Is the Big 12 in Trouble?

Have I mentioned that taking a vacation these days is impossible if you cover college sports?

I couldn’t even escape for three days at a Wisconsin lake house without the College Football Playoff debate becoming dramatically messier.

Here's the latest in a nutshell:

• The Big Ten is dug in on the 4/4/2/2/1 model

• The SEC is now pushing the Big 12-created 5+11 model

• The Big Ten says it would never support the 5+11 model if the SEC doesn’t go to nine conference games

• ESPN doesn’t like the 4/4/2/2/1 model

• The 2026 playoff may stay the same as the 2025 format if they can’t agree soon enough

The Big 12 is under fire for creating and supporting the 5+11 playoff format, which guarantees automatic bids to each Power Four conference champion plus the highest-ranked Group of Six champion. The remaining 11 teams would be at-large selections.

Fox’s Joel Klatt and 247 Sports’ Josh Pate have been leading the charge against Brett Yormark and the Big 12. To their credit, they’ve made some strong points. See for yourself below:

I've acknowledged for weeks now that the 5+11 model would result in fewer playoff teams for the Big 12 compared to the 4/4/2/2/1 proposal. That’s honestly not even debatable.

Klatt and Pate took it a step further, though, suggesting the gap would become so wide that it would even further cement the Big 12 as inferior to the Power Two. They argue the Big Ten’s preferred model is more than generous to the Big 12, especially given that only one Big 12 team made the top 16 in last year’s playoff rankings.

They also noted how the Big Ten’s preferred model would increase drama and urgency in November, with teams fighting for top-two conference finishes to avoid additional playoff play-in games during championship weekend.

These are tough points to counter, especially from a purely Big 12 perspective.

But that doesn’t mean Klatt and Pate are right.

Their argument rests entirely on the assumption that the Big 12 is inferior and always will be. If you truly believe that, then yes, grabbing two guaranteed autobids would seem logical.

Brett Yormark can’t accept that, though.

If he does, he’s officially conceding that the Big 12 will always be significantly less valuable than the SEC and Big Ten. That carries major ramifications beyond playoff selections.

It permanently puts the Big 12 in a weaker negotiating position. 

Want a better TV deal someday? You’ll never get a penny more than half of what the SEC and Big Ten make once you've already admitted you're half as valuable.

Think SEC and Big Ten coaches won't use this in recruiting? Imagine Big 12 coaches trying to convince recruits their league matters after publicly admitting their value is half of the Power Two’s.

It also sends the wrong message internally—that it’s acceptable to settle for half of what the top leagues have. Yormark isn’t about that mindset.

His message has been clear from day one: the Big 12 must aggressively pursue resources that will allow it to compete with the SEC and Big Ten.

You can’t set that tone and then willingly accept being seen as half as valuable.

Yormark and the Big 12 are betting on themselves.

Does it carry risk? Absolutely.

Pate and Klatt are right. This approach might severely limit the Big 12’s opportunities to compete directly against the SEC and Big Ten in the playoff.

It could also push the SEC and Big Ten to finally break away and form their own playoff. Pate, one of college football’s most connected voices, confirmed again this week that it's a realistic possibility.

Does backing the 5+11 format guarantee the Big 12 won’t eventually have to accept the 4/4/2/2/1 anyway? Not at all.

This has always been about the Power Two. Ultimately, the SEC and Big Ten have the legal authority to dictate terms.

But the Big 12 (and ACC) must at least try to push back. They have to fight publicly, clearly, and forcefully. Make it clear the SEC and Big Ten are the villains here.

If the 4/4/2/2/1 plan goes through, the Big Ten and SEC will quickly move to nine-game conference schedules and finalize a scheduling alliance, effectively locking out the Big 12 and ACC from valuable non-playoff matchups. That deepens the monopoly.

I understand some Big 12 fans’ hesitations. Just a month ago, I was fully on board with taking the two autobids and calling it a good deal.

But that was because I didn’t think the Big 12 and ACC were actually willing to fight. I had accepted my fate.

Now that they’re pushing back, I refuse to sit this one out.

Yormark has never been one for small moves. Just look at his resume:

• He moved the Nets from New Jersey to Brooklyn.

• He secured the largest naming-rights deal in American sports history for NASCAR.

• He worked as the COO for Jay Z’s entertainment company.

Does that sound like a leader who'd willingly concede inferiority?

I hope you can appreciate that, after decades of passive leadership, the Big 12 finally has a commissioner who fights for respect, even in the face of significant adversity.

This situation has no easy solutions for the Big 12. I certainly wouldn’t blame you for wanting the league to just accept the two autobids. Catch me at the right moment, and I might agree with you.

But I hope you’ll join me—and many others—on the front lines as we at least go down swinging.

What You Need to Know

• Jon Wilner (Wilner Hotline) says Yormark has no choice but to back the 5+11 playoff format. Highly recommended reading here.

• Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire didn’t hold back discussing the future of the CFP. These feisty comments are worth your time.

• Want the unfiltered opinions of Big 12 coaches? Anonymous coaches spoke candidly about who will run the league moving forward.

• ESPN’s FPI was extremely unkind to the Big 12. Wait until you see how many SEC teams rank ahead of the top Big 12 squad.

• Which Big 12 team has the best playoff shot this year? Here’s ESPN’s take.

• KU basketball is beefing up its non-conference schedule with a huge series against arguably the nation’s top program.

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