Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark Forced to Break Silence as Greg Sankey & SEC’s Sabotage Antics Confirmed by ESPN Insider

The college football playoff format has been a recurring theme of experiments in the lore for the last couple of years. The top 12 had a lot of twists and changes last year, making it a cakewalk for some, a bump on the road for others. But the higher-ups don’t want that trend to come to a stop. In the wake of discussing the top-16 playoff format, the 5 automatic qualifiers and 11 at-large bids ideas are gaining some steam. Does the Big 12 commissioner give a nod?

The 5+11 format stands as an alternative to proposals that would have the SEC and Big Ten each receive 4 automatic bids, with the Big 12 and ACC each receive 2. The top group of 5 bids would also receive a bid, with other spots being filled through at-large bids. Big 12 isn’t very hopeful of getting multiple bids in a given year, but Yormark liked the idea. He is very much endorsing the idea of earning the spot through a good fight.

“First and foremost, I like 16. More access is better for the Big 12 for sure. But I’m also about fairness, and there’s been a lot of conversations out there about AQs and from where I sit–and I know I speak for our coaches and ADs–we want to earn it on the field. And I’m adamant about that. I think a 5+11 format does that,” Yormark said during a recent interview with ESPN’s SportsCenter. “It’s fair, it’s what our fans want. They don’t want an invitation. They want a true Playoff system. We have that now. I thought last year going to a 12-team format was fantastic. It played out exactly how people had hoped. It was very dramatic. It created a lot of interest. Going to 16 does more of that. But I think we need to take these multiple AQs out of the conversation, and I think 5+11 does that. And that’s our preference.”

His room is also in sync with his headspace. Utah AD Mark Harlan is also ready to fight for their spots. When The Athletic’s Chris Vannini asked him whether the 5+11 system would give some edge to SEC teams. Harlan’s response was what we can call the definition of pure sportsman spirit. ”Then, Big 12, let’s win more games. Let’s get after it,’‘ he said with a face beaming with hope.

Big Ten athletic directors have also chimed in, with many advocating the idea of the SEC adding a 9th conference game to land B1G support for the format. Most of them have agreed that 5+11 would look decent, but only under some conditions…

Greg Sankey & the SEC seem to play safe, delaying the process

“Today, in response to the SEC considering the 5+11 so seriously, which I think was a little bit unexpected from Big Ten territory – the Big Ten ADs did have a meeting earlier today, they had a call with commissioner Tony Petitti,” CFB insider Ross Dellenger spilled a truth on The Paul Finebaum Show. ”I think most of them feel that they would not support a 5+11 format if the SEC remained at eight conference games because the Big Ten is at nine conference games.”

However, there are more doubts than hope. The Big 10 is pushing hard for nine conference games. They strive for the automatic qualifiers, it’s ADs, and its commissioner, Tony Petitti, didn’t mince his words while clearly putting out his point, as Pete Thamel reported. The result might be dicey, but at least, they know what they want, unlike the SEC room.

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