Tag: Brett Yormark

Could Joey McGuire’s trash talk backfire against Texas?

Joey McGuire is getting a little too comfortable talking about Texas and Oklahoma.

Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire is talking with plenty of bravado. For a coach who went 7-5 last season with his fair share of two-score losses, the math isn’t adding up.

McGuire’s latest remark questions whether or not Oklahoma and Texas are really blue bloods. He referred to the two teams in the following way to a Texas Tech dominant crowd.

“These so-called bluebloods — and I really question that. One of them’s really good in Olympic sports.”

That Texas team is 16-4 in its last 20 meetings against Texas Tech. It’s the same Texas that is in the top five nationally in all-time wins. It’s the very program that has four more national titles and 32 conference championships to Tech’s 11 conference titles. It’s the Texas that is 54-18 all-time against the west Texas program.

Not long ago, Texas Tech pulled on the heartstrings trying to keep the Longhorns in the same conference. Their reasoning: The Lubbock economy would take a hit. They may have to enjoy the final game of the rivalry taking place in Austin this season.

McGuire is putting a Texas-sized target on his back. The Longhorns will look to respond on Black Friday on Nov. 24.

Big 12 commissioner tells Texas Tech to take care of business vs Texas

If Brett Yormark isn’t openly rooting for Texas Tech against Texas, he has us fooled.

The Big 12 isn’t going to do the Texas Longhorns any favors in 2023. We could have figured as much. Nevertheless, we didn’t expect to hear what seemed like favoritism from Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark. We will let you decide if that’s what we got on Wednesday.

Yormark made strong comments in support of the Red Raiders in a recent speech to Texas Tech faithful. He said the following.

“Coach (Joey McGuire), I’m not going to put any pressure on you, but I’m going to be in Austin on Thanksgiving. And you better take care of business like you did right here in Lubbock last year.”

The quote is an alarming and seemingly partial statement. While it doesn’t mean the league will tip the scales against Texas on the football field, it certainly draws suspicion. Why is a conference commissioner encouraging the head coach of one team in his league to take care of business against another league opponent?

The Big 12 probably won’t do Texas any favors, but the comments make one wonder if the league will maintain impartiality on the field. If all things are equal, the Longhorns could have the last laugh.

Brett Yormark confirms the Big 12 isn’t looking to expand further

“Right now, we’re done” – Brett Yormark on more Big 12 expansion

The Big 12 recently added four more schools to the conference for the 2024 calendar year with Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah all coming over from the Pac-12. This comes off the heels of Oregon and Washington joining Southern California and UCLA in the Big Ten beginning in 2024.

Over the offseason, the Big 12 and commissioner Brett Yormark held preliminary discussions with Gonzaga and Connecticut. This was likely the backup plan in case they were unable to add in the four corner schools of the Pac-12.

In a media session with reporters on Zoom, Yormark confirmed that the Big 12 isn’t looking to expand any further at this time. Which seems to squash any idea that they could add the remaining four schools of the Pac-12 to the conference in time for the 2024 football season. California, Oregon State, Stanford, and Washington State’s future is left up in the air as of now.

“We had a vision, we had a strategy and effectively we’ve been able to execute it. Initially, I wasn’t sure if we’d go to 14 or 16. I think 16 was kind of the dream scenario candidly. From our perspective, our focus right now is to integrate the four incoming schools as quick as we can — get them comfortable. We’ve already had a couple of transition calls and Zooms with the corner schools, and I’ll be making some campus visits. That’s my focus right now.”

This was the same sort of message that the Big Ten made in terms of helping the transition of USC and UCLA before they added Oregon and Washington. However, when you look at the remaining schools, it is tough to see what value the four remaining schools of the Pac-12 have. Stanford might be the most attractive due to their athletic program.

The Oklahoma Sooners and Texas Longhorns are going into their final season with the Big 12, while the BYU Cougars, Cincinnati Bearcats, Houston Cougars, and UCF Knight all join. It should make for an interesting year of Big 12 athletics.

We will continue to monitor the situation to see how true Yormark’s words are but at this point with the 2023 season upon us, the expansion across the landscape should be concluded for this cycle.

Big 12’s Brett Yormark detailed what he told Pac-12 commish George Kliavkoff after poaching teams

That had to be awkward.

The latest round of conference realignment saw transformational movement that effectively ended the Pac-12 Conference’s standing as a viable league, and the Big 12 was a major player in that.

The Big 12, of course, reacquired Colorado for the 2024-25 school year before eventually convincing Arizona, Arizona State and Utah to come along amid Oregon and Washington’s move to the Big Ten. When all was said and done, the Pac-12 was left with just four schools for 2024 (Cal, Stanford, Oregon State and Washington State).

So, you’d think that the vibe between conference commissioners Brett Yormark (Big 12) and George Kliavkoff (Pac-12) would be incredibly awkward with even some animosity. After all, Kliavkoff was brought in to secure the Pac-12’s future with a media rights deal and failed spectacularly to Yormark’s benefit. But according to Yorkmark, his interactions with Kliavkoff have been fine.

Speaking to Andrew Marchand and John Ourand, Yormark claimed that he had a friendly discussion with Kliavkoff and actually looked forward to seeing him in person in a couple weeks. Via sportsbusinessjournal.com:

Yormark said his main message was to convey that he was sorry to put Pac-12 chief George Kliavkoff in a tough position, “But this was something that we had to do. And this was something that the board and our key stakeholders encouraged. I’m sorry that my gain is your loss,” Yormark said. “We had a very collegial conversation. George was fantastic, and I’ll be seeing him again in a couple of weeks at some industry meetings.”

It would be interesting to hear if Kliavkoff felt the same way. But let’s be honest, Kliavkoff would have done the same thing if roles were reversed. That’s just the nature of conference realignment, and a highly paid commissioner can’t be too upset about how matters played out.

Still, that conversation had to be difficult for Kliavkoff.

The next realignment move could come from the pacific northwest

With conference realignment getting ramped up once again, keep your head on a swivel.

The first domino in the next round of college realignment fell on Wednesday as reports surfaced that the Colorado Buffaloes would head back to the Big 12.

Colorado was one of the “four corner schools” that were contemplating a move as more uncertainty in the Pac-12 lingers with no media deal in place. The Buffaloes opted for the stability of the Big 12 and new commissioner Brett Yormark.

While we wait to see if any of the other corner schools will make the jump to a new conference, the pacific northwest might be where our eyes should look first. The Oregon Ducks are as likely a team as any to start looking for a new home after Colorado became the third conference team in the last year to exit.

On Wednesday it was announced that the Oregon Board of Regents would hold a meeting on Thursday. The reason for the meeting isn’t clear but this feels like the wheels could be in motion for the Ducks to leave the Pac-12 as well.

What does a potential move mean for the Oregon State Beavers? These types of moves aren’t always a package deal like USC and UCLA. We saw Oklahoma and Texas opt to leave their fellow in-state schools behind as they chose to head to another conference.

Another school that could potentially get in the mix for the Big 12 or even the Big Ten is the [autotag]Washington Huskies[/autotag]. Washington was viewed as a potential fit for the Big Ten but with the Big 12 going on the offensive, it would make sense for the conference to go after them as well.

Yormark has recently held discussions with UConn and Gonzaga so it seems obvious that he wants representation in the conference from coast to coast. With conference realignment getting ramped up once again, keep your head on a swivel.

Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark is open to more expansion

The Big 12 has sent signals that San Diego State isn’t part of its plans. Is that a smokescreen?

At Big 12 media day, Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark addressed a lot of topics. Each conference media day gathering, in this complicated and fluid world of college sports realignment, is full of news about television deals, changing conference memberships, and what the future holds for that particular conference. Commissioners need to inform their schools and their constituencies that they are improving the bottom line and the product, satisfying athletic departments and fan bases alike.

Yormark, who is reveling in the additions of BYU, Cincinnati, UCF, and Houston, said at Big 12 media day that he is still open to more expansion. That door has not been closed.

The obvious follow-up question: In which direction might the Big 12 consider expansion? Dennis Dodd, who has well-placed sources in the Big 12 and regularly picks up (and floats) the leaks which come from people sympathetic to the Big 12, has reported that San Diego State is not part of the Big 12’s expansion plans. Is this a smokescreen or a real inclination on the part of the Big 12?

If it’s a real inclination, the discussion surrounding the Big 12 might shift to Connecticut (interestingly enough, San Diego State’s opponent in the most recent college basketball national championship game). Memphis and SMU are also intriguing potential options for the Big 12. Keep in mind that Pac-12 Commissioner George Kliavkoff has visited the SMU campus and talked to university administrators.

All of this reinforces the point that the Pac-12 leaves the door open to more negative scenarios as long as its media rights deal remains unfinalized. In this vacuum, the potential remains for the Big 12 to swoop in and pluck SMU from the Pac-12, something which could undermine a possible Pac-12 media rights deal.

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Big 12 commissioners take parting shots at Texas at media days

Big 12 commissioners weren’t exactly professional when talking about Oklahoma and Texas.

The Texas portion of Big 12 media days is complete after Wednesday’s interviews.

Coaches from across the league offered their best snide remarks. That much was to be expected. Nevertheless, one would have expected more emotionally detached commentary from leadership than it offered on the first day of media sessions.

Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark started the day with a bang. After being asked a question about recruiting, he veered off topic to discuss the absence of Oklahoma and Texas from the last two Big 12 title games. It was an interesting move, but one a defensive commissioner would make.

Deputy commissioner Tim Weiser continued the defensive behavior in discussing why he believes Texas left the SEC. He had the following quote about Texas’ departure.

“I think their (decision) was more about affiliating with a group of schools. … They would rather get beat by Alabama than Kansas State. Or Florida than Iowa State.”

It makes sense to get jabs in on Texas before the season. The Longhorns will not be losing very often this year according to Big 12 media. Albeit, sophomoric parting shots from league officials would seem below the professionalism one would expect from league commissioners.

Texas will look to rebut the conference’s media day insecurity when it takes the field on Sept. 2.

‘I don’t think they’ve carried the conference’: Brett Yormark on OU and Texas recruiting success

In a response to a question at Big 12 media days on Oklahoma and Texas’ success in recruiting, Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark said, “I don’t think they’ve carried the conference.”

Big 12 media days are underway, and the quotes from the two-day media event have been flying quickly.

Commissioner Brett Yormark had his State of the Conference address before answering questions on numerous topics. One response, in particular, is sure to ruffle the feathers of the Big 12’s flagship programs in Oklahoma and Texas.

In response to a question about Oklahoma and Texas’ success on the recruiting front, Brett Yormark said, “I don’t think they’ve carried the conference in recruiting. They haven’t been in our championship game the past few years.”

Well, what a way to start the proceedings in Arlington. Yormark spent extensive time talking about the overall conference as a whole. Oklahoma and Texas’ impending’ departure has ruffled feathers since it was announced. However, Yormark’s comments seemed to pivot from the question rather than acknowledge the success of the premier programs.

Yes, the Sooners and Longhorns haven’t been in the Big 12 title game in a few years but make no mistake, the two most talented rosters in the Big 12 since 2010, per 247Sports, have resided in Austin and Norman. No Big 12 team has usurped either school in recruiting rankings. Oklahoma and Texas have been overwhelmingly at the top in draft picks over their tenure in the Big 12.

Regarding championship game appearances, Yormark’s comments can be easily countered when presented with proof, especially for Oklahoma. The Sooners overwhelmingly hold the record for Big 12 titles with 14. The next closest teams in Big 12 titles are Texas, Baylor and Kansas State with three a piece. Including Kansas State and Baylor, the remaining Big 12 schools only have eight combined conference titles in the league’s existence.

It’s not up for debate.

Prior to their two-year mini-title game absence, Oklahoma and Texas met or played in the Big 12 title game every year since it was brought back in 2017. Oklahoma ran off four straight title game wins before stumbling down the stretch in Lincoln Riley’s last season before his departure to USC.

Last year was Brent Venables’ first as the head man at Oklahoma. While we all know the Sooners struggled, it’s hard to imagine a world where Oklahoma is historically that bad again and not in contention for a Big 12 title come December this year.

Aside from that, the commissioner highlighted that this final season for both would be a season of celebration.

Commissioner Yormark also believes Oklahoma and Texas leaving the conference early next year for the SEC is a win-win for the Big 12 and the schools involved.

Oklahoma and Texas aren’t perfect programs, and neither has had the national championship success it craves lately. Still, the two programs have been the most talented and winningest Big 12 programs in the conference’s history, with Oklahoma overwhelmingly carrying the load.

The Sooners’ final season could be a historic and iconic way to go out as winners of a conference they have dominated.

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Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark fires shot at Texas and Oklahoma

The Big 12 Commissioner still appears to be a tad salty about the departure of Texas and Oklahoma.

Big 12 media days kicked off in Arlington, Texas, on Wednesday. Continue reading “Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark fires shot at Texas and Oklahoma”

Outside of Colorado, who is most likely to join the Big 12 in expansion?

Things could get interesting relatively quickly.

The Big 12 has been one of the more active conferences among the Power Five this spring and the beginning of summer.

Commissioner Brett Yormark has announced a partnership with the historic Rucker Park, as well as announced a new initiative that will bring exhibitions and bowl games to Mexico. At this point, if there is a conference you could bet on to make the next move in conference realignment the Big 12 might be the safest bet.

The current feeling around the collegiate landscape is that it will be when, not if, the conference expands beyond 12. The Big 12 currently has 14 schools in the fold but Oklahoma and Texas are set to join the SEC for the 2024 calendar year.

According to a report from Pete Thamel and ESPN (article requires subscription), there is one team out east that could be a strong favorite to join the Big 12.

Sources say the Big 12 has held an in-person visit with school officials at Colorado at a neutral site. And they’ve also had an on-campus visit to Connecticut. That UConn meeting has some predicting that if Colorado does jump to the Big 12, UConn is a top choice if none of the other Four Corner schools — Arizona, Arizona State, Utah — join the Buffaloes.

The potential addition of the UConn Huskies is an interesting possibility and not exactly one that is coming out of left field. The Big 12 has been exploring adding both UConn and Gonzaga, both known for their basketball prowess. This would also get the Big 12 into a new market. The conference has won two of the last three NCAA men’s basketball championships and adding the defending champions would only increase their profile as a premier basketball conference.

Adding Colorado has been the main target it seems since the reports surfaced that the conference was targeting the Pac-12’s four corner schools. The Buffaloes left the Big 12 for the Pac-10 prior to the start of the 2012 football season. They joined Utah as the new members that made up the Pac-12. Since hiring Deion Sanders as the head coach of the football program, the Buffs have become a more enticing target.

Deion in the Big 12 would be interesting to say the very least.

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