Amid 16-team CFP drama, Big 12 Commish Brett Yormark gets real about his relationship with SEC's Greg Sankey & Big Ten's Tony Petitti

At the Big 12 Media Day on Tuesday, Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark advocated for a potential 5+11 College Football Playoff format, which could feature 16 teams starting with the 2026 season.

Yormark made his comments only a few days after SEC commissioner Greg Sankey and Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti suggested that teams in their conference should get four automatic bids.

On Thursday, Yormark appeared on the "365 Sports" show and discussed his relationship with Sankey and Petitti.

"Listen, I think everyone cares about their conference and that's what we're paid to do," Yormark said (3:18). "But I think as a part of that, you want to look a little broader and say 'what's good for college football.' And I think what's good for college football is a model that's fair, where you win it on the field, and you're rewarded accordingly. And that's really how I think about it.

"And I do think down deep, Greg (Sankey) has been in this ecosystem a lot more than I am and he does what's right for college football. And I feel and I know Tony (Petitti) does, too.

"They also have to do what's best for their conference, and I have to respect that. And, by the way, we all have a great relationship, very collegial, we work on a lot of things together when you think about settlement, and CFP, and new governance. But I think there's moments in time, where you can agree to disagree and still have enormous respect for one another."

As things stand, the College Football Playoff consists of 12 teams. It expanded from the previous years of having four teams qualify for the playoffs.

However, the NCAA is considering expanding the CFP even further, with reports suggesting that 16 teams could qualify for the playoffs from the 2026 season.

Brett Yormark expects more Big 12 teams to make the College Football Playoff in 2025 season

NCAA Football: Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark - Source: Imagn

At the Big 12 media days on Tuesday, Brett Yormark said that he expects more Big 12 teams to make the College Football Playoff in the 2025 season.

"I expect the Big 12 to earn multiple College Football Playoff bids this year," Yormark said.

Last season, Arizona State was the only member of the Big 12 conference to make the 12-team CFP. The Sun Devils lost to Texas in the first round. It will be interesting to see if more Big 12 teams will make the playoffs in the 2025 season.

About the author

Arnold is a journalist covering College Sports and the NFL at Sportskeeda. He has been with the company since August 2022.

Arnold graduated with a degree in Mass Media from MIC. As a sports fanatic, he pursued writing to express his thoughts and opinions on sports events across the globe. He has also worked at Wizcraft and Publicis.

Arnold began supporting the Kansas City Chiefs after watching Patrick Mahomes lead them to Super Bowl glory in 2020. He also has a soft corner for the New York Yankees since he's lived in New York for two years. Arnold's favorite coach of all time is Andy Reid, and the Chiefs dynasty looks far from over.

In his free time, Arnold enjoys reading, exercising, and traveling. He follows several other sports including football, cricket, tennis, basketball, boxing and F1.

Know More

Edited by Krutik Jain