Tag: Brett Yormark

Big 12 looking to expand to Mexico by 2025 season

The Big 12 continues to look for ways to extend the brand.

Big 12 sports are going to look quite a bit different in the very near future. After striking up a deal with the histoic Rucker Park in New York, the commissioner is looking to take things internationally.

According to a report from Brandon Marcello of 247Sports, Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark is aiming to bring select football and basketball games to Monterrey and Mexico City, Mexico, as early as the 2025 season. This means it will be part of the post-Oklahoma and Texas era of Big 12 sports.

“It’s a critically important market,” Yormark said to 247Sports. “It’s becoming an event capital when you think of professional sports — F1, NBA, Major League Baseball, the NFL. Geographically, it is certainly on the heels of our conference footprint with 22 million consumers.”

The announcement is expected to come in the next couple of weeks according to the Big 12 commish. The news comes off the heels of reports that the conference will provide more access to players and coaches as early as this upcoming season.

The in-game interviews that are part of the new plan, have been seen during the USFL’s coverage. Getting an inside look from players and coaches will do wonders for the sport as far as coverage and growing the brand of the Big 12.

It appears that this conference is looking to be the innovative leader among the Power Five conferences moving forward.

Big 12 Conference to partner with historic Rucker Park

The Big 12 announced a partnership with historic Rucker Park.

Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark certainly hasn’t forgotten his New York roots. Ahead of Kansas State’s Sweet 16 matchup against Michigan State in Madison Square Garden, the conference announced a partnership that will bring Big 12 basketball to historic Rucker Park.

This announcement comes off the heels of the Big 12 announcing a conference-wide NFL pro day at the Dallas Cowboys practice facilities in Frisco, Texas, near conference headquarters.

“Rucker Park is one of the great landmarks in basketball and is a cultural icon – we are excited to be able to bring Big 12 Basketball to its court,” said Commissioner Brett Yormark in a statement from the conference. “We are committed to growing the Conference’s footprint in a variety of ways, and we want kids across New York City to experience Big 12 Basketball first-hand.”

“Big 12 coaching clinics at New York City’s Rucker Park is an iconic collaboration,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams. “I’m thrilled that through this partnership, our young people will have the chance to learn from some of the best in the business, bringing Big 12 basketball right to their front door.”

One thing Yormark has shown in his short tenure is that he has the propensity to push the envelope.

Brett Yormark, Big 12 are ‘focused’ on more expansion

Don’t expect the Big 12 to sit back and wait on more college expansion and realignment. Brett Yormark is “focused” on adding to the conference.

One of the more active conferences when it comes to realignment and expansion as of late has been the Big 12. Commissioner Brett Yormark hasn’t shied away from it.

The newest commissioner wasted no time when he brought Cincinnati, Central Florida, Houston, and BYU into the fold. All four teams are set to join for the 2023 college football season. For one season there will be 14 teams in the conference and then back down to 12 in 2024 as the Oklahoma Sooners and Texas Longhorns leave for the SEC.

But don’t expect Yormark to stop there.

“The third priority for me has been to explore expansion for all the right reasons,” Yormark stated.

“As I’ve said before, it’s gotta be additive. It’s gotta be accretive. But we are focused on it. We’re exploring every and all possibilities. I say that while also saying that I love the composition and the makeup of this conference going forward.”

“I love the four new schools that are coming in July (and) the continuing eight. I think we’re in a great place. But if there’s a chance to get better, it’s incumbent on me as the commissioner to explore those possibilities. And that’s exactly what I’m doing.”

Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah have been the main targets for more expansion in the Big 12. With the Pac-12 losing UCLA and USC to the Big Ten, they have been the target for the Big 12. Not to mention they have yet to sign a new TV deal.

If the Pac-12 doesn’t get a new deal in place and add potential schools to the conference, expect other conferences to look at some of the big names out west including Oregon and Washington.

It could be open season for the Pac-12 and the Big 12 is looking to go big game hunting.

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Statements from OU, Texas, SEC, and the Big 12 on early exit agreement

Big 12 statement on the early exit agreement to allow Oklahoma and Texas to leave for the SEC in time for the 2024 season.

The long-awaited early exit agreement came to fruition on Thursday afternoon. The Big 12, Oklahoma, Texas, and their broadcast partners were able to reach an agreement to let the Red River Rivals depart for the SEC in time for the 2024 season.

The agreement, which will pay the Big 12 a $100 million exit fee was reached after months of negotiations that began to heat up in recent weeks. Now Oklahoma and Texas can begin preparations in earnest for the SEC after their final year in the Big 12 this fall.

The Sooners and Longhorns will become the 15th and 16th members of the expanding SEC in the same year that the College Football Playoff will expand to 12 teams. All that awaits is a format for the 16-team league, which appears to favor a nine-game non-divisional schedule.

The Big 12 released the following statements from the powers that be in reaction to the agreement.

Oklahoma, Texas Big 12 exit on hold after talks stall according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel

According to a report from ESPN’s Pete Thamel, negotiations that would allow Oklahoma and Texas to leave early have stalled.

It’s been reported that the Oklahoma Sooners and the Texas Longhorns were working with the Big 12 and their media rights partners to find a solution for an early exit agreement. It appears a move to the SEC in 2024 is unlikely to occur.

According to a report from ESPN’s Pete Thamel, efforts to come to an agreement have “stalled and at this point is unlikely to come to fruition.”

Thamel continued that “Texas and Oklahoma will join the SEC in 2025, as parties couldn’t come to terms amid a complex negotiation between the two schools (OU/Texas), two networks (ESPN/FOX), and the Big 12.”

Earlier this week, CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd reported, “Texas and Oklahoma recently made an offer to the Big 12 and Fox to leave the league one year early for the SEC, sources told CBS Sports this week. It was rejected. The nature of the offer was not clear.”

Though the “nature of the offer” is not clear, what is clear is that the Sooners and Longhorns appear to have a hard road ahead of them if they want to get to the SEC before the 2025 season.

FOX has always been the wildcard in this. Brett Yormark and the Big 12 have been open to an early exit, granted they could come to terms on a win-win agreement. FOX doesn’t want to lose the value that games featuring Oklahoma and Texas provide. FOX wants to be made “whole,” according to Dodd.

Though things can change in a hurry, dreams of playing an SEC schedule in 2024 will have to be just that for now.

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Brett Yormark considers letting Oklahoma, Texas leave early for SEC

Big 12 commissioner loosens grip on Oklahoma and Texas.

Texas and Oklahoma would like to leave the Big 12 for the SEC earlier than 2025. If the rest of the conference is willing, it appears Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark is open to letting them leave.

Not much has changed as far as the timeline for when the Longhorns and Sooners could leave. For 2023, the two SEC bound programs are all but guaranteed to play in the Big 12 for at least one more season. According to Yormark, that could be it for the two teams.

The buyout has been a huge holdup for Oklahoma and Texas, though the Longhorns are doing well financially. Should the conference’s other teams let them free of their conference obligations, that hurdle could disappear.

TCU and Baylor’s recent success could make the conference more open to parting ways with the conference’s two moneymakers. Last season, Baylor won the Sugar Bowl after defeating Oklahoma State in the Big 12 championship. TCU is potentially on the verge of its first national championship since 1938.

We will continue to monitor when Texas could depart from the conference.

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‘Growing sentiment’: Oklahoma and Texas to the SEC could come as early as 2024

According to a report from Brett McMurphy of Action Network, there’s “growing sentiment” for an early exit for the Oklahoma Sooners and Texas Longhorns.

When the news first hit that the Oklahoma Sooners and the Texas Longhorns were moving to the SEC, the next question was, “when?”

From Brett Yormark to the networks that broadcast Big 12 games to the universities, all of the invested parties have maintained that 2025 would be when the move would take place. The Big 12’s current grant of rights agreement expires July 1, 2025. Yormark has also indicated that he’s open to a scenario that allows Oklahoma and Texas to leave early, given it’s a win-win scenario.

According to a report from Brett McMurphy of Action Network, “that timetable has since been accelerated and could even get completed by next month, sources said.”

Apparently, there is growing interest from all sides to work out an early exit agreement that would bring down what Oklahoma and Texas would have to pay in order to get out of the conference and their current media rights deal.

With the SEC’s new media rights deal with ESPN set to start in 2024, there’s an incentive for Oklahoma’s new home in the Southeast Conference and for ESPN, to get the Sooners and Longhorns in the conference earlier than anticipated.

The matchups that the “Worldwide Leader” could promote would bring huge advertising revenue for the media giant. Why wouldn’t they, or the SEC, want to make it happen as soon as possible? The big sticking point is Fox.

Fox is part of the Big 12’s current media rights deal and would hate to lose out on the revenue that Oklahoma and Texas bring to the table. According to McMurphy, the negotiations that will take place to allow OU and Texas to leave early will center on how to make all sides “whole” in the exit.

With the College Football Playoff set to expand in 2024, there’s less concern about expanded super conferences. The Big Ten and the SEC will still have the opportunity to get multiple teams into the playoff despite enhanced competition. For Oklahoma and Texas, they can move early, knowing that there’s a door to the playoff despite the step up in competition.

Last month, the Big 12 worked out a new grant of rights package that will pay them $2.3 billion from 2025 to 2030. A significant increase in revenue for their member institutions.

Playoff expansion, the Big 12’s new media rights deal, the conference’s success in 2022 without OU and Texas leading the way, along with the additions of BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF may have opened the door for movement at the negotiating table.

As McMurphy notes, an agreement could be reached as early as next month with “growing sentiment” and “momentum” to come to a resolution.

And if the businessmen are motivated enough, they’ll reach an agreement. Which means Sooners fans better begin planning for some travel to the southeast in 2024.

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Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. Let us know your thoughts, and comment on this story below. Join the conversation today. You can also follow John on Twitter @john9williams.

Can the Big 12 swipe San Diego State from the Pac-12’s grasp?

The expectation is that the Pac-12 will bring aboard San Diego State, but does the Big 12 have a desire — and a path — to swoop in and pounce?

The Big 12 beat the Pac-12 to the punch in the realm of media rights. It raises a lot of questions. One of them is if the Big 12 might be able to pull off a coup and grab San Diego State before the Pac-12 can spring into action.

At the Wilner Hotline, Jon Wilner had plenty to say about the Big 12’s deal, arranged by commissioner Brett Yormark:

“We should add that the renewal gives Yormark leverage from which he can pursue schools outside the Power Five, including San Diego State, Fresno State and, perhaps, Gonzaga.

“But the early renewal strategy wasn’t rooted entirely in revenue. Security for the Big 12 in post-Texas/Oklahoma era also played a central role, and the early renewal deal provides just that for a conference that has experienced so much tumult over the past 12 years.

“Assuming they sign the agreement, Brigham Young, Houston, Cincinnati and UCF are now bound to the conference until 2031. They are off the market for the Pac-12.

“And if you think members of that quartet weren’t quietly keeping their options open — at least until the Big 12 provided them with contractual security beyond 2025 — your head is buried in the windswept dirt of the Southern Plains. Yormark has smartly locked everyone down into the next decade.”

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Big 12 agrees to new TV deal with ESPN, Fox

The Big 12 has signed a massive extension for their media rights agreement with ESPN and Fox. From @BenDackiw

Brett Yormark has come to play. The Big 12 has reached an agreement with ESPN and Fox on its new media rights deal. The extension will begin following the conclusion of the 2024-25 season and run through 2030-2031. Yormark recently said Oklahoma and Texas will not leave for the SEC until after the 2024 football season.

The conference will earn, on average, $380M per year according to Sports Business Journal.That will earn the Big 12 more than $2 billion during the agreement

This is a massive win for the Big 12. More specifically, it’s a massive win for new Big 12 Commisioner Brett Yormark. When Oklahoma and Texas announced their intention to leave their longtime home, the future of the conference was in question. The Big 12 not only didn’t lose money on this new deal, they gained a significant increase.

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With the Big 12 getting its new deal done before its competition out west, it’s easy to wonder if Yormark’s next call will be to the remaining members of the Pac-12.

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Big 12 will be just fine after the Oklahoma Sooners and Texas Longhorns leave for the SEC

While Oklahoma and Texas leaving the Big 12 will inevitably sting the conference’s bottom line, the Big 12 will be just fine without them.

Something that perhaps caught Sooners fans off guard this season was just how improved several programs in the Big 12 were. TCU, Kansas State, Kansas, and Texas Tech have all surpassed preseason expectations.

I hate getting “SEC SEC SEC” chanted at me as much of the next guy, but after losing to these Big 12 teams, it’s a well-deserved chirp.

So, when Oklahoma and Texas do leave for the SEC, what will remain of the Big 12?

They’ll be fine. They’ll be more than fine.

New Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark will be aggressive in expansion efforts. The Big 12 already has their OU-Texas replacements in Houston, UCF, BYU and Cincinnati. With the Pac-12 still in flux, he could very well make a few calls to the teams out West if he hasn’t already.

TCU might have made the hire of the year in Sonny Dykes. With the future hierarchy of the Big 12 in a state of flux, the Frogs could very well stake their claim to a position of power this season.

Kansas State is too well-run to forget about. They’ve been a thorn in OU’s side for years.

Mike Gundy isn’t going anywhere. Oklahoma State will still be putting up nine-win seasons each year.

Kansas and Iowa State are the wildcards. If they can retain their head coaches, they’re going to be fine. I’m more and more curious as to what Lance Leipold can accomplish if he does stay in Lawrence.

If the two Kansas schools can hold onto their head coaches, the Big 12 has the makings of one of the deepest leagues in the country.

While the Big 12 won’t be the Big Ten or the SEC, they will still be a great football conference. They will not die without the Sooners and Longhorns.

 

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today. You can also follow Ben on Twitter @bendackiw.