FRISCO, Texas — After I acquired to the Omni PGA Resort final Tuesday for the beginning of Massive 12 conferences, the very first thing I wished to ask individuals about was the response to current feedback from Texas coach Steve Sarkisian criticizing Texas Tech’s 2026 soccer schedule. A number of college officers advised me they wished to let head coach Joey McGuire communicate first.
“Joey’s acquired one thing,” they advised me. They had been proper.
When McGuire acquired to the mic Thursday, he challenged Texas to a Week 1 showdown, providing to assist reschedule their present season-opening opponents, Abilene Christian and Texas State. It was one thing out of a professional wrestling promo, taking us again to sport in its easiest kind: You wish to disrespect us? Let’s see who’s higher proper now.
Sadly, the sport is unlikely to occur. A kind of different faculties advised me they’d taken McGuire’s provide as a tongue-in-cheek joke. Plus, Texas’ schedule is just too tough already, and the logistics points are a non-starter. That didn’t cease Cody Campbell from persevering with to make the problem.
“It is turn into very clear that there are fairly a couple of steers down in Austin & not very many bulls..
Sark ought to have recognized when he opened his mouth that he higher be able to pack a lunch..
We’re prepared to identify the ball..
You title the place & we’ll be there” ~ @CodyC64 #PMSLive https://t.co/lWNiK2ftvu pic.twitter.com/JrmgIhc5Hr
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) Might 29, 2026
This change felt like a throwback to a extra enjoyable, less-polished time in school soccer. Are you able to think about if Texas and Texas Tech met within the CFP? If given the chance, the committee has to make it occur.
I requested different Massive 12 coaches about Sark’s feedback. Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham, who was a fourth-down cease away from beating Texas within the CFP quarterfinals two years in the past, advised me, “We misplaced, in any other case I may need totally different feedback.” BYU coach Kalani Sitake is shut with each coaches, and he responded in very Sitake vogue: “Sark’s a great good friend of mine, Joey’s my boy. I simply wish to beat all you guys.”
The league got here out of the week preaching a message of cohesiveness and energy. However Texas Tech carries the torch proper now as its soccer king, and the Pink Raiders received’t again down, even from a battle over their quarterback’s eligibility.
Right here’s what else I heard from 4 days of Massive 12 conferences.
Widespread help for a 24-team CFP, however questions, too
The Massive 12 head coaches unanimously lent their help for a 24-team Playoff in an off-the-cuff ballot, following related stances from the ACC and Massive Ten. If the ultimate 2025 CFP rankings had been used to fill out a 24-team area, the Massive 12 would’ve gotten 5 groups in, whereas the SEC would’ve had seven.
No staff has been burned by the 12-team area greater than BYU, which ranked twelfth within the closing CFP rankings final yr and seventeenth in 2024, lacking the sector each instances. Some CFP metrics final season had BYU increased than the committee’s rankings, in accordance with individuals who noticed the info. However whereas SEC coaches grilled CFP officers about metrics and rankings throughout their league conferences in Florida, the cool and calm Sitake was nicer to them in Texas. He simply needs a format that may settle it on the sector.
“Perhaps I ought to care extra about that stuff, however I feel you show it on the sector,” Sitake mentioned. “It’s a very tough job to do, to be a committee and check out to determine what the usual is. … So I simply suppose that (a 24-team Playoff) offers extra alternatives for groups to play, and it offers a little bit bit extra that means to all of the video games which might be being performed. All people has a shot.”
Playoff enlargement selections relaxation solely with the Massive Ten and SEC. Massive 12 commissioner Brett Yormark helps a 24-team area, and he’s assured it should develop the TV income pie regardless of the lack of convention championship video games.
However virtually the whole lot across the 24-team CFP is hypothetical, and a number of athletic administrators advised The Athletic they didn’t have sufficient data to know the suitable transfer. The CFP’s media consultants are nonetheless working to assemble these TV income estimates, which may very well be introduced to commissioners at their June assembly. The whole lot from the cash to the schedule to the impression on the common season hasn’t been studied in-depth but, which is why SEC commissioner Greg Sankey mentioned final week his league probably wouldn’t decide till the autumn.
“We have to roll up our sleeves, do the work, perceive the economics on it,” Yormark mentioned. “I plan to be with the CFP and the administration committee subsequent month, and I feel that’s when the work will start.”
10 convention video games?
Yormark additionally pitched the league’s coaches on transferring to 10 convention video games if there’s a 24-team Playoff. The dialogue was minimal and drew a blended response.
Yormark says it might assist the league’s TV rankings forward of a brand new media rights deal in 2030. It’s the identical purpose he’s floating a return to twenty convention basketball video games. Some soccer coaches advised The Athletic they wouldn’t thoughts 10 convention video games if each league performs 10 Energy 4 opponents, however others acknowledge it might imply a further loss for half the league.
“I feel 9 is fairly good,” West Virginia coach Wealthy Rodriguez mentioned. “All people within the Energy 4 performs 9, we play 9. If all people’s going to play 10, we’ll play 10. I’m talking for myself, I don’t know if us going to 10 if the remainder of the facility conferences go 9, is that actually the most effective deal?”
The SEC’s threats
It didn’t go unnoticed in Frisco that some SEC leaders in Destin, Fla., had been discussing the concept of the SEC breaking off to do its personal factor, whether or not on guidelines or on a separate playoff. Two weeks in the past, Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard dared the SEC and Massive Ten to do it.
Most Massive 12 ADs wouldn’t touch upon the file, however they expressed bewilderment over how an SEC breakaway would even work, citing what number of SEC gamers have sued over NCAA guidelines. Additionally they mentioned any guidelines limiting gamers within the SEC over cash or transferring might assist the Massive 12. Pollard, in the meantime, reiterated his stance.
“I’ve completed this a very long time. I’m the longest-tenured AD within the nation. I’m bored with individuals speaking about they need guidelines till the rule applies to them, after which they don’t just like the rule,” he mentioned. “That simply has gotten actually, actually previous.”
Yormark mentioned the Energy 4 will proceed to debate potential adjustments to the School Sports activities Fee to make third-party NIL offers transfer extra shortly via the system.
The final time the SEC and Massive Ten hinted at the potential for a breakaway, it was throughout CFP negotiations two years in the past. The explanation the SEC and Massive Ten maintain the CFP decision-making energy now could be that the opposite conferences gave it to them then, together with extra money, as a approach to hold everybody collectively. Wanting again, was it a bluff value calling?
“I’d say I used to be a rookie commissioner at that time limit,” Yormark mentioned. “Right now, I’m a really totally different commissioner than I used to be, and I’m undecided I’d have made the identical choice.”
Some officers additionally identified that Massive Ten commissioner Tony Petitti may need his 24-team Playoff already if the leaders had as an alternative moved to weighted voting throughout all leagues, slightly than giving the SEC half the facility.
Non-public capital move
In late April, the Massive 12 introduced a first-of-its-kind personal capital cope with RedBird and Weatherford Capital, meant to infuse hundreds of thousands into the convention and optionally available hundreds of thousands extra for faculties. Up to now, no college has indicated it plans to take that possibility.
The convention workplace itself will get $12.5 million, with a further $12.5 million accessible over the subsequent yr. The league plans to place it into numerous strategic enterprise investments. The specifics are nonetheless being labored out, however examples might embrace something from digital signage to tickets to different sports activities enterprise companies.
The colleges, nevertheless, don’t have any plans to tackle the $30 million in credit score accessible to every of them over the subsequent yr, with the principle purpose being a excessive rate of interest. The Athletic didn’t communicate to any AD who mentioned they’d do it, or knew any who would. A number of ADs mentioned they may get a greater mortgage from their college or a neighborhood financial institution.
“It’s completely as much as the faculties; it’s a security internet for them, it’s nothing extra,” Yormark mentioned. “If and after they wish to use it, it’s there. In the event that they don’t wish to use it, that’s completely effective. It’s incumbent upon me as a commissioner to supply optionality for our faculties.”
In the meantime, Utah has begun some athletic division layoffs as a part of its personal separate pending personal capital deal, in accordance with the Salt Lake Tribune.
Coach help for Senate invoice
The senate’s new invoice on school sports activities was launched whereas Massive 12 athletic administrators had been in a gathering. Most mentioned they didn’t but know sufficient to have deep ideas on the small print, however they had been supportive of the framework. Relating to the “Lane Kiffin Rule” stopping coaches from taking one other job through the season, a number of Massive 12 coaches supported it.
“You need the gamers to play all of the video games, you’d just like the coaches to educate all of the video games as properly,” Houston coach Willie Fritz mentioned. “So I feel it might be sensible.”
Rodriguez, a former president of the American Soccer Coaches Affiliation, wasn’t as positive.
“I don’t know the legality of all that. Can you establish that?” he mentioned. “It’s going to make for an ungainly state of affairs if the coach is aware of he’s going to go away. Generally you don’t need him to remain round. … Most coaches would in all probability favor to remain and coach via the season, however I feel it’s a person establishment choice and a person coach choice, and see what’s greatest for each events.”
