Why Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark supports a 24-team playoff

FRISCO, Texas – One year ago at the Big 12 Spring Meetings in Florida, Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark advocated for a 16-team College Football Playoff.

Fast forward to now, the 5+11 format is in the rearview mirror, while all of Yormark’s support is behind a 24-team College Football Playoff.

Why the change?

Yormark, who is completing his fourth year as the Big 12’s Commissioner, sat down with KSL Sports at the Big 12 Spring Meetings to discuss why he now supports a 24-team format.

Big 12 supports a 24-team College Football Playoff format

“Last year we talked about 16. I was not for any kind of AQs, and I was pretty outspoken about it, and thankfully, that seemed to have gone away,” said Yormark to KSL Sports.

The AQs Yormark is referencing was a format idea that involved four automatic qualifiers to the SEC and Big Ten, with two automatic bids to the ACC and Big 12.

That was a non-starter for Yormark and the Big 12.

Yormark continued, “Now this year, a year later, everyone’s talking about 24, and I’ve spent some time studying what 24 means. There’s still a lot of work that needs to be done, but in theory, I like it.”

Big 12 performance in the CFP since Yormark became the Commissioner

Since Yormark took over as Big 12 Commissioner in 2022, the league has been 1-4 in College Football Playoff games.

The one win came in the four-team playoff format, when TCU knocked off Michigan in the National Semifinals before suffering a blowout loss to Georgia in the National Championship.

In the 12-team playoff format, Big 12 teams are 0-2. The first loss was by Arizona State, which nearly pulled off the upset against Texas in the Peach Bowl; last year, Texas Tech was shut out by Oregon in the Orange Bowl.

“How long are these schools going to invest if they’re not making the CFP?”

“I think it provides more access, I think it takes a little heat out of the system,” Yormark said on his support of a 24-team format.

“So many of our coaches’ rosters are being built all based on, can we be one of 12. How long are these schools going to invest if they’re not making the CFP? Candidly, being in the top 25 brings a totally different dynamic to the industry, and I think it’s something that we need to explore now.”

If the 24-team playoff had been in place last year, both BYU and Utah would have been in the playoff field. The Big 12 as a whole would have had five teams playing for a chance at a National Championship.

“That would have been good for our business, good for our brand, great for our football profile. So it would have played out quite favorably this year for us.”

At the Big Ten spring meetings last week in California, Commissioner Tony Pettiti said the 24-team format is the only one being discussed by his league members. The backup option is staying at 12.

SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey is in support of a 16-team playoff format.

“If we end up at 12, or maybe to 16, or 24, who knows? But 24, I like it in theory. I think it provides the right access. Too many good teams are being left out, and I think it’s worthy of the work that the management committee, the CFP, needs to put in.”

SEC and the Big Ten hold the pen

There’s a memorandum of understanding that those two leagues hold the votes on the next format. It begs the question: what say do leagues like the Big 12 and the ACC truly have in the next format?

“To the credit of the SEC and the Big Ten, it’s been very collaborative. Jim Phillips, the Commissioner of the ACC, and myself have had our voice heard, and we’ve had many discussions around the future format. Ultimately, the SEC and the Big Ten hold the pen, but they’ve been very collaborative in their efforts,” Yormark said.

What about 16?

What if Sankey gets his wish and the format lands at 16? How would Yormark feel about that?

“If we landed at 16 and there were no AQs other than the conference champions, I’d be very comfortable with that. But right now, I’m focused on 24, but if we land at 16, it’s better than 12, because it provides more access.”

While commissioners go to bat for an expanded playoff, fans on social media and media analysts have been voicing frustration that a 24-team playoff format would hurt the college football regular season.

Yormark, who has shown in his tenure as Big 12 Commissioner that he isn’t afraid of change and taking chances, doesn’t feel the same way.

“I don’t,” Yormark said on a 24-team playoff impacting the interest of the regular season. “I know there are a lot of people out there saying that, ‘Hey, it might compromise some of the engagement and viewership during the regular season,’ and I haven’t seen any data to prove that out. In fact, I think it’s the opposite.

“When teams still have a chance to ultimately be part of the CFP, they’re going to stay engaged. If you look at the NBA, they added the Play-In games, and those teams that were on the cusp maintained their fan interest, which they had hoped to do. And ratings weren’t compromised.

“Then you move into the playoffs, and if you think about the NBA this year, they’re having one of the best ratings seasons ever, both regular season and in the playoffs. So I haven’t seen the data that proves out that you’re compromising the regular season or doing something different with the postseason. So I welcome seeing it.”

Conference championship game economics

The data that is of importance to Yormark, if a 24-team playoff format comes to be, is the economics of the deal.

If the 24-team playoff happens, that would likely bring conference championship games to an end.

Last year, the Big 12 set an attendance record with more than 85,000 fans at last year’s game between Texas Tech and BYU.

“For me, it comes down to the value equation,” Yormark said. “If I’m going to lose something, what am I gaining in 24?”

The deadline for an expanded playoff format is in December. From the Big 12 boss, he’s backing a 24-team field.

Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSL and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast daily on KSL Sports YouTube and KSL NewsRadio (SUBSCRIBE). Harper also co-hosts Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL NewsRadio.

Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU athletics in the Big 12 Conference on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram: @Mitch_Harper.

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