In the era of conference expansion when the likes of the Big Ten and SEC have created what can essentially be seen as “super conferences,” Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark remains confident.
The Big 12 wasn’t on the forefront of expansion, but the conference ultimately benefited from the collapse of the Pac-12.
Of course, perhaps nothing can make up for the loss of Texas and Oklahoma to the SEC, but the initial expansion round of BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF was complimented by the additions of Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah.
According to Yormark, that gives the Big 12 the best depth in college football heading into the 2025 season.
“Once again, I believe the Big 12 will be the deepest football conference in America,” Yormark said at Big 12 Media Days in Frisco, Texas, on Tuesday, according to On3. “No league offers the competitive balance that we do. Last season the Big 12 led the nation in fourth quarter lead changes and go-ahead scores in the final minute of conference games, and this year our star power (especially at quarterback) will be on full display.”
The SEC and Big Ten would likely argue Yormark’s point. Heck, even Vanderbilt made some noise last season in the SEC and the Big Ten’s “elite class” is extremely deep. We’re talking Ohio State and Michigan, the past two College Football Playoff champions, but also Penn State and Oregon. Throw in X factors like USC, Washington, Wisconsin, Nebraska and Iowa, and the Big Ten could make the same claim that Yormark is.
Yormark is happy with where his conference is, though, and much of that has to do with quarterback play. The Big 12 should feature several elite quarterbacks in 2025, including Arizona State’s Sam Leavitt, TCU’s Josh Hoover, Iowa State’s Rocco Becht and Baylor’s Sawyer Robertson.
“The Big 12 returns nine starting quarterbacks, who threw for over 2,400 yards last season,” Yormark explained. “The rest of the power-four combined have just 11. We also boast one of the nation’s top coaching lineups, from Hall of Famers to rising stars. I fully expect the Big 12 to earn multiple College Football Playoff bids this year and to show once again that we can compete with anyone.”
The confidence is there from Yormark. Now we’ll have to wait and see if his conference can back it up.
