Brett Yormark: Big 12 ‘exploring all options’ when it comes to conference realignment
Not long after the Big 12 announced that Brett Yormark was taking over as the league’s new commissioner last month, conference realignment returned to the college landscape.
As news of UCLA and USC leaving the Pac-12 for the Big Ten sent shock waves through the sport, Yormark had an interesting reaction. Even though it meant he had to reevaluate how he planned to approach his first few months on the job, he didn’t view it as a headache.
“I was excited by it,” Yormark said Wednesday at Big 12 Media Days at AT&T Stadium, “because I saw there was opportunity.”
How will the Big 12 respond? That is the multi-million-dollar question currently facing the conference and its new commissioner. Reports have suggested that the Big 12 is interested in expansion with a focus on Pac-12 schools, primarily Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah.
Such a move would give the Big 12 a grand total of 16 teams after Oklahoma and Texas leave the conference, making it the same size as the future Big Ten and SEC.
Yormark did not deny the Big 12’s interest in expansion when asked about it during his opening news conference with media from across the league.
“We are exploring all options,” Yormark said.
Though he said “nothing is imminent” when it comes to the topic of further conference realignment, he added that the conference has “received a lot of phone calls and a lot of interest” from schools all over the country. He also said the conference planned to be “aggressive” in whatever its next move turns out to be.
The only caveat he shared on the potential of adding new schools is that the Big 12 will only consider new members who bring extra value to the conference. The last thing he wants to do is dilute the league’s brand or value as it prepares to negotiate a new media rights deal after Oklahoma and Texas depart for the SEC in 2025.
He wants the Big 12 to become “younger, hipper and cooler” under his watch. If adding a handful of Pac-12 teams helps the Big 12 reach those goals, it seems like the league will consider it.
“The Big 12 is open for business,” Yormark said. “We will leave no stone unturned to drive value to the conference.”
This story was originally published July 13, 2022 at 9:57 AM with the headline "Brett Yormark: Big 12 ‘exploring all options’ when it comes to conference realignment."