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USATSI

Midway through his first year on the job, Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark is riding high. Five conference schools are ranked in the AP Top 25. One of Saturday's best games takes place between undefeated No. 8 Oklahoma State and No. 13 TCU. A pair of future Big 12 programs are also doing well as Cincinnati sits at No. 21 and BYU is just four spots out of the rankings.

The instant success is a soft landing for the first-year commissioner and longtime sports and entertainment executive. Yormark joined the Cover 3 Podcast to give a state of the conference update three months after taking over the top job at the Big 12 office. 

"When you think about the CFP and expanded format, it's very, very exciting the possibility of going to 12 teams," Yormark said on the Cover 3 Podcast. "Obviously when you look at a conference like the Big 12, there will be many contenders for those 12 spots coming from the Big 12. I'm excited about the conversations that are going on with the expanded format and from our perspective, we could benefit quite nicely from it." 

Yormark has sprung into action since taking the job, going on a listening tour across all 12 continuing conference schools and restructuring the Big 12 office. He also dove right into the world of realignment, fielding phone calls and evaluating candidates as potential expansion targets. 

"Is there a mandate [to expand]? No, there's no mandate for us," Yormark said. "But if it's additive, if it creates value, the right cultural fit, the right competitive fit, we'll pursue it. Right now, we're vetting every and all possibilities." 

Yormark has been clear that his primary job as Big 12 commissioner is to create as much revenue for the league as possible. In his previous roles at Jay-Z's Roc Nation and with the Brooklyn Nets, leading marketing and branding efforts took top priority. In his first months as Big 12 commissioner, Yormark has created multiple new roles and signed partnerships to evaluate and build the brand identity of the conference. 

Notably, the Big 12 hired Detroit Pistons executives Tyrel Kirkham as Chief Marketing Officer and Clark Williams as Associate VP of Brand Communications. The Big 12 signed with WME Sports and IMG Media to organize brand strategy and help with valuations and negotiations with television providers. Yormark said the conference plans to sign with an ad agency, and positioned connecting with a younger audience as top priority. 

"Right now, I'm in New York City and we're on a big media blitz," Yormark said. "We need to story-tell more than ever before, and we're going to do that… I think there's a lot we can be doing when you think about the Big 12 brand and our narrative. It's a great and very exciting time for the Big 12 and we have a lot to tell people." 

All of that narrative and branding is built around trying to maximize television revenue at a time when the conference is set to lose its two biggest fish. Former Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby testified to the Texas state legislature in 2021 that Texas and Oklahoma were responsible for approximately 50% of the Big 12's media rights fees. Yormark's job is to change that. 

The Big 12's media rights contract with Fox and ESPN – along with the Grant of Rights holding the 10 member institutions together – ends in 2025. Yormark said publicly that the league is having conversations with the networks about a potential extension. 

"The conversations are ongoing and we're remaining engaged," Yormark said. "I think ESPN and Fox like the direction of the Big 12. They like our existing schools and they love our new additions. We'll see if that ultimately materializes in an early extension. If not, we'll wait 16 months and go after it again. There are no guarantees, but I like the momentum."