Brett Yormark Weighs In On Potential Big 12 Expansion Timeline

SALT LAKE CITY – Will Big 12 expansion happen? That’s the question on many people’s minds that cover the league.

Coming out of Big 12 Media Days, it felt like Commissioner Brett Yormark cooled down the expansion talks. When asked if there was another institution that the Big 12 was targeting to pair with BYU out west, Yormark replied, “There’s nothing on the board. Again, we’ll explore all options, but until that point, we love the current makeup and we’re excited about it.”

But he doubled down on the Big 12 having “a plan” on how to pursue expansion.

It has been reported for over a year that the Big 12 Conference has had conversations with the “four corner schools.” Those programs are Colorado, Arizona, Arizona State, and Utah.

But a lot of focus has centered around the Colorado Buffaloes. Some media outlets have said, “Watch for Colorado” in potential expansion.

Colorado’s athletic director Rick George didn’t silence the realignment talk when he told BuffZone.com in May, “In a perfect world, we’d love to be in the Pac-12, but we also have to do what’s right for Colorado at the end of the day. We’ll evaluate things as we move forward.”

Like everyone else, it seems that there’s a waiting game on what the Pac-12 Conference lands with its media rights package. The league needs a new deal after its current one expires next June.

Pac-12’s Board of Directors authorized the Conference to begin media rights negotiations on July 5, 2022. It’s been over a year, and there’s still no deal.

Big 12 expansion timeline?

Circling back to the Big 12 Conference and Brett Yormark, what’s the timeline Yormark would like to see his league’s expansion efforts wrap up?

Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark at Media Days.#KSLBig12 @kslsports pic.twitter.com/8cNzQ8YI3J

— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) July 12, 2023

He was asked that question during a Big 12 Media Days breakout session with the media.

“From my perspective, I’ve dealt with it for a whole year. So sooner or later, it’d be nice to just kind of push it aside and just focus on the things that are most important,” Yormark said. “But, you know, I guess there’s no timeline specifically.”

Yormark on Colorado brand: “They’ve done an incredible job”

Along with being asked about a timeline, Yormark was also asked his “view on Colorado” and what they’ve built this year under Coach Prime (Deion Sanders).

Post by @mitch_harper

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“Listen, they know brands. I’m a brand guy. I think they’ve done an incredible job,” said Yormark. “If you look at how they’re elevating and amplifying their brand, engaging with their fans, they’ve done a wonderful job. So I wish them well.”

Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU in the Big 12 Conference on Twitter and Threads: @Mitch_Harper.

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