Brett Yormark Expects More Than One Team in the Playoff

Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark made waves at Media Days on Tuesday morning with a bold declaration that could reshape conference outlooks in 2025.

“I expect the Big 12 to earn multiple College Football Playoff bids this year,” Yormark said emphatically.

That isn’t a pipe dream; it’s a vote of confidence in a league stacked with competitive teams and national relevance. With nearly half the league eyeing CFP contention, Yormark is doing away with the disrespect from outlets and predicting big things on the gridiron this fall.

He didn’t stop there, either. When asked about the Big 12’s preferred playoff path going forward, he doubled down, saying, “5+11 is fair. It may not be the best solution today for the Big 12, but long term, it’s the right format for us.”

“I’ll double down on it,” Yormark continued. “I’m sure [ACC Commissioner] Jim Phillips will, and other conference commissioners will as well.”

Yormark’s support of the 5+11 model is a strategic move for the Big 12, that’s become a hot-button topic for conferences across the nation. The Big 12, under Yormark’s leadership, continues to fight for recognition alongside the SEC and Big Ten, and guaranteeing more than one playoff spot for specific conferences goes against his long-term vision.

“We want to earn it on the field,” Yormark said, which reads loosely as a shot at Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti. “We are not the NFL.”

Petitti and SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey have both, at times, shown support for automatic bids for their respective conferences due to prestige, branding, strength of schedule, and other ridiculous metrics used to create a gap among the so-called “Power Two” from the rest of the sport.

This means one thing for the players, coaches, and fans: The Big 12 is aiming high this year and beyond.

With Yormark forecasting multiple playoff spots for his league, it adds even more hype to what is already one of the most highly anticipated seasons in conference history.

Bottom line, Big 12 country, get ready. The stakes are higher in 2025. The playoff path is opening up wider, and the conference is no longer just dreaming of multiple bids. They are expecting them.