LAS VEGAS — Of course, brash and brash Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark was going to reaffirm that the 16-team Big 12 is one of the best conferences in America in his annual speech at football media days Tuesday.
After all, the event is taking place in Las Vegas.
“We’ve become one of the top three conferences in America,” Yormark said at Allegiant Stadium. “We’re more relevant than ever. … There’s never been a better time than now to be a part of the Big 12.”
Utah, Colorado, Arizona and Arizona State will officially join the league next month, though the “four corners schools” will all be in Las Vegas the next two days, with 12 schools that participated last year in Arlington, Texas, including BYU.
Continuing to double down on his efforts and express thoughts that will surely be aired at the SEC and Big Ten media conferences later this month, Yormark said he is as “optimistic” about the future of the Big 12 as he has ever been.
With the addition of schools from all four corners and despite Texas and Oklahoma’s losses to the SEC, “we’ll be the deepest football conference in America, and every week will count,” Yormark said.
While no major, groundbreaking announcements were made, Yormark told the more than 500 media members at the home of the Las Vegas Raiders that the Big 12 is on an upward trajectory and will continue to look for innovative, groundbreaking ways to build its brand.
Big 12 Naming Rights
One such avenue is to sell its league naming rights to a title sponsor, which ESPN reported on June 13 has been explored by Yormark and the conference.
“The commercial sponsor could potentially remove the ‘Big’ name from the Big 12 and replace it with the sponsor’s name. It could become one of the largest commercial deals in college sports history, not including media rights,” ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported.
In a meeting with reporters after his speech, which was not televised, Yormark said nothing was imminent regarding a naming rights deal, but he acknowledged he was interested in reaching an agreement.
“Do I believe in naming rights? Yes. I was with NASCAR when we went from Winston Cup to Nextel. I was with the (Brooklyn) Nets when Continental Airlines Arena became the IZOD Center,” he said. “I’m not unfamiliar with naming rights. I see the value in it if they’re the right naming rights, if they’re the right partner. We’re going to explore that and see where we end up.”
Asked whether “Big 12” will remain in the name, Yormark said they “aren’t that far yet” but that the conference is “celebrating” the number 12 where it can.
“But the first thing to do is to find the right strategic and financial partner who will support this conference in every possible way?” he said. “But nothing is imminent at the moment.”
In another possibility that could rattle college football purists, Yormark said one possible revenue source the league is considering would be to allow referees to wear commercial patches, something the NBA already does.
“I haven’t thought about the dynamic of the student-athlete patch yet,” he said. “I think given everything that’s going on, it’s something that’s on the table for the foreseeable future. But I believe in the official patch. I think it’s the right thing to do at this time.”
Other excerpts from Brett Yormark’s remarks
• On the issue of staggering rival football matches, rather than having them played on the same day at the end of November. For example, BYU vs. Utah will be on November 9, while Baylor vs. Houston will be on November 23, and Arizona vs. Arizona State will be on November 30:
“I think rivalries are critically important. I mean, Utah-BYU, Arizona-Arizona State, Kansas-Kansas State, Baylor-TCU are big rivalries.”
Yormark said vice president of football Scott Draper and his planning committee came up with the plan as a way to generate interest throughout the month of November.
“They focused on rivalries that obviously have meaning, not only to the history of our conference, but to our fans. And I think we landed in a great situation,” Yormark said.
• On whether the Big 12 can catch up to the SEC and Big Ten in terms of television revenue, overall financial dominance and national perception as a power conference:
“I say it often: We are one of the top three conferences in America and we are getting better. Think about where we were just 24 months ago and think about where we are today. I will not stop until we are the No. 1 conference in America. That is my ambition and I should have nothing less than that. That is the ambition of our conference, that is the ambition of our general managers and our presidents.”
“Why would we do what we do if we didn’t aspire to be number 1? We continue to improve and I like the direction we’re going.”
• On the SEC and Big Ten currently being affiliated with the Las Vegas Bowl and whether the Big 12 can get one of those spots, given that it now has Utah, BYU and the other Western schools:
“I am confident that we will have an official affiliation with the Las Vegas Bowl at the appropriate time. This market is critically important to us. … I am very confident and confident in what this outcome will bring to our conference. We need to be here in Vegas for all the right reasons.”
• On the Big 12 holding a Pro Day Combine in Texas in March and whether it will continue:
“We had a great experience at the Big 12 Pro Day in partnership with the NFL. We’ve been thinking about it for a while and it finally came to fruition. It was a great experience for the student-athletes and we’re going to do it again this year with the NFL.”
• Whether further expansion might be in the Big 12’s plans, or whether 16 is a good number to stop at:
“I get asked a lot about expansion and what’s next. I’m really focused on where our conference is right now. We’ve grown a lot. My wife told me the other day that when you took over, you had 10 schools. You’re up to 16 now. That’s in a very short period of time, less than 24 months.
“I haven’t really thought about what the ideal number is. I don’t know if it’s really a number thing. I think it’s a good fit thing. It’s about the value that a potential school could or could not bring to the conference. But right now, we’re focused on 16. We’re trying to get it right, and I’m really excited about our future as a 16-team league.”