Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark: 'We Are Open for Business'

Could the Big 12 expand for a third consecutive year?

Dec 2, 2023; Arlington, TX, USA; Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark before the game between the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma State Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. / Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark held an exit interview with the media on Friday and told reporters in his opening statement, "I've said from Day 1, we are open for business. I guess you could say that we are open for business now more than ever before."

He was then asked if the Big 12 was actively pursuing expansion and responded, "No, I'm not."

While he may be telling the truth, he's stated this before in the past and then months later the league added new members. These talks typically always gain steam in the summer months once school is out and baseball/softball, the final sport on the calendar, wraps up.

The "PAC 12" still has two existing members, Oregon State and Washington State, who have a very uncertain future. Clearly, they can not continue as a two-member league, so they have formed an alliance with the Mountain West. That's not an ideal long-term solution for a pair of schools that have been a part of a Power Five conference for a number of years. Could the Big 12 scoop them up? Maybe, but unlikely.

Pursuing Clemson, Florida State, or other ACC schools seems more up Yormark's alley. That league is viewed as the flimsiest of the Power Four, thanks to their TV deal with ESPN that has them competing at a disadvantage through 2036. Yormark and the Big 12 may not be actively pursuing new members, but things can change the deeper we get into the summer months.

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