Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark is excited about the conference this season despite officially losing Oklahoma and Texas to the SEC.
Yormark said Tuesday that the Big 12 - which added Utah, Arizona, Arizona State, and Colorado in 2024 - is stronger than it was last year.
"We solidified ourselves as one of the top three conferences in America," Yormark said, according to ESPN's Dave Wilson. "There has never been a better time than right now to be part of the Big 12. 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. I think it's safe to say we are more relevant now than ever before."
He added: "I wake up every morning and I think about one thing: the Big 12 being the best version of itself. Everything else doesn't really matter. If we take care of business, we're going to be just fine. I'm a firm believer in that. We're more relevant now than we've ever been. We're a national conference. We've got 16 great brands. We're going to be the deepest football conference in America, and we'll be well-represented in the CFP."
The SEC bringing in Oklahoma and Texas headlined a series of major moves as part of college football's latest realignment, which began in 2021. The Big Ten has also recently welcomed Oregon, USC, UCLA, and Washington.
Meanwhile, Cincinnati, UCF, Houston, and BYU joined the Big 12 in 2023. In addition to expanding to 16 schools, the conference has considered creative options to generate extra revenue.
The Big 12 has reportedly discussed selling its naming rights to insurance giant Allstate in order to generate hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue. The conference is also apparently considering selling 15-20% of itself to a global private equity company based in Luxembourg for $800 million-$1 billion.
"As we enter this new chapter, I can assure you the 12 schools will compete at the highest levels, and they will continue to invest," Yormark said. "From a conference perspective, we are exploring all options. Two years later, I guess you could say, we're still open for business. Naming rights is one. Private equity is another."
