'Cincinnati is ready for the Big 12': New commissioner Brett Yormark visits UC campus

It had been more than three decades since new Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark visited the University of Cincinnati campus.

Yormark visited and applied to Cincinnati before ultimately graduating from Indiana University in 1988. On Wednesday, Yormark made his way back onto the UC campus as part of what he called his "listening tour."

"When I took the job, I told the board one of the things I need to do in my first month is immerse myself into the campus life, if you will," he said.

Cincinnati was stop No. 9 for Yormark on his tour. His next stops are the other three soon-to-be Big 12 member schools, Brigham Young University, University of Houston and University of Central Florida. Yormark will be at BYU Saturday for its football game against Baylor, followed by Houston on Monday and then a trip to UCF.

But Wednesday was all about the Bearcats.

'Truly impressed with the facilities, the people, the architecture'

"This is my first time back," Yormark said. "I'm truly impressed with the facilities, the people, the architecture. ... Cincinnati is ready for the Big 12. It was time for them. Obviously, it wasn't my decision. Bob Bowlsby did an incredible job inviting and welcoming Cincinnati into the Big 12. They're ready."

Yormark was named the fifth commissioner of the Big 12 in June, replacing the outgoing Bowlsby who nearly a year ago (Sept. 10, 2021) extended an invitation to Cincinnati to join the conference.

The Bearcats accepted the invite and are scheduled to join the Big 12 on July 1, 2023, becoming a "full" member when the conference's new television deal is finalized.

Bearcats to Big 12'It happened very quickly': How Cincinnati became the newest member of the Big 12

Big 12 television contract negotiations with ESPN, Fox

The Big 12 announced last month it had opened early negotiations with ESPN and Fox to "explore an accelerated extension of its current agreements."

Yormark said Wednesday those talks are going well.

"That process has started," he said. "We met with ESPN last week. Had great meetings with them. I think we're very aligned and like-minded in where we want to go in the future. I'll be meeting with Fox in the next week to kind of gauge their interest. Obviously, these are conversations to explore is it in everyone's interest to go early, to gain clarity. My gut tells me that both Fox and ESPN would like to do that, but I'll know for sure once I meet with Fox in the next week."

The conversations come more than a year and a half before the Big 12's current television contract calls for a formal, exclusive negotiating window with both ESPN and Fox. The Big 12's current deal runs through the 2024 football season. The early talks could allow the Big 12 to get a tangible idea of what future revenue figures will be for its current members, future members and any potential additional members.

If the Big 12 is unable to strike a deal for an extension with ESPN and Fox during the early negotiation window, the conference and media partners will fall back to the current agreement, which states there will be an exclusive window in February 2024. Yormark said the Big 12 would not become a media rights "free agent."

"In theory, I want partners that help us glamourize, market and promote the Big 12 and all our member institutions," Yormark said. "That's a big part of that partnership for me moving forward, in addition to all the other things that we benefit from. But I want great marketing partners that want to help build our business, and I don't think there's any better than ESPN and Fox to do that. So I'm anxious to see where we can take the future with both of them."

Yormark said the early negotiations are not connected to Texas and Oklahoma being in active discussions with the Big 12 to bolt the conference early for the Southeastern Conference.

Big 12 Conference expansion

Yormark likened the current state of conference realignment and expansion to a game of chess. He said the Big 12 will be very strategic in how it chooses to expand the conference and what schools it pursues. He said he doesn't have a specific number of members in mind.

"I don't look at it from a numbers perspective," Yormark said. "I look at it more from the perspective of who would be additive based on our goals and objectives. What we don't want to do is dilute what we already have and split the pie even more. Whatever we do in expansion truly has to be additive and has to create value not only for our conference but for our key stakeholders, including our media partners. So all those possibilities are being vetted right now."

Yormark wouldn't specify which schools are on his list for potential expansion, but he did say he's looking to branch out into the West Coast.

"I won't get into specifics, but obviously going out west is where I'd like to go, entering into that fourth time zone," he said. "A program that has national recognition. One that obviously competes at the highest levels, both in basketball and football, stands for the right things, is a good cultural fit. Because our alignment right now – and the like-mindedness of all of our member institutions – is fantastic. It's never been better. So I don't want to compromise that, and that's critically important that there's the right cultural fit when you think about coming in and being a part of what we're building here."

Yormark said the Big 12 is not in competition with the Big Ten to see which conference can poach the most schools from the Pac-12 Conference.

"(Big Ten commissioner) Kevin Warren's a friend," he said. "We talk strategy all the time. No different than the conversations I have with other Power Five commissioners. I'm open for business, as I've said, and open for business means I'm on the phone, I'm talking to commissioners, I'm talking to brands, I'm talking to schools. But there's no competition there at all."

Outlook on Cincinnati Bearcats football program

Yormark met with Luke Fickell during his visit. He said he was "totally impressed" by the sixth-year Cincinnati head football coach. Even if Fickell ruined his homecoming last season.

"Last year, I saw my first college football game in years," he said. "It happened to be the Cincinnati-Indiana game. I told him, I said, 'Coach, listen, that was my return to campus. ... I was feeling really good about myself, and then everything fell apart.'"

Fickell's Bearcats trailed Yormark's Hoosiers 14-0 before rallying to a 38-24 win Sept. 18, 2021, in Bloomington. Cincinnati hosts Indiana on Sept. 24 at Nippert Stadium.

"I'm just happy I'm on your team now," Yormark told Fickell.

Fickell is 44-16, with a College Football Playoff appearance under his belt, during his tenure at Cincinnati. Yormark said he's excited to see what Fickell does with even more resources at his disposal.

"As far as I'm concerned, they're one of the best programs in America today," he said. "Big brand, big fan following, great resources. I spent some time with the coach today. He's excited. So this is a big opportunity for the Big 12. As I was walking around campus today, visualizing some of the existing members coming here. Those are going to be big moments in this community, and certainly I'll be here to experience them.

"They're already on the big stage. I think (joining the Big 12) puts them on a bigger stage. Hopefully it helps with the recruitment. Hopefully it helps them nationalize their brand from coast to coast. Hopefully it helps them open up new recruiting markets like Texas and other markets that we have a footprint in. So, it's a very positive move for us, being able to welcome such a great school and program, but I think it also provides benefits for Cincinnati and hopefully they can take advantage of them."

Yormark met with UC men's basketball coach Wes Miller following his availability with the media.

Outlook on future of Big 12 without Texas and Oklahoma

Yormark was equally as high on the Big 12's football programs overall, even as Texas and Oklahoma are set to leave for the SEC.

"I think top to bottom, we're the best conference in America," he said. "We have a lot of depth. We went 9-1 last week. We probably should've won that West Virginia-Pitt game (Pittsburgh defeated the Mountaineers 38-31 on Sept. 1), but those things happen. I'm very bullish on where we are in football, for sure."

As for the Big 12 as a whole?

"I think we have incredible upside," he said. "The Big 12, we've got great schools, we're in three different time zones. My goal is to be even more national, geographically and otherwise. I think we can build our brand. I think we can do a better job of getting on the consciousness of future student-athletes, where they're voting for the Big 12. There's so much work we can do. We can build our business, which hasn't even been something that we've been focused on."

College Football Playoff expansion

The College Football Playoff will move from four teams to 12 after the Board of Managers unanimously approved expansion last week.

The expanded format will reportedly include the six highest-ranked conference champions, with the rest of the field including at-large selections.

"I think it's great for college football," Yormark said. "It's great for fans. Obviously, as the CFP grows, there is that equity transfer, if you will, for football and the Big 12. But other than that, it has no bearing per se on our conference."

The expansion could happen as early as the end of the 2024 season, but the 12-year contract the CFP has with ESPN doesn't expire until after the 2025 campaign.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Big 12 expansion: Commissioner Brett Yormark visits Cincinnati