Brett Yormark: “Never Been A Better Time To Be Part Of The Big 12”

Frisco, TX —At 2025 Big 12 Football Media Day, Commissioner Brett Yormark took the opportunity to highlight the league’s strong momentum and address pressing topics.

“There has never been a better time to be part of the Big 12 than right now,” Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark stated. “Our football product will compete at the highest levels. We’ve been the best conference in men’s basketball over the last 10 years, and we’re doubling down on women’s basketball and Olympic sports.”

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— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) July 8, 2025

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Yormark discussed the Big 12’s accomplishments, as well as thoughts on the future of the league. The conference’s new media additions, its stance on the expanding College Football Playoff, and how it will handle the forthcoming revenue-sharing rules for athletes.

Below, we break down some of Yormark’s comments and what they could mean for the league and its members.

College Football Playoff Format

On the CFP expansion issue, Yormark remained adamant that the best option for college football is the 5+11 model. His remarks made clear that the Big 12 will insist on a format that rewards on-field performance.

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— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) July 8, 2025

“We want to earn it on the field,” Yormak stated. “We do not need a professional model because we are not the NFL. We are college football, and we must act like it. There is nothing in sports like college football, and we must protect what makes it special and do what’s right for the fans and the game.”

Given the competition in the Big 12 and the fact that Arizona State was the only representative for the conference last season, that could be viewed as a fairly risky proposition. The playoff committee plays a key role in any format, and could make for a tight-rope type walk for the conference, yet Yormark is confident in the selection process.

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“5+11 is fair, we want to earn it on the field, it might not be the best solution today for the Big 12, but long-term, knowing the progress we’re making, it’s the right format for us,” Yormark stated. “[The playoff committee] are doing a full audit of the selection process to figure out how they can modernize and contemporize and how they use data, and how certain metrics can be more heavily weighed.”

Yormark believes in his conference’s ability to earn the playoff bids necessary to stay at the forefront of college football. Regardless of which format the CFP ends up pursuing, it will be up to these football programs to get the job done.

Media Rights and Streaming Strategy

Yormark has repeatedly touted the Big 12’s new media rights deal – a six-year pact beginning in 2025 worth over $2.2 billion – as a launching pad for growth. There was no additional insight into the new media rights deal or payouts to programs this past year.

However, he noted today that in addition to flagship agreements with ESPN and Fox, the Big 12 has sublicensed games to TNT, which will include their digital arm, Bleacher Report. Broadcasts of football and basketball games will begin this fall.

Yormark and the Big 12 have also aggressively embraced new streaming content. Last fall, the conference launched a linear channel, Big 12 Studios, as well as Big 12 Radio on TuneIn. Those platforms will provide the Big 12 with year-round storytelling.

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Highlighting the Big 12’s competitive strength

One point Yormark hammered home is the competitiveness of the league, due in large part to the collection of quarterbacks.

Nine returning Big 12 quarterbacks each threw for at least 2,400 yards last season — a stat unmatched anywhere else in the country. To put that into perspective, the other three Power 4 conferences combined bring back only 11 quarterbacks who hit that same mark.

Yormark, ever the promoter, seemed to hint at this group playing a central role in the league’s branding efforts this season. A quarterback-driven product, with as much quality play and depth as there is, it’s something fans can rally around, and more importantly, lead to success on the field.

In a year when quarterback performance may swing College Football Playoff berths more than ever, the Big 12 can credibly argue it will field some of the most entertaining, statistically prolific offenses in the country.

The competitiveness and parity in the league also played a role in the elimination of the preseason media poll. Yormark shared that Arizona State being pegged 16th in the conference, hurt them and disadvantaged them as they stockpiled wins.

Advancing work with the College Sports Commission

Earlier this month, Big 12 institutions and programs across the country began implementing revenue-sharing payouts. Yormark has already telegraphed the conference’s approach, and he re-emphasized the point that all 16 institutions will share the full $20.5 million available.

That’s already made a difference for Big 12 programs on the recruiting trail. A handful of member programs have secured significant commitments in recent weeks, due in part to the ability to provide competitive compensation for top prospects.

At the same time, Yormark emphasized the need for regulation and rules to keep things in check, specifically identifying the role of the College Sports Commission, even admitting there is still a need for congressional help.

“One of the primary goals of the College CSC is to change the market from pay for play to a market of true, third-party NIL,” Yormark stated. “The CSC enforcement of punitive measures towards those who break the rules will change behavior in college athletics. It’s crucial that CSC leadership, my Power Four colleagues, and I continue to spend the time necessary to guide and partner with our schools into this new age of college athletics. Alongside the CSC, we will still need congressional help, and we continue to work towards that.”

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