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The Big 12 heads into the first College Football Playoff rankings with an unusual aim: secure multiple bids for the first time in conference history. Outgoing commissioner Brett Yormark says recent investments set the league up for a stronger run — and he pointed to 2026 as a future target for the payoff.
Where the league stands
The conference arrives at this moment with a mixed resume. The Big 12 is just 1–9 all-time during the CFP era, its lone victory coming when TCU beat Michigan in the 2022 Fiesta Bowl. It is also the only one of the major power conferences that has never placed more than one team in the playoff field in the same year.
Still, the league’s on-field profile has improved. This week’s AP Top 25 included six Big 12 teams — the most since 2012 — and three of those clubs sit inside the top 15: Utah (No. 6), BYU (No. 8) and Texas Tech (No. 13). That depth makes the possibility of multiple playoff berths feel more tangible than in past seasons.
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Big weekend could shape committee views
Recent results have been volatile. Last weekend produced two notable upsets: BYU, previously ranked No. 2, fell 39–31 in double overtime at Central Florida, while Texas Tech, formerly No. 8, lost 37–24 at Cincinnati.
This weekend the conference has several consequential games that could influence the committee. Texas Tech hosts No. 22 Arizona in what is being billed as the marquee matchup. Other key pairings include BYU at home versus Arizona State, No. 24 Oklahoma State at Iowa State, and Utah visiting Cincinnati.
The league’s ranked teams carry a combined 27–5 record. Four Big 12 programs — BYU, UCF, Utah and Cincinnati — have at least one victory over an AP Top 15 opponent (as ranked at kickoff), a total tied with the Big Ten and trailing only the SEC, which has nine such wins.
Yormark urged the committee to judge teams on full résumés, noting that when strong conference foes meet, a loss should not be taken as a sign of weakness but as part of a competitive league. “We have multiple CFP-caliber teams and their résumés should be evaluated accordingly,” he said.
Financial stakes for multiple bids
Sending more teams to the playoff matters beyond prestige. Since the CFP expanded in 2014, conferences have twice seen multiple bids several times: the SEC did so four times (2017, 2021, 2024, 2025); the Big Ten three times (2022, 2024, 2025); and the ACC once (2024). Those extra berths can translate to significant payouts.
- Making the CFP: $4 million per team (12 teams)
- Advancing to the quarterfinals: $4 million
- Advancing to the semifinals: $6 million
- Advancing to the title game: $6 million
Beginning this season, each participating school receives $3.18 million per round to cover travel, lodging, meals and other event expenses — a slight increase from $3 million last year. Overall prize pools and distribution policies mean a conference’s postseason success has direct budgetary impact.
Under the 12-team era that began in 2024, conferences have already collected performance-based distributions: the Big Ten leads with $82 million, followed by the SEC at $64 million. The ACC has received $22 million and the Big 12 $16 million; the Mountain West and the American stand at $8 million apiece, and the Sun Belt at $4 million. Notre Dame received $20 million in 2024 for reaching the national title game, funds it did not split because it is not in a football conference.
Yormark’s tenure and what’s next
The coming rankings will also be viewed through the lens of the conference’s recent transformation under Yormark, who announced he will step down effective Jan. 31, 2027. He took over as commissioner in August 2022, shortly after Oklahoma and Texas declared plans to leave for the SEC.
In October 2022 the Big 12 secured a six‑year media-rights extension worth $2.28 billion with ESPN and Fox. The conference also expanded, adding Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah to grow to a 16-team league. Of that expansion class, Arizona State was the conference’s sole playoff representative in 2024; Utah is currently the Big 12’s highest-ranked team.
Yormark framed a potential multi-bid playoff season as validation for the investments schools have made in recent years. He called the league “deep” and “competitive,” and said a year that yields multiple bids would both underscore that progress and provide another financial boost before his departure.
