Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua said the Irish “had the rug pulled out from underneath us” by the ACC in the wake of Sunday’s College Football Playoff snub.

During a Monday appearance on “The Dan Patrick Show,” Bevacqua ripped the ACC, saying Notre Dame was led to believe it had secured a spot in the playoff.

“We made our case. We were told from Day 1 of the rankings that we were in,” Bevacqua said, emphasizing Notre Dame’s 10-game win streak after an 0-2 start. “… We have no gripes with any schools in the ACC. But we were mystified by the actions of the conference to attack their biggest business partner in football and a member of their conference in 24 of our other sports.

“I wouldn’t be honest with you if I didn’t say they have certainly done permanent damage to the relationship between the conference and Notre Dame.”

When asked what he meant by that, Bevacqua said that the ACC “was taking shots” at Notre Dame.

“We didn’t appreciate the fact that we were singled out repeatedly and compared to Miami — not by Miami; Miami has every right to do that,” Bevacqua said. “But it raised a lot of eyebrows here that the conference was taking shots at us.”

Bevacqua was frustrated over the CFP selection process because “every very step along the way, we were led to be believe we were in as long as we took care of business and we certainly took care of business.”

Notre Dame won its final 10 games by 10 points or more.

“We’re confused, sad and frustrated,” Bevacqua said.

When asked if Notre Dame will reevaluate its relationship with the ACC, Bevacqua said, “I would just say it’s been strained.

“You never say irreparable, but it’s opened our eyes and it caught our attention. But we’ll move past this… we’re already focused on next season.”

ACC commissioner Jim Phillips pushed back on Bevacqua’s notions in a statement on Monday.

“The University of Notre Dame is an incredibly valued member of the ACC and there is tremendous respect and appreciation for the entire institution,” Phillips said. “With that said, when it comes to football, we have a responsibility to support and advocate for all 17 of our football-playing member institutions, and I stand behind our conference efforts to do just that leading up to the College Football Playoff Committee selections on Sunday.

“At no time was it suggested by the ACC that Notre Dame was not a worthy candidate for inclusion in the field. We are thrilled for the University of Miami while also understanding and appreciating the significant disappointment of the Notre Dame players, coaches and program.”

Miami got the final at-large berth on Sunday by being ranked No. 10, one spot ahead of Notre Dame.

The opening games of the 2025 College Football Playoff:

Round 1

• No. 9 Alabama 34, No. 8 Oklahoma 24 (Dec. 19)
• No. 10 Miami 10, No. 7 Texas A&M 3 (Dec. 20)
• No. 6 Ole Miss 41, No. 11 Tulane 10 (Dec. 20)
• No. 5 Oregon 51, No. 12 James Madison 34 (Dec. 20)

Quarterfinals

• No. 10 Miami vs No. 2 Ohio State at Dec. 31 at 7:30 p.m. ET
• No. 5 Oregon vs No. 4 Texas Tech on Jan. 1 at 12 p.m. ET
• No. 9 Alabama vs No. 1 Indiana on Jan. 1 at 4 p.m. ET
• No. 6 Ole Miss vs No. 3 Georgia on Jan. 1 at 8 p.m. ET

The Hurricanes will visit No. 7 Texas A&M in the first round of the CFP.

Notre Dame announced Sunday that it would decline the ACC’s tie-in at the Pop-Tarts Bowl, ending its season.

Starting next season, if the Irish are ranked in the top 12 by the committee, they’ll be guaranteed a spot in the CFP bracket, per a memorandum of understanding signed by CFP officials, Bevacqua said.

Bevacqua will address the media at a news conference scheduled for noon ET on Tuesday.