Getting another Pac-12 school to jump on board would be a triumph, and more basketball-focused Big 12 additions probably belong on the back burner for these next few weeks.
But here’s the thing about Yormark: What he wants to sell his members on is UConn.
If Colorado is the only Pac-12 member coming in, don’t be surprised if Yormark goes all-in on UConn. All the political capital he’s gaining in the eyes of his league presidents, chancellors and ADs from pulling off this Colorado move? Conference sources believe that’s where he wants to spend it.
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The Big 12 has had communication with Oregon and Washington in the past year. For them, Colorado departing still might not move the needle enough. And that might not bother Yormark much. He doesn’t want these schools reluctantly backing into the Big 12 solely because of a disappointing TV deal. He wants members who seriously buy what he’s selling.
Isn't that refreshing? We want you to want us. We don't want you if you don't.
In UConn, Yormark sees something that other Big 12 leaders don’t. They think football first and have their doubts that UConn football can become relevant. The recent track record — 27-83 since 2013 — is hard to ignore. They see the success in men’s and women’s basketball as undeniably attractive, but it’s less easy to get them to buy the pitch that UConn adds value for this league, in part because these presidents, chancellors and ADs have spent the past year locked in on trying to land Power 5 football schools.
But Yormark sees an entry point into New York City. He sees a dominant basketball conference and big-time events at Madison Square Garden. He sees a future in which the Big 12 makes more money down the road by decoupling its media rights package and selling its basketball rights separately. Conference sources say he sees a sort of buy-low opportunity here, a bet that the Big 12 investing in UConn over the rest of the decade will drive up the conference’s value. For him, there’s no hesitation. There’s real conviction.
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Remember, the Big 12 was on the brink in the summer of 2021. [TWO fucking years ago.] Don’t forget that moment in sizing up this current one. The conference was in a vulnerable spot, so much so that former Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby traveled to Montana to visit Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff and discuss a partnership or merger. The Pac-12 wasn’t interested.
The Pac-12 could’ve swooped in and swiped Baylor, Oklahoma State, TCU and Texas Tech. Had it seized the opportunity, the Big 12 would be toast. But Pac-12 presidents couldn’t be convinced. Too many of them didn’t love the fit. They instead preferred the good vibes and handshake pacts of the short-lived Alliance with the Big Ten and ACC.
After living out that existential crisis for six weeks, the eight remaining Big 12 members locked arms and invited the four best available expansion candidates — BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF— and moved in a new direction together.
Bowlsby offered to stay on through the new members’ transition into the conference. The Big 12’s board took a risk, preferring to launch a search for a new commissioner in the summer of 2022. The search committee took another risk with a nontraditional candidate in Yormark, the New York businessman who brought minimal college athletics experience to the table but excited them with all the ideas for innovation he proposed. The Big 12 needed a bold vision for its brand and future without Oklahoma and Texas, and Yormark took over a league that’s more willing to be bold.
That alignment is essential. Over the past year, there haven’t been any whispers about one or two Big 12 schools standing in the way of expansion to protect their own interests. They’ve given Yormark the authority to chase these ambitious moves. And look at what he’s bringing home.
… More Power 5 additions will garner unanimous support. If those aren’t coming next, those conference sources believe Yormark will want his board to get on board with UConn.
That’s how Yormark operates. Adding Colorado is a significant feat, another validating vote of confidence in the conference and its future, but don’t expect much of a victory lap from the commissioner. He and his regime have moved quickly in his first year on the job, stacking as many improvements and achievements as he can as fast as he can, and he’s not slowing down soon.
Colorado appears to be coming. And then the Big 12 will be on to the next one.
