Playoff and the ACC. | Ken Ruinard / staff, The Greenville News via Imagn Content Services, LLC

The fallout from the College Football Playoff committee’s final rankings continued this week, leading to a fierce response from a prominent national media personality. On Wednesday morning, a renowned sports analyst used his platform on ESPN’s Get Up to sharply criticize the athletic director of a college football powerhouse, whose school, despite finishing 10-2, was excluded from the 12-team field.

The controversy stems from the athletic director's public allegations that his partner conference launched a "sustained, targeted social media campaign" against his school. This campaign, he claimed, was intended to promote a conference member and rival that ultimately secured a spot in the final top 12.

The athletic director has spent several days voicing his frustrations, asserting that the conference's actions have caused "real damage" to the relationship between the two institutions.

Before the analyst's comments, a major conference commissioner had already weighed in on the dispute. Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark took issue with the complaining athletic director’s behavior, characterizing it as "egregious" during an appearance at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum on Tuesday. Yormark stated clearly that the athletic director "is totally out of bounds in his approach, and if he was in the room, I'd tell him the same thing."

Paul Finebaum Blasts Pete Bevacqua's Public Complaints

The ongoing public dispute saw a dramatic escalation when college football analyst Paul Finebaum offered a blunt assessment of the situation involving University of Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua. Bevacqua had accused the Atlantic Coast Conference of unfairly advocating for the Miami Hurricanes, who were selected over the Irish thanks in part to a head-to-head victory earlier in the season.

Finebaum opened his criticism of the Notre Dame athletic director with a dismissive literary comparison, suggesting the complaints lacked any true significance. He advised the executive to, "Go down to the library and get out a book of Shakespeare and read Macbeth because it says a lot of sound and fury signifying nothing." This statement served as a severe rebuke of Bevacqua's highly publicized grievances.

Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua has spent several days voicing his displeasure about the Irish's exclusion from the College Football Playoff. | Michael Clubb / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Finebaum’s critique targeted the volume of the athletic director’s statements, which included multiple media appearances after the College Football Playoff field was announced. The analyst’s feelings were condensed into a single, straightforward insult aimed at the Notre Dame official, declaring that "He just has been a motormouth."

Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark’s earlier remarks supported the ACC's stance, noting that College Football Playoff chairman Hunter Yurachek had been transparent that head-to-head results would be a factor as teams grew closer in the rankings. Yormark also highlighted that the ACC, whose commissioner is Jim Phillips, came to the aid of the Irish by providing a full ten-game schedule during the 2020 COVID season.

IAF on stage exclusive:

Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark's full comments on the CFP decision, Notre Dame and athletic director Pete Bevacqua 👇 pic.twitter.com/XWpXRio8mg

— Sports Business Journal (@SBJ) December 10, 2025

Bevacqua, meanwhile, maintained that the relationship between the independent school and the ACC, where 24 of the Irish’s sports are members, had been permanently harmed. He noted that "all things can be healed," but he was not seeking an apology. Finebaum ended his televised commentary by calling for the matter to be dropped, saying, "Pete, thank you. Go back to the back of the class and find somebody else to scream and holler at. We are tired."

The University of Notre Dame finished its season at 10-2 after declining an invitation to play in the Pop-Tarts Bowl, and its next competitive game will take place in the fall of 2026.