Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark affirmative on a 14-team playoff as expansion likely to lead more teams into postseason by 2026

Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark is open to further expansion of the College Football Playoff. The playoffs will be expanded to 12 teams in the upcoming season and there are already significant talks of further expansion to 14 teams in the near future.

The Commissioner, who had overseen the expansion of the Big 12, believes a 14-team playoff augments the experience of the postseason tournament for programs and their players.

"If we end up going to 14 and we can further enhance the championship experience for more teams and more student-athletes, that's great," Brett Yormark said.

“I'm going to continue to bet on the Big 12 that we're going to take some of those at-large spots. In theory, more is more. More is good, but the proof is in the details and I'm excited to see how this year plays out at 12."

More teams to compete for post-season spots amid Big 12 expansion

As the landscape becomes more competitive, the Big 12 needs to stay on course. The league is reportedly open to further expansion in the next phase of conference realignment. This could involve adding teams from the troubled Atlantic Coast Conference.

This will further ensure more competition for playoff spots in the Big 12. While losing Texas and Oklahoma ahead of the upcoming season, the conference will be adding Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah from the imploded Pac-12, taking its membership to 16.

Brett Yorkmark has disclosed his discontent with the recently negotiated revenue distribution plan. Despite this, he maintains confidence in the future of the conference and believes teams from the conference need to perform better in the playoffs.

Yormark is also open to the expansion of the NCAA Tournament

Aside from the College Football Playoff, Brett Yormark is also open to the expansion of the NCAA Tournament. He believes the modification of March Madness is what stakeholders in the landscape owe to themselves.

“The tournament is one of the greatest spectacles in sports," he said. "It captivates hard-core fans and casual fans for all the right reasons and you don't want to mess with something that's great, but if there's chances to modify it a bit … We owe it to ourselves to do that.”

ESPN reported in March that discussions were ongoing to expand the current 68-team bracket to potentially accommodate up to 80 teams. Among many of the sport's influential figures, a 76-team tournament has gained traction as a favored model.