Big 12's Yormark 'doubling down' on 5+11 model

FRISCO, Texas -- Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark is "doubling down" connected the alleged 5+11 aboriginal College Football Playoff format, portion acknowledging that it mightiness payment his league much successful the aboriginal than currently.

The Big 12 and ACC person pushed the model, which would grant automatic bids to the 5 highest-rated league champions, and 11 at-large bids determined by the CFP enactment committee. The 5+11 exemplary gained immoderate enactment astatine the SEC's outpouring meetings, portion the Big Ten has focused much connected a exemplary that would grant 4 automatic bids to Big Ten and SEC teams, and 2 to the Big 12 and ACC.

Yormark, his chap commissioners and Notre Dame diversion manager Pete Bevacqua indispensable find the CFP format for 2026 and beyond by Dec. 1.

The Big 12 had lone 1 representative, champion Arizona State, successful the inaugural 12-team CFP past year. Arizona State mislaid to Texas successful 2 overtimes successful a CFP quarterfinal matchup astatine the Peach Bowl.

"Five-11 is fair," Yormark said Tuesday successful his opening code astatine Big 12 media days astatine The Star. "We privation to gain it connected the field. It mightiness not beryllium the champion solution contiguous for the Big 12 ... but long-term, knowing the advancement we're making, the investments we're making, it's the close format for us. And I'm doubling down contiguous connected 5-11."

Yormark added that helium expects ACC commissioner Jim Phillips to instrumentality the aforesaid presumption erstwhile that league holds its media days this period successful Charlotte, North Carolina. The ACC sent 2 teams, champion Clemson and runner-up SMU , to the 12-team playoff past year. Yormark touted the Big 12 arsenic the "deepest shot league successful America" and said helium believes the league volition person aggregate CFP entries this season.

"I person a batch of religion successful the enactment process," Yormark said. "They are doing a afloat audit of the enactment process to fig retired however they tin modernize and contemporize and however they usage information and however definite metrics tin beryllium much heavy weighted."

Yormark told ESPN that he's "relatively confident" that the CFP volition spell to 16 teams successful 2026, and laid retired the adjacent steps to making it happen.

"The archetypal measurement is we got to fig out, with the enactment process, we're benignant of doing a heavy dive," helium said. "Where tin we amended it? Where tin we modernize it? Are we utilizing the close metrics? Are things weighted appropriately oregon not? So we're going done that speech and I deliberation connected the heels of that, we'll determination into the format due to the fact that I deliberation for the country radical request to get confident, much assured successful that enactment process. And assuming they do, which I'm assured they will, we'll beryllium capable to past code the format that makes sense."

In March, the CFP named a Big 12 diversion director, Baylor's Mack Rhoades, arsenic the seat of its enactment committee. Yormark said that successful summation to docket strength, "new metrics" volition beryllium added to the enactment process to guarantee fairness to each conferences.

The Big 12 volition person the Week 0 signifier arsenic Iowa State and Kansas State renew their rivalry successful Dublin, Ireland. Other cardinal nonleague Big 12 matchups see Baylor-Auburn, Baylor-SMU and Iowa State-Iowa.

"I'm assured we'll get to the close place," Yormak said. "And ultimately, I'm assured we'll spell to 5+11."

ESPN's Pete Thamel contributed to this report.