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Brett Yormark talks College Football Playoff, touts Big 12 quarterbacks in media day address
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- Brett Yormark talks College Football Playoff, touts Big 12 quarterbacks in media day address
During his annual state of the conference address at Big 12 media days , Brett Yormark touted the league's parity, depth and exciting finishes.
The Big 12 commissioner noted the league led the nation in fourth-quarter lead changes and go-ahead scores in the final minutes of league games. Yormark also spotlighted the returning talent at quarterbacks across the league.
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"The Big 12 returns nine quarterbacks who threw for over 2,400 yards last season," Yormark said Tuesday from The Star in Frisco. "The rest of the power four combined? Just 11."
Yormark has already begun the sales pitch for the Big 12's chances at the College Football Playoff this season. Last year it was Arizona State who emerged from a crowded field to claim the league championship to earn a spot in the CFP.
"I fully expect the Big 12 to earn multiple College Football Playoff bids this year," Yormark said, "and to show once again that we can compete with anyone."
Offseason discussions have centered around the next phase of the College Football Playoff, which will expand to a 16-team field in 2026. Several variations of how to seed the CFP in the future have been thrown out, but Yormark continues to push for each of the four power conferences, plus one team from the Group of 5 leagues, earning automatic bids with the other 11 teams fighting for at-large berths.
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"We continue to believe the 5-11 model proposed by the Big 12 and the ACC is the right playoff format for college football," Yormark said. "We want to earn it on the field. We do not need a professional model because we are not the NFL. We are college football and we must act like it. There is nothing in sports like college football, and we must protect what makes it special and do what's right for the fans of the game."
Big 12 fans and supporters have suggested that the CFP selection committee, as well as national media, which greatly shape the narrative surrounding the sport, have not been kind to the league that champions parity as its calling card.
Yormark said during a recent trip he learned the CFP selection process is undergoing a full audit, looking at different metrics the committee uses and how they're weighed to "modernize and contemporize" the process. He noted that Baylor athletic director Mack Rhodes is the CFP committee chair and has trust in the committee's leadership.
"It might not be the best solution for today for the Big 12," Yormark added in the Q&A portion of his address, "but long term, knowing the progress we're making, the investments we're making, it's the right format for us. I'm doubling down on 5-11.
Jul 8, 2025; Frisco, TX, USA; Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark address the media during the 2025 Big 12 Football Media Days at The Star. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images
College Football Playoff odds part of canceling of Big 12 coaches preseason poll
League coaches voted earlier this summer to do away with the preseason Big 12 poll, which is usually released before the beginning of media days. The Big 12 announced its preseason all-conference team Monday.
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Yormark said while that decision was made by the league's coaches, Big 12 brass agree with the move, highlighting Arizona State as a case study in preseason polls being a hinderance to postseason odds.
"I think it disadvantaged Arizona State," Yormark said. "Last year, they were picked 16th and I think that hurt them. ... I think there's no value and I also feel that with the transfer portal and with roster management and what goes on, as you build that roster, no one knows what they really have. They know what they have on paper and it hasn't played out, and that was the case with Arizona State last year."
Arizona State went 11-2 en route to the Big 12 championship but was the fifth-highest seeded automatic qualifier, behind Mountain West champion Boise State, and therefore did not earn a bye into the CFP quarterfinals. The Sun Devils fell 39-31 in double overtime to Texas in the Peach Bowl.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Brett Yormark expects multiple Big 12 teams in College Football Playoff
