Despite snub, Notre Dame on good terms with ACC, AD says

AMELIA ISLAND, Fla. -- What started as a "permanently damaged" relationship afterNotre Dame's College Football Playoff snub in favor ofMiamiis now little more than water under the bridge as Fighting Irish athletic director 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 has 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 in the ACC for all sports except football, had been ranked ahead of conference 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.

Phillips specifically avoided direct critiques of Notre Dame, but the ACC Network re-aired the Week 1 matchup several times -- something Notre Dame administrators saw as a slight against their school.

Ultimately, the committee moved Miami ahead of the Irish, despite neither school playing on championship weekend, and the Hurricanes enjoyed a playoff run that included wins over Texas A&M, Ohio State and Ole Miss before they lost in the national championship game to Indiana. The Irish, frustrated by the playoff snub, opted out of postseason play.

As the ACC's spring meetings kicked off Monday, however, Bevacqua said there were no hard feelings, and he felt good about the mutual commitment between the conference and school.

"I've always said, a strong ACC is good for Notre Dame, and a strong Notre Dame is good for the ACC," Bevacqua said.

If tensions have cooled off the field, however, the on-field rivalry remains strong. Notre Dame cornerback Leonard Moore referred to the 2026 game against Miami as being part of a "revenge tour."

"We got to make it right from last year," Moore said.

Miami and Notre Dame face off in the rematch Nov. 7 in South Bend, Indiana.br/]