Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Big 12 commissioner takes shot at Oklahoma, Texas on their way out of the conference

By Eric Smithling | Last updated 7/12/23

Oklahoma and Texas are about to embark on their last season as members of the Big 12. Commissioner Brett Yormark is eager to remind everyone that the conference will be fine without them.

On the first day of Big 12 Media Days, Yormark rejected that the two college football blue bloods rule the conference, pointing to their absence in the Big 12 Championship Game the past two seasons.

Big 12’s Brett Yormark asked about OU & Texas ‘carrying the conference’ in recruiting: “I don’t think they’ve carried the conference in recruiting. They haven’t been in our championship game the past few years”
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) July 12, 2023

The past two Big 12 title games featured Baylor, Kansas State, Oklahoma State and TCU. Oklahoma last reached the championship game in 2020 while Texas has not played in the Big 12 Championship Game, suspended from 2011-16, since 2009.

While Yormark's comment is technically true, it doesn't paint a fair picture of what the two programs have meant for the conference. Instead of flexing the conference's strength, it sounds like someone coming to terms with a bitter divorce.

Oklahoma was the dominant team in the conference for over a decade, before Lincoln Riley left for USC in 2021. The Sooners won the conference six consecutive seasons from 2015-2020, reached the College Football Playoff four times and produced two Heisman winners.

Former Texas QB Sam Ehlinger was premature when he declared the Longhorns were back after a Sugar Bowl win over Georgia in 2019, but Texas (+120) is the favorite to win the conference in 2023. Oklahoma (+380) has the second-best odds of winning the Big 12.

Later, Yormark struck a more diplomatic tone, saying the conference would "celebrate" the two schools during the upcoming season.

Brett Yormark: "We're going to celebrate Texas and Oklahoma (this year) and all the contributions they've had since Day One."

"They're always going to be a big part of this conference." #Sooners
— Josh Callaway (@JoshMCallaway) July 12, 2023

Whether Yormark wants to admit it or not, the Big 12 will take a massive hit once Oklahoma and Texas, two of the biggest football schools in the country, leave for the SEC next July. We may begin questioning if the Big 12 is truly a "Power Five" conference in a couple of years. Celebrating the two programs for what they've done for the conference is the right move.

However, Yormark will likely wish the celebration wraps before the Big 12 title game on Dec. 2. Otherwise, things could get awkward.

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