ACC's social media campaign 'targeted' Notre Dame, says AD - ESPN

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua said the ACC engaged in a sustained, targeted social media campaign against the school's football team late in the season that has forever changed the relationship between Notre Dame and the league.

Bevacqua said the ACC, in the process of promoting football member Miami for College Football Playoff inclusion, also damaged Notre Dame, which lost the season opener to the Hurricanes. Miami made the CFP field as the No. 10 seed, while Notre Dame dropped from No. 9 to No. 11 in the final standings and was left out. The Irish on Sunday declined an invitation to play in the Pop-Tarts Bowl, through an ACC tie-in, and ended their season at 10-2.

Notre Dame is an independent in football but has 24 of its sports teams in the ACC. In 2014, the Irish entered into a scheduling agreement with the ACC where they play at least five conference members per season.

«I understand they have to stand up for their teams in football,» Bevacqua said. «We just think there's other ways to do it, and it has created damage. I'm not going to shy away from that, and that's just not me speaking. People a lot more important at this university than me feel the same way. So I think it has done some real damage, and I think the ACC knows that.»

Bevacqua outlined a multiweek social media campaign, during which he communicated with the ACC. He said an initial post from the ACC's official X account that appeared on Nov. 10, which included a side-by-side comparison of Miami and Notre Dame, caught his attention but attributed it to an individual staffer overstepping.

«Quite frankly, I was kind of expecting a phone call saying, 'Hey, sorry about that, it won't happen again,'» Bevacqua said. «But then