Big 12’s Yormark: CFP committee favoring logos over resumes

The College Football Playoff committee has valued big-time brands over the best football teams when considering the 12-team playoff this season, Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark expressed on Wednesday.

“The committee continues to show time and time again that they are paying attention to logos versus resumes … team logos and conference logos,” Yormark told Big 12 reporters in a Zoom call. “Strength of schedule should matter, and wins against Power 4 opponents should matter.”

All indications are the Big 12 will get one qualifier into the 12-team field and its champion may not be one of the four conference winners to receive a first-round bye, as Boise State is currently No. 10 to Arizona State’s No. 15.

“In no way should a Group of 5 champion be ranked above our champion,” Yormark said before declaring it a second time for good measure.

He went on to apply a similar principle to the ACC’s slot in the first-round byes, declaring any three-loss conference champion shouldn’t get in over the Big 12’s two-loss champion.

Clemson (9-3) is the only possible three-loss conference champion in contention, and it enters championship weekend at No. 17, behind ASU and No. 16 Iowa State. Likely nothing to worry about for Yormark, but a win over No. 8 SMU could feasibly vault the Tigers over the Big 12 schools.

CFP Chair Warde Manuel on Tuesday would not say how the committee would lean in such a scenario. The final bracket will be revealed on Sunday at 5 p.m. on ESPN, one day after the four Power 4 conference championships.

“I have a lot of faith in the committee that they will ultimately get it right come Sunday. That is my hope, and I’m going to stick with it,” Yormark said.

“Obviously, you know, I challenge what I’ve seen to date … But I do have trust in the committee that ultimately we will land where we’re supposed to land and that ultimately will mean we’ll get a bye, which we’re deserving of based on all the key metrics that should come into play.”

Yormark said he hasn’t seen strength of schedule factor into the committee’s thinking as much as he was led to believe during his fall meetings.

Boise State, the commissioner pointed out, lost to its only Power 4 opponent of the season, 37-34 at No. 1 Oregon.

“We play nine conference games, plus we mandate a 10th against a P4 opponent,” Yormark said. “So strength of schedule matters, how many P4 opponents you’re playing matters and it needs to be part of the larger conversation.”

Yormark on ASU being picked to finish last in Big 12 preseason poll

In what felt like another jab at the CFP committee, Yormark said he doesn’t think preseason rankings matter as much in this era with how much uncertainty is added by the transfer portal.

“No one knows what they have until you’re well into the season. Roster management has changed,” the commissioner said. “I think we’re going to see (last-to-first finishes) more and more not just in football, but some of the other sports as well.”

Seven of the current 12 playoff teams were in the top eight of the preseason AP poll, and the Sun Devils first appeared in the poll in the back half of November.

It may be the same preseason perception about ASU that is now holding it back from an assured first-round bye.

ASU and Iowa State will meet in the Big 12 title game on Saturday at 10 a.m. MST. Listen to play-by-play coverage on 98.7 FM, the Arizona Sports app or online, or watch it on ABC.