Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark declares conference isn't looking for expansion candidates

Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark declared that his conference isn't looking for expansion candidates for any imminent conference realignment.

"Brett Yormark declares that he is not searching for new expansion members," Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger posted on X; clarifying a remark from Yormark about being "open for business."

"I’ve said from Day 1, we are open for business," Yormark prefaced before saying, "I guess you could say that we are open for business more than ever."

Yormark's definition of "open for business" is probably the exact opposite of what many college football fans would want to hear -- since his definition has everything to do with integrating private equity into the sport from a sponsorship standpoint.

"Private equity has been out there in the news and people are thinking about it," Yormark said. "In some respects, private equity is a validation of where this industry is going and the growth. I don’t look at it as a bad thing."

Big 12 would look for expansion candidates if the ACC imploded

Yormark's words are believable now, since there are few Group of 5 schools that'd be worth adding to a conference that added four in 2023 but later added four Pac-12 schools to bring its ranks to an even 16 teams.

If/when the ACC implodes, though, the Big 12 will have an opportunity to add a host of programs from all over the country to further expand its blueprint.

Not every school from the potentially fallen ACC will get the vaunted Big Ten or SEC invite. Most won't. In that case, the Big 12 will have a chance to become one of the deepest conferences as it begins to form its post-Texas/Oklahoma identity.

Yormark's words are believable for now. Once the sport goes through another massive shift, they are subject to change. And likely will.