Speaking at the Big 12 Media Days, commissioner Brett Yormark provided insight into the conference’s future plans amidst unparalleled change. And despite adding eight new programs in less than 24 months, more realignment could be coming.
After Growing to 16 Teams, the Big 12 Is Still Not Done Adding Programs
In 2023, the Big 12 added four Group of Five schools in BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF. Then, this year, the conference added Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah while it lost powerhouses Oklahoma and Texas. That’s a lot of change in a short period of time — but not all the change that could occur.
“The Big 12 is exploring all options,” Yormack stated. “Two years later, I guess you could say we’re still open for business.” Now, that was during his opening remarks, and when he was questioned about adding more teams later on, Yormack mentioned that the conference’s focus is on ensuring its current 16-team setup is at its best.
Nevertheless, the Big 12 has been at the forefront of business advancement on the college football landscape with the House vs. NCAA settlement coming down.
The conference has had preliminary discussions over private equity and naming rights deals to generate revenue, and just this morning, the conference announced a new 24/7 audio network partnership with TuneIn.
Yormack said that a prospective expansion team would need to be the right fit and provide enough value to warrant an addition, which is the case for any conference. In May, the Big 12 announced it would distribute $470 million in revenue between its 14 members.
While that’s a staggering number, the conference was at $440 million for 10 members the previous year, meaning the additions of BYU, Cincinnati, UCF, and Houston diluted the pool some.
KEEP READING: 2024 Big 12 Weekly Football Schedule
Thus, it seems unlikely the Big 12 would dip back into the Group of Five realm any time soon. But if a school from, say, the ACC jumped ship, or possibly one (or both) of the two reaming Pac-12 schools in Oregon State and Washington State prove worthy, then, as Yormark said, the conference could be “open for business.”
College Football Network has you covered with the latest news and analysis, rankings, transfer portal information, top 10 returning players, the 2024 college football season schedule, and much more!