Brett Yormark says value determines future of Big 12 expansion

Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark is happy with where the league stands following the latest round of conference expansion. After adding Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah from the Pac-12 this past month, the Big 12 is set at 16 teams heading into 2024 when Oklahoma and Texas leave for the SEC.

Yormark said Wednesday that the league is “done” expanding for right now as it focuses on integrating those schools. With a TV deal runs into 2030, he opened up on where he sees the direction of the Big 12 going and what is the biggest factor for him when it comes to potential future expansion down the road.

“Ultimately, it’s about value creation,” Yormark said on The Marchand and Ourand Sports Media Podcast. “There’s no need just to expand for the sake of expanding. When you think about our media partners, what ultimately is going to create value for the Big 12 in that next TV cycle? We got back into the market in January of ’30. Whatever we do now sets us up for that moment.

“We feel now being in 10 states, having over 90 million people in our footprint, being in four time zones gives the Big 12 the chance to do some amazing things when we get back into that next TV negotiation. So the No. 1 guiding principle for us was value creation and it will always be that as we think about expansion and, for that matter, anything else we do.”

When Yormark took over last year, negotiating the new TV deal was at the top of his to do list. The league’s current deal was set to expire in 2025 and the commissioner knew he had to act fast to ensure stability for the members of the conference. Just one month into the job, Yormark orchestrated a new, $2.28 billion agreement that runs through 2031.

Now thanks to his work on both securing that deal and conference expansion, the Big 12 looks to be one of the major conferences after the Big Ten and SEC heading into the future of college sports.

Yormark says Big 12 no longer having expansion conversations with UConn, Gonzaga

At one point, the Big 12 was considering adding UConn and Gonzaga for their basketball pedigree. It was a fun idea that would have strengthened the league case as the best basketball conference in college sports with perennial powerhouses such as Kansas, Arizona and Houston already on board.

However, after adding the four schools from the Pac-12, those talks have fallen through.

“I did have conversations with UConn and Gonzaga,” Yormark said on the podcast. “Unfortunately, you know, things didn’t work out only because the dream scenario unfolded for us. So, those conversations are no longer. I’m a big admirer of both, those programs are fantastic for all the right reasons.

“But right now, you know, I’m focused on the transition of those four (schools).”

On3’s Nick Kosko contributed to this report.