Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark wanted to talk about the league’s upcoming season, not the Brendan Sorsby gambling saga at Texas Tech. Yormark said, ‘Today is not the time to address that issue. Today is about celebrating the upcoming football season and celebrating our 16 schools.’
Big 12 Moving Forward
Yormark later spoke about the conference ‘moving ahead as 16 strong.’ This includes Texas Tech, which the league and its other 15 members were discussing potentially punishing if Sorsby had played this fall for the Red Raiders.
Sorsby won’t play even after being granted a temporary injunction against the NCAA last month that would have allowed him to remain eligible. He acknowledged making thousands of impermissible bets worth at least $90,000 on college and pro sports.
College Football Playoff Expansion
Big 12 coaches unanimously agreed on their preference for a 24-team College Football Playoff. Yormark has also expressed his support of that, if the economics make sense in doubling the size of the current playoff field.
The CFP management committee met last month in Denver for more discussions on the merits of expanding to 16 or 24 teams. Yormark said, ‘I’ve said it before, more access is needed as too many great teams are still left out.’
International Appeal
The Big 12 is going international again this season, with another opener in Ireland and then the first-ever college game at iconic Wembley Stadium in London. TCU will play North Carolina on Aug. 29 in the Aer Lingus Classic.
Original reporting: KSAT Sports (San Antonio) — read the source article.