This week, the first of several college football media days during the month of July will take place, as the Big 12 Conference meets in Frisco, Texas, to talk ball.
It’s the next step — and one of the final ones of the offseason — before fall camp ramps up the anticipation in earnest.
Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark, as well as coaches, players and some school officials from each of the league’s 16 institutions, will field questions from the media as the event shines a national spotlight on the conference.
Here’s a look at five topics to follow as the media days are held Tuesday and Wednesday at the Ford Center at The Star, the Dallas Cowboys’ practice facility.
College Football Playoff expansion and the Big 12’s stance
A hot topic seemingly every offseason — and even in-season — is the College Football Playoff and whether it needs adjusting.
Now, the most recent proposal being discussed is a potential 24-team field — and it’s a plan that’s getting support in many parts of the college landscape outside the SEC.
During the Big 12’s spring meetings, coaches from all 16 schools voted in support of a 24-team field, according to the Associated Press, and Yormark has expressed his support for expansion if the economics make sense.
An expanded field would mean more opportunities for Big 12 schools to get in the CFP — so far in the first two seasons of a 12-team field, the conference has had just one participant each year.
The Big 12 is 0-2 in CFP play the past two seasons.
“If the 24-team playoff started last year, we would have had five teams in,” Scott Draper, the league’s chief competition officer, said at May’s spring meetings.
“We were the second-ranked conference, strength of conference, in their metrics last year, so I’m confident that we’ll be well-represented in a 24-team playoff.”
There is a Dec. 1 deadline to finalize the format for the 2027 CFP, putting a shot clock on determining whether change comes next season.
For the 2026 season, the field will remain at 12 teams.
What are the latest opinions from conference and school officials about playoff expansion? We’ll find out soon enough.
Texas Tech and the Brendan Sorsby situation
While the Brendan Sorsby saga finally has a conclusion — he will sit out the 2026 season after being ruled ineligible by the NCAA and prepare for the 2027 NFL Draft — it’s been a major conversation in the sports world in recent months.
The former Cincinnati quarterback was supposed to be Texas Tech’s starting quarterback this fall, but his admitted gambling issues brought about plenty of discussion — and threats of litigation — about the integrity of sports and how in the modern era, gambling is more accessible than ever before.
The Red Raiders are still the overwhelming favorite to repeat as Big 12 champions, though the Sorsby saga — and gambling in general — will surely come up and require responses, even if they’re less fever-pitched than some of the outcries the situation has elicited this summer.
How will Yormark and Texas Tech’s representation at media days handle this? The school came under scrutiny for its responses throughout the drama, including those of billionaire booster Cody Campbell.
It’s worth noting what will be said about the topic during Big 12 media days.
What to do about the revenue gap?
The widening financial gap between the SEC and Big Ten and the rest of college football is often top of mind when discussing collegiate sports nowadays.
Even though the Big 12 reported $610.9 million in gross revenue during fiscal year 2025 and projects to earn $710 million in fiscal year 2026, according to USA Today, the conference lags well behind its power conference compatriots in the Big Ten, SEC and ACC.
It’s led to some creative solutions that conference members have seen play out in recent months.
In June, Utah finalized a partnership with Otro Capital on a private equity deal that will infuse a reported $500 million in capital into the Utes’ athletic efforts.
In late April, details emerged from a capital deal between the Big 12 and RedBird Capital Partners and Weatherford Capital that will provide a reported $12.5 capital infusion into the league while also providing all 16 Big 12 schools with access to a line of credit of up to $30 million, according to ESPN.
Schools have one year to decide whether they’ll accept the line of credit, the Deseret News reported in mid-May, though at the time no school had confirmed it was accepting the money.
How does the Big 12 and its 16 schools plan to continue combating the revenue gap? It will be a point of discussion, even in generalities, at media days.
The Protect College Sports Act
A piece of legislation that would have wide-ranging implications on college athletics is the Protect College Sports Act of 2026, a bipartisan federal bill introduced by Senators Ted Cruz and Maria Cantwell.
After it passed the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation in mid-June, it’s now headed to consideration from the full Senate.
On May 31, Yormark released a statement supporting the bill while also commending “the bipartisan effort to establish a more consistent national framework for college athletics.
“This legislation reflects an important commitment to and a good foundation for greater stability, clearer standards, and meaningful protections for student-athletes.”
The original version of the bill prohibited only the SEC and the Big Ten, who oppose the bill as drafted, from expanding. An updated version, though, would prevent any conference generating at least $700 million in revenue from expanding — a threshold the Big 12 would surpass in the next fiscal year if its projections prove true.
What might it mean for the power leagues if the bill ultimately passes?
Yormark’s latest comments on the PCSA should be intriguing.
What other members say about BYU and Utah
Two of the other programs who appear to be in prime position to capitalize this year if Texas Tech stumbles are BYU and Utah, who both finished ranked in the top 15 at the end of the 2025 campaign.
The Cougars were able to fend off Penn State’s overtures and retain coach Kalani Sitake, while the Utes are under new management with Morgan Scalley taking over the reins of the Utah program.
Yes, there will be changes — and some bumpy roads with those — for both Utah schools, but they appear to be two of the best options to supplant Texas Tech if the opportunity arises.
How do other Big 12 schools view the Cougars and Utes? We’ll get some answers at media days.