Brett Yormark admits Big 12 has 'a ways to go' to measure up vs. Big Ten, SEC: 'We're a bit of a mature start-up'

Brett Yormark stood atop an elevated stage inside the Dallas Cowboys‘ practice facility in Frisco, Texas, and gave his fourth State of the Union address as Big 12 commissioner Tuesday. But after announcing a landmark sponsorship agreement with Monster Energy, Yormark briefly extolled his conference’s progress under his tenure before acknowledging the Big 12 still has work to do to properly challenge its Power Four competitors in the Big Ten and SEC.

“I don’t think as a conference we’re the best version of ourselves,” Yormark said Tuesday during the 2026 Big 12 Football Media Days’ introductory question-and-answer session, per ASAP. “We’ve got some work to still do, but we’re well on our way.”

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Twenty-four hours later, Yormark explained those judicious comments during a sit-down on the ESPNU set ahead of the second and final day of Big 12 Media Days.

“I often tell people we’re a bit of a mature start-up. I mean, this year is our 30^th year, but when you compare us to some of our (Power Four) colleagues, we’re just getting started,” Yormark said Wednesday. “And given the composition of the conference and the changes that we’ve gone through the last couple of years when you think about members, we’re not the best version of ourselves. We have a ways to go.”

The Big 12 infamously expanded to 16 teams with the additions of Arizona, Arizona State, BYU, Cincinnati, Colorado, Houston, UCF and Utah ahead of the 2023 and 2024 seasons to make up for the loss in revenue following the departure of former conference superpowers Oklahoma and Texas to the SEC in 2024. Those moves, in coordination with the Big Ten’s raiding of the Pac-12, have stabilized the Power Four conference hierarchy, with the 18-team Big Ten and 16-team SEC standing head-and-shoulders above the ACC and Big 12, especially financially.

Still, despite earning a conference record $610.9 million in 2025 revenue, the Big 12 ranks dead-last among its Power Four compatriots in terms of annual gross revenue. The Big Ten led the way with $1.47 billion in 2025, followed closely by the SEC’s $1.11 billion, per USA Today. Meanwhile, the expanded ACC had a record year with $826.5 million in revenue in 2025 — $200 million more than the Big 12.

Nevertheless, Yormark is encouraged by how far the Big 12 has grown in just the last several years, and believes moves like making Monster Energy the conference’s “entitlement partner” in football and men’s and women’s basketball will only further add to the league’s ongoing development. Especially if Big 12 football teams can continue to make strides on the gridiron.

“I love the trajectory of this conference. I think right now is the best time ever for the Big 12. But can we be better? We certainly can be, across the board. This was a big year for us, on and off the field. And we’ll continue moving forward to grow everything we do, and get better,” Yormark added. “But I also think it starts with football. I think we can be better at football. Our schools are making the necessary investments. It hasn’t shown yet, at least in the CFP, but I think it will. And I think that’s an area where we can improve, and I know we will.”