Big 12 Commissioner Discusses League's Plans for CFP Expansion, 'We're in the Event Business'

Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark told reporters at Big 12 Basketball Media Days on Tuesday that the league would look to replace championship games if the College Football Playoff expands to 24 teams and forces the league to get rid of title contests.

"First of all, nothing has been done yet with the College Football Playoff. It's only speculation," Yormark told reporters, per ESPN's Myron Medcalf.

"Nothing is final, so I don't want to get too much into the details there, but tentpole events, for us, matter. Our championship game has been very valuable. Our basketball tournament, both men's and women's, has been very valuable. And if there is a point in time where a change is made, we will look to backstop those events with other events. We're in the event business. It drives a lot of fan engagement and excitement, so we'll see what happens in the future, but those are big moments for us. And if for some reason, if one goes away, we'll replace it with something different."

ESPN's Pete Thamel reported last Thursday that the CFP is "nearing a deal" that would expand the tournament from 12 to 24 teams in 2027. That deal was expected to happen in the "near future, pending final approvals."

Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger provided more details. In essence, the regular season would end with the last weekend in November. The first weekend in December would include Army-Navy and the Heisman Trophy ceremony, moving those long-storied traditions up on week.

However, with the advent of a 24-team CFP, the postseason needs another week for an extra round that would include eight games involving the No. 8 through No. 24 seeds. The second weekend of December would be reserved for that round.

Put it all together, and there's no spot for conference championship weekend anymore, meaning the elimination of those games.

Dellenger reported "the new expansion contract is expected to soon be signed" after a few college football power brokers had talks with ESPN.

The writing is on the wall here, so if Yormark wants the Big 12 to have a tentpole event, then it'll probably need to be in place by Dec. 2027.

As Medcalf noted, the Big 12 championship game is a big event. Last year's matchup between Texas Tech and BYU (won by the Red Raiders, 34-7) had an attendance of 85,519 at AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys. The game also had an average of 8.99 million viewers (peak of 11.4 million) on ABC, per Jon Lewis of Sports Media Watch.

It's unclear what Yormark might be thinking, but an expanded playoff would certainly help the conference. Of note, in a 24-team format, four more Big 12 teams (BYU, Houston, Arizona and Utah) would have made it last year.

In the meantime, Big 12 football is looking good, especially after BYU beat Notre Dame to move to No. 2 in the polls. Five teams are now in the Top 25, with No. 8 Texas Tech, No. 10 Utah, No. 14 Houston and No. 25 Arizona rounding out the group.