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Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark speaks during Big 12 NCAA college football media days in Las Vegas Tuesday, July 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Lucas Peltier)

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Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark answers questions from the media during the Big 12 NCAA college football media days in Las Vegas, Tuesday, July 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Lucas Peltier)

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Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark speaks during Big 12 NCAA college football media days in Las Vegas Tuesday, July 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Lucas Peltier)

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Anyone who has listened to Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark speak knows what to expect when he steps in front of the microphone.

He’s going to aggressively promote his conference and be straightforward about his willingness to examine all potential ways to make that happen.

His remarks to start the 2024 Big 12 football media days at Allegient Stadium in Las Vegas on Tuesday followed that same script, with Yormark touting the league’s successes while recognizing that it needs to keep improving.

“There has never been a better time than right now to be a part of the Big 12,” he said. “We are truly a national conference in 10 states and four time zones. All eyes are now on the Big 12 for all the right reasons. I think it is safe to say we are more relevant now than ever before.”

He talked about how in the last year the league added four more schools — Utah, Arizona, Arizona State and Colorado — and said that it had “solidified as one of the top three conferences in America.”

Yormark quoted figures like the fact that all Big 12 schools averaged over 88% stadium capacity for football, how nine teams made it to bowl games and had the second-best winning percentage.

And it wasn’t just about the gridiron success for Yormark. He highlighted how the Big 12 had eight teams in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament and seven in the women’s hoops tournament, as well as winning six NCAA championships.

“What led to our success on the field was of course our incredible student-athletes,” Yormark said.

He also has big expectations for the conference in 2024-25, starting with talking about what he is looking for in football.

“This will be a very exciting year for the Big 12,” Yormark said. “On the football front, we will be the deepest conference in America. Every week will matter. We have star power and parity. We boast some of the top players and coaches in the game. November will be incredibly exciting and we will brand it as a race to the championship.”

He also believes that the best conference in basketball “got better” and the Olympic sports “got stronger.”

But in this day and age, the success of a conference goes far beyond what happens on the courts and fields and diamonds. It also has to do with revenues and being competitive financially.

While Yormark didn’t make any big announcements on involving private equity or naming rights, but did express multiple times that he and his staff are looking at a wide range of possibilities.

“As we build our brand, we will continue to build our business,” Yormark said. “Our top priority is growth and creating value for our member institutions. We will not stumble into this new era following settlement. In fact, we will be aggressive and very proactive.”

He said the value creation starts with the TV partnership with ESPN and Fox, then hinted at looking at new TV windows and giving fans more access to programming.

“From a conference perspective, we are exploring all options,” Yormark said. “Two years later, I guess you could say we are still open for business.”

Some of the examples included an announcement that the Big 12 is partnering with Microsoft to have tablets on the field and in the coaching booth for the football season, as well as pivoting the Big 12 Mexico launch toward involving women’s soccer and baseball.

He also addressed the current status of college sports, including the settlement agreement in May by the NCAA and the nation’s five biggest leagues to pay nearly $2.8 billion to settle a host of antitrust claims.

“We are going through a change, but I would rather call it a necessary reset,” Yormark said. “In 10 years, I think we look back at this period as a positive moment in collegiate athletics history. I speak for many when I say enhanced student-athlete benefits are a good thing and that’s what the recently announced settlement will provide.”

He said there is a lot left to figure out, and singled out questions regarding Title IX, roster limits, enforcement and student-athlete employment as things that still need to be figured out.

“As we enter this new chapter, I can assure you that Big 12 schools will continue to compete at the highest levels and they will continue to invest,” Yormark said. “We have been working for this moment for a long time and as commissioner, I will continue to create value for our members for them to be as competitive as possible. The Big 12 will always be ambitious because that’s who we are.”