Overview
- Brett Yormark reaffirmed the Big 12 and ACC’s proposal for a 16-team College Football Playoff featuring five automatic bids for top-ranked conference champions and 11 at-large selections.
- He emphasized that the 5+11 format upholds competitive fairness by requiring teams to earn berths on the field and rejecting models that guarantee extra slots for the SEC and Big Ten.
- The conference eliminated its preseason media poll after Arizona State won the title despite being picked last, citing the poll’s potential to undervalue teams amid roster turnover.
- Yormark touted the Big 12 as “the deepest football conference in America” and expressed confidence it will qualify more than one team for this season’s playoff.
- Negotiations with the SEC, Big Ten and other stakeholders over the final 16-team structure continue, with a decision on the format due by December 1.