Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark offers complete support to "fair" '5+11' playoff format, despite favoring power conferences

Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark reaffirmed support for the 16-team “5+11” College Football Playoff model this week, calling the format fair and reflective of on-field performance, even as it appears to favor power conferences.

The format guarantees playoff spots for the Power Four champions and the highest-ranked Group of Six team, with 11 additional at-large bids. Yormark defended the model during ESPN appearances on SportsCenter last month and Get Up on Thursday, speaking from the Big 12’s league meetings in Orlando.

"I’ve been very adamant about 5+11, and I think that is the fair approach to take," he said (4:45).

"I know fans want it. They want it. They want fairness. They want teams to win it on the field, and they don’t want anything predetermined. So I’m all in on the 5+11, and I’ll keep doubling down on it.”

“We want teams to earn it on the field,” Yormark said, emphasizing that the conference, including coaches and athletic directors, backs a system based on performance, not entitlements. He called the expanded model a “true Playoff system” and praised the drama created by the 12-team format already in place.

Talks in Orlando also addressed a possible expansion of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.

In Destin, SEC coaches began shifting their support toward the 5+11 model during spring meetings, despite the conference’s earlier lean toward the “4-4-2-2-1” playoff structure, according to On3.

That pivot surprised Big Ten officials, who have championed the 4-4-2-2-1 proposal for months. Big Ten athletic directors discussed their concerns with Commissioner Tony Petitti, warning that the SEC’s eight-game conference schedule could create an advantage in the at-large race compared to the Big Ten’s nine-game format.

Separately, the Big 12 and Big Ten announced a revenue-sharing partnership with PayPal to support student-athletes. The program begins on July 1, with Yormark calling it long overdue.

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PayPal to power athlete payments in $697M Big Ten-Big 12 Deal

Amanda Christovich

@achristovichh

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As part of the Big 12's partnership with PayPal, the brand has created Venmo debit cards with the logos of each one of the conference's schools.

Just in case you want your barista to know who you're rooting for this fall.

PayPal has struck a $697 million partnership with the Big Ten and Big 12, starting July 1, to deliver athlete payments through its Venmo platform following the House v. NCAA settlement.

Announced by CEO Alex Chriss and Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark at PayPal’s New York office, the deal channels up to $20.5 million annually per school, roughly $42,000 per athlete. Payments will be made directly via Venmo, which many student-athletes already use.

To support the rollout, both conferences will require financial literacy programs. Chriss said that the goal is to make athletes’ first paychecks safe, direct and familiar.

If adopted by other leagues, PayPal could handle more than $2 billion a year in athlete payments, reshaping the business model of college sports.

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