Yormark not thinking about adding more schools, focused on current 16 teams
As has been for the last several years, the question of conference realignment was once again addressed by Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark.
Yormark fielded questions at Big 12 Media Days, and with it was his thoughts on the potential to add more schools to the Big 12.
"I haven’t really thought about that (adding potential schools). I often get asked about expansion and what’s next, I’m really focused on the current composition of our conference. We’ve expanded a lot. My wife told me the other day, when you took the job, you had 10 schools, you have 16 now. And that’s in a very short period of time in less than 24 months. We’ve got to make sure we as a collective group are reaching our potential," Yormark said.
The Big 12 is officially introducing Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah into the Big 12 family next month, while longtime members Oklahoma and Texas are now in the SEC.
In addition to this, the league already added four other schools last summer with the addition of BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF.
"I haven’t really thought about what’s the right number. I don’t know if it’s really about a number. I think it’s about the right fit, it’s about the value a potential school might or might not bring to the conference. But right now, we’re focused on 16, we’re focused on getting this right, and I’m really excited about our future as a 16-team league," Yormark said.
Part of the appeal for the Big 12 is how they cover the entire country.
With the Pac-12 falling apart last year, the Big 12 along with the Big Ten and ACC added to their conferences.
Oregon, UCLA, USC, and Washington are now in the Big Ten, while California and Stanford are now members of the ACC. The only two schools left are Oregon State and Washington State, two schools that are still in the relative footprint of what is the new Big 12.
Yormark is excited about where the Big 12 is headed in the short-term and the long term. He said the way things shaped up for expansion was his ideal scenario for the league.
"I’ve been saying it for a year now, but the four corners was the a-scenario for us when we thought about realignment. Big brands, great markets, engaged fanbases, both academic excellence and athletic excellence. And as I said earlier, we got deeper and better in football, we got deeper and better in basketball, and we got deeper and better in Olympic sports," Yormark said. "So, it’s been a win for this conference. I’m thrilled and excited on August 2 to officially welcome the four corners and I think we’re in for something really special as a conference."
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