Notre Dame AD still upset with ACC and CFP committee, calls for expansion to 16-team playoff field

Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua thinks there’s a simple solution to politicking for College Football Playoff spots: expansion.

He was still upset Tuesday about the selection committee’s decision to bypass the Fighting Irish from the 12-team playoff field and the public campaigning by the Atlantic Coast Conference to get full-time league member Miami a spot. He then called a 16-team format the perfect number.

“It should be 16 teams in my opinion, with five automatic qualifiers and 11 at-large teams,” Bevacqua said as he fielded questions for nearly 40 minutes. “What I like about 16 is it creates more opportunity, more narratives around schools and yet it preserves the integrity and importance of the regular season.”

Bevacqua did not back off the complaints that have permeated college football ever since the CFP participants were revealed Sunday.

He still thinks the committee should be more transparent with its selection process to ensure schools, coaches, players and fans know how decisions are made and where they actually stand in the rankings. He also reiterated that ACC’s actions have created “real damage” with Notre Dame.

But two days after Notr...