New Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark has his eye on the Pac-12: 'We're open for business'

New Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark has his work cut out for him as he looks to shepherd his conference into a new era of college football.

We're quickly entering the "Super Conference" era, and the Big 12 knows that reality better than most.

The SEC dipped its greedy hands onto the Big 12's dinner plate and came away with two major defectors in Oklahoma and Texas. Both will leave the conference by 2025, if not before, and the blow of losing two of the biggest brands in college football can't be understated for the Big 12.

This is a conference on the verge of becoming old news, so it's not surprising that even in his first public appearance as Big 12 commissioner, Yormark is being aggressive.

"We're open for business," Yormark told the press at the Big 12 business meetings, per ESPN.

Interestingly enough, that was his response to being asked about whether or not the conference will look to poach schools from the Pac-12, which is expecting to lose USC and UCLA to the Big Ten.

"I think it's fair to say I've received a lot of phone calls, a lot of interest. We're exploring those levels of interest. Nothing is imminent," Yormark continued.

The Big 12 already plans to add BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF in July of 2023, but stealing a "Power Five" school or two from the Pac-12 should still be considered a major option for the conference.

Whether it happens or not, Yormark does seem committed to re-building the Big 12 in a way that is both aggressive and smart.

"We are engaged in conversations daily with all the key stakeholders. And at the right time when something makes sense, we'll do it -- or not. ... Sometimes the best deals are the ones that you don't make, because we don't want to just do a deal for sake of the deal," he said. "That's not my mindset, and obviously whatever we do needs to be additive and not diluted. But we're being proactive. We're not on our heels. We're engaged in meaningful conversation, and we'll see where it takes us."