Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark made a bold declaration on Tuesday.
Yormark spoke at the Big 12 Media Days at The Star in Frisco, Texas. He has been the Big 12 commissioner for nearly three years and has done big things with the conference. Under his leadership, the Big 12 survived and expanded while the Pac-12 contracted and was pilfered. Yormark feels his conference is just getting started.
“I believe we will be the deepest football conference in America,” Yormark said. “No league offers the competitive balance that we do … I fully expect the Big 12 to earn multiple College Football Playoff bids this year, and to show once again that we can compete with anyone.”
Yormark believes the Big 12 will be the deepest football conference is a bold claim, especially in a world where the Big Ten and SEC both exist. The Big Ten put four teams into the 12-team playoff last season, including the eventual winner Ohio State. The SEC put three teams into the group. The Big 12 had just one school in there, and it was Arizona State. Maybe the Big 12 is headed in the right direction, but to think they will be the deepest conference for the upcoming season seems to be a stretch.
The Big 12 has 16 teams in the conference. That includes Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah, who all came over when the Pac-12 imploded.
"I believe we will be the deepest football conference in America. No league offers the competitive balance that we do… I fully expect the Big 12 to earn multiple College Football Playoff bids this year." – Brett Yormark at Big 12 Media Days pic.twitter.com/l60QHgW5Mh
— The Next Round (@NextRoundLive) July 8, 2025
