Brett Yormark claims the Big 12 is more relevant now than ever before

Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark didn’t hesitate to boast about the conference’s improvements over the past year. During his opening statement at the Big 12 Media Days, Yormark raved about the current state of the conference.

“There has never been a better time than right now to be part of the Big 12,” Yormark said. “We are truly a national conference in 10 states, four time zones. And all eyes are now on the Big 12, for all the right reasons. And I think it’s safe to say we are more relevant now than ever before.

“Since our last football media day, we added the four corners and solidified ourselves as one of the top three conferences in America. All four schools are here with us today, and you will hear from them over the next few days. I’m incredibly excited about what they bring to our league.”

The Big 12 is officially a 16-team conference and Yormark couldn’t be happier. This summer, the conferenced added Arizona, Arizona State, Utah and Colorado to its ranks. The four schools will fill the void left by Texas and Oklahoma, which are now members of the SEC.

The schools are only the latest additions to the Big 12. Cincinnati, UCF and Houston joined the conference in the summer of 2023. The new members bring much more than just improved competition to the Big 12.

In May, the Big 12 announced its schools will share in a record $470 million of revenue distribution. For comparison, the conference only distributed $440 million last year. While Arizona, Utah, Arizona State and Colorado did not receive a share of the $470 million, their presence will only boost the conference’s value in the future.

Yormark claims the Big 12 saw bigger College Football Playoff and bowl revenues, growth in ticket revenue across all of the conference championships and sponsorship last year. Yormark believes the Big 12 can continue to grow as the landscape of collegiate athletics changes.

“I think we ended up in a fair and reasonable place,” Yormark said at the Big 12’s spring meetings. “Obviously, it’s going to be a changing landscape. But I also do see opportunities in that changing landscape, and the work really starts now.

“A lot of work to be done. I look at this as a bit of a reset for our industry. And we’re prepared for that. The ADs, myself, the board, we’ve been discussing that reset for quite some time. So it’s not coming as a surprise.”