Brett Yormark wants K-State, Iowa State game in Ireland to start Big 12 global push
Brett Yormark is counting down the days until Kansas State and Iowa State open the 2025 college football season with a much-anticipated August game in Dublin, Ireland.
Not only will the Wildcats and Cyclones get to showcase Big 12 football on an international stage, but the Aug. 23 game could also serve as a springboard for the conference as it works to appeal to a wider audience.
“I’ve been on the record to say that I want this conference to be a global conference,” Yormark said. “I think we can win globally big time. Playing in Ireland, obviously, is that first step.”
Yormark is in his third year as Big 12 commissioner, and he is once again trying to push the Big 12 beyond its current footprint.
Moving the Farmageddon rivalry overseas will help in that area. TCU is also set to play North Carolina in Ireland at the start of next season.
But the Big 12 has bigger plans that just those games.
“There’s a good chance we’ll be in Mexico City next spring for baseball,” Yormark said. “The Baylor women are kicking off their season in Paris this year, and we’re having conversations with other countries throughout the world that are very interested in bringing the Big 12 to their marketplace.
“So I think the game in Ireland is an impetus, if you will, for future global expansion. I’m all in on it. I think it’s critically important for our conference.“
It is interesting that Yormark is once again talking about international games for the Big 12.
Early in his tenure with the conference he talked about the Big 12 playing a bowl game in Mexico. And the Big 12 also tried to schedule a men’s basketball game between Kansas and Houston in Mexico City. But none of those plans materialized. The KU/Houston game was scrubbed from the schedule, and both Kelvin Sampson and Bill Self celebrated that decision.
It seemed like the Big 12 was done looking abroad.
But now it seems the Big 12 has formed a new strategy when it comes to playing in other countries. K-State’s upcoming game against Iowa State in Ireland may help determine where that strategy goes from here.
This story was originally published July 8, 2025 at 12:23 PM with the headline "Brett Yormark wants K-State, Iowa State game in Ireland to start Big 12 global push."