Big 12 Media Days 2025: Takeaways From Day 1

Day one of Big 12 Media Days is officially in the books. It was a day filled with plenty of excitement and anticipation out in Frisco. Between all the coaches, players, and scenery, there was a lot to take away. And while I am excited to see what day two has in store, I wanted to share my biggest storylines from day one.

Brett Yormark is Confident in the Big 12

One thing I love about Brett Yormark is his confidence. He has a presence to him and you can feel it whenever he enters a room. In his opening statement to kick off media days, Yormark said, “I expect the Big 12 to earn multiple College Football Playoff bids this year.”

There certainly is no shortage of contenders for the conference title this season and the Big 12 wasn’t too far off from having two potential playoff teams going into the month of November last year. Yormark is all in on the the Big 12 being one of the best conferences in college football.  In fact, he even went as far to say that the Big 12 “is the deepest football conference in America.”

On top of all that, Yormark also doubled down on his stance when it comes to the College Football Playoff. “Five-11 is fair,” Yormark said Tuesday in his opening address at Big 12 media days at The Star. “We want to earn it on the field. It might not be the best solution today for the Big 12 … but long-term, knowing the progress we’re making, the investments we’re making, it’s the right format for us. And I’m doubling down today on 5-11.”

Pop-Tarts in Ireland

There is no better way to kick off the Big 12 football season than a little Farmageddon in Ireland. But it appears that one of the best rivalries in college football is going to have a little extra flavor to it. Pop-Tarts is signing on as an official partner of the 2025 Aer Lingus College Football Classic held in Dublin’s Aviva Stadium this August.

It’s fitting that Pop-Tarts heads overseas since the first two champions of their bowl game are meeting up to open the year. Not only will the winner have bragging rights but they will also get to eat a delicious giant Pop-Tart to celebrate.

Matt Campbell on NIL

It’s not often Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell makes the headlines at Big 12 media days but his comments on NIL certainly took social media by storm. When discussing his team this season he said “I’d say probably our top 20 guys took a pay cut to come back to Iowa State. A lot of those guys had some really good opportunities.”

Now before you get your panties into a wad, you need to think about what he means by that. What he is actually saying is that other schools were willing to pay some of his players more money and they decided to turn it down and stay at Iowa State. I feel like people are blowing his comments way out of proportion.

Scott Frost Learned His Lesson

After a two year hiatus in college football, Scott Frost is back at the place where he got his first big break at UCF. I am sure with that time, he had plenty of time to self-reflect and think about what went wrong during his five seasons at Nebraska.

 When asked about the biggest lesson he learned at his alma mater, he offered a simple answer.  “Don’t take the wrong job,” Frost said. I don’t think he could have said it any better than that in my opinion. Orlando is where he belongs.

No Word on Jake Retzlaff

When BYU coach Kalani Sitake took the podium on Tuesday, one of the first things he was asked about was quarterback Jake Retzlaff. Of course, Retzlaff who is likely to transfer due to facing a seven game suspension for violating the school’s honor code, was not there but Sitake clearly didn’t want to comment on his situation either.

“First of all, I love Jake Retzlaff” Kalani Sitake said. “We love Jake Retzlaff and appreciate all that he’s done for our program. I think it would be inappropriate for me to make a statement on his situation first. I think that is his right. I think it is a private matter that he can speak (about) for himself. I am going to give him the opportunity to do that.”

Going from the Hunter to the Hunted

One of the main reasons why the Big 12 decided to go away with the preseason poll is because of Arizona State. The Sun Devils were picked to finish dead last a year ago and ended up winning the conference. Even Brett Yormark said it hurt the perception of the league and I agree.

But something nobody seems to be talking about is the fact that Arizona State is no longer taking a backseat to anyone in the conference. During an interview session, head coach Kenny Dillingham said, that the biggest difference between this year and last year is that “people think we are good now.”

It’s simple but it is true. Nobody gave the Sun Devils a chance last season and now they are the favorite to win the Big 12. Maybe us media folks don’t know everything after all.

Will Cincinnati Bounce Back?

It’s no secret that the Scott Sattefield era at Cincinnati has left a lot to be desired. In his first two seasons, Satterfield has a conference record of 4-14 and an overall record of 8-16.

Even after a 5-2 start last season, his team ended up losing their last five games of the year to finish 5-7. To say that he is on the hot seat would be an understatement. However, it appears that Satterfield feels good about his 2025 team saying, “This is our best team since I have been here from top to bottom.” And for his sake, I hope he’s right.