Reactions were pouring in following the hearing on Capitol Hill regarding the “Protect College Sports Act” especially when it came to Notre Dame AD Pete Bevacqua.
Bevacqua’s statement, amongst others, went viral as the former head of NBC Sports had a confusing testimony against college football creating a “super league” while also pitching the very idea to generate money for the sport.
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This caught the attention of Illinois head coach Brett Bielema who called out Bevacqua sharing that if he wants Notre Dame to play the elite teams in the sport it should finally join a conference.
“Some guys really like to talk about something that could happen and who they might play … Actually it’s pretty easy to join a conference,” Bielema wrote on X.
Some guys really like to talk about something that could happen and who they might play…. Actually it’s pretty easy just join a conference 🤷♂️👊🤷♂️ https://t.co/QMh8KEMiR3
— Bret Bielema (@BretBielema) June 4, 2026
The Fighting Irish were left out of the College Football Playoff a season ago following conference championship weekend, despite being one of the 12 teams in going into the slate of games. It’s positioning in college football likely played a part in the committee’s outcome.
Tensions such as this will likely continue from the fall out of the hearing as the clock continue to tick on the stability of collegiate athletics.
Patrick Dowd is a contributor for Ball Exclusives. You can follow him on Twitter, via Pat_Dowd77
