Big 12 chief: Big Ten, SEC must serve football

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark reiterated his enactment for the 5+11 College Football Playoff model, saying Friday that adjacent though the Big Ten and SEC are starring the discussions, those conferences person a "great responsibility" that goes with it.

Over the past respective days, momentum has grown for an expanded 16-team playoff that would diagnostic the apical 5 league champions arsenic automatic qualifiers and 11 at-large teams, a exemplary Yormark presented erstwhile the Power 4 commissioners met precocious successful Charlotte, North Carolina.

Another exemplary that has been presented includes 4 automatic qualifiers each for the Big Ten and SEC, 2 each for the ACC and Big 12, and 1 for the apical Group of 5 team. Both the Big 12 and ACC are against that model.

The Big Ten and SEC person the bulk of power implicit the playoff's format successful 2026 and beyond, thing the different FBS commissioners and Notre Dame diversion manager Pete Bevacqua agreed to past twelvemonth erstwhile a caller six-year woody for the CFP was announced.

"I deliberation there's existent momentum for 5-11," Yormark said astatine the decision of the Big 12 outpouring meetings. "Certainly, the nationalist is voting yes for it, which I deliberation is critically important. Yes, the Big Ten, the SEC, are starring the discussions, but with starring those discussions, they person a large work that goes with it, to bash what's close for assemblage shot and not to bash thing that conscionable benefits 2 conferences.

"I person a batch of religion successful the process, and I deliberation we'll onshore successful the close place."

Yormark was asked wherefore the Big 12 would beryllium against a exemplary that would warrant 2 playoff spots for his conference.

"In talking to our ADs and coaches, we privation to gain it connected the field," Yormark said. "The 5-11 mightiness not beryllium perfect for the conference, but it's bully for assemblage football, and it's what's fair. We don't privation immoderate gimmes. We privation to gain it connected the field. I consciousness precise comfy with that, and I consciousness the aforesaid way, and I've been precise outspoken astir it."

Indeed, Arizona State manager Kenny Dillingham, whose squad made the CFP past season, said Thursday, "Every twelvemonth is simply a caller year. You ne'er cognize who's going to beryllium bully successful assemblage football, particularly with the volatility with the portal. So thing that creates an unfastened level for teams similar our guys past twelvemonth to beryllium that they bash belong, I'm successful enactment of."

"Our coaches and our league privation conscionable the champion teams, whoever those champion teams are successful assemblage shot that year, let's person those champion teams spell and vie for a championship," helium added.

TCU manager Sonny Dykes said the conception that conferences would get much than 1 automatic qualifier "doesn't marque immoderate sense."

"All anybody wants is to look up astatine the extremity of the twelvemonth and spot the champion teams competing for a nationalist championship," Dykes said. "I don't deliberation that guaranteed bids does. That's not however it works successful pro football; that's not however it works successful immoderate different sport. The AFC West gets 4 bids, and the NFC Central lone 2 -- that worldly doesn't marque immoderate sense. It's not bully for the sport. I don't deliberation it's bully for the fans. It's conscionable not bully for the game."

Yormark said CFP leaders person until December to find the aboriginal format. The FBS commissioners and Bevacqua are scheduled to conscionable successful idiosyncratic June 18 successful Asheville, North Carolina.

"We person immoderate clip present to enactment done the process," Yormark said. "It is simply a process, but I bash expect thing getting done sooner than later."

This is the 2nd clip successful a week that Yormark has remarked astir doing what is champion for assemblage football. After the commissioners agreed to determination to a consecutive seeding exemplary for the CFP, which volition commencement successful the 2025 season, Yormark said helium hopes what's champion for assemblage shot is "the priority" moving forward. ACC commissioner Jim Phillips made akin remarks astir his "responsibility" to the game.

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey seemed to instrumentality umbrage with that, saying from SEC outpouring meetings earlier successful the week, "I don't request lectures from others astir 'good of the game.' I don't lecture others astir bully of the game."

Asked for his effect to that, Yormark said, "I agreed with Greg's follow-up connection that I'd beryllium entertained by it, and I was. We each person heavy tegument here. The neat happening astir our narration amongst the commissioners is we're going to battle. That's portion of life. We're going to hold to disagree. We're benignant of successful that mode close now, but I person a batch of respect for my peers, and I cognize they person a batch of respect for maine and Jim, and we'll extremity up successful the close place."