With teams like ASU and Indiana exceeding all expectations, the 2024 college football season brought underdog narratives to the forefront, reminding us yet again why we love the sport. But in the Big 12, it was BYU that truly stole the spotlight. A team that not only defied predictions but capped its turnaround with a $13 million boost. BYU finally joined the Big 12 in 2023 under head coach Kalani Sitake, and the debut didn’t go as planned. The Cougars finished 5-7 overall. Questions started circulating if Sitake even had the ability to perform in the Big 12, and the hot seat rumors became hotter. For instance, the Athletic’s Stewart Mandel included Sitake amongst coaches like Neal Brown and Dana Holgorsen on thin ice in the 2024 season. But when the 2024 season came, it was nothing short of a Christmas miracle for the program.

Kalani Sitake once again proved that he had what it takes to lead BYU and finished the season 17th overall in the CFP rankings. Just a few spots more, and BYU could have clinched a spot in the first-ever 12-team playoff. The 11-2 finish first time was a monumental turnaround in just their second year in the Big 12, and even more remarkable given how they achieved it.

When BYU joined the Big 12 in the 2023 season, along with UCF and Cincinnati, they were getting partial revenues from the Big 12 as opposed to programs like Colorado and Baylor. Add that to their unique religious identity, which sometimes can pose a hurdle in recruiting. Locked on Big 12’s host Cam Stuart and Drake C. Toll highlighted the same thing in their 3rd June podcast episode. 

“They’ve had a lot of challenges to being a really good athletic program. Most of them, I would say they would agree are self-imposed, right? I mean, they were independent for so long. And they have a real religious affiliation, which we can both tell from Baylor, that’s a hurdle. It’s something that you live with because that’s what your creed is, right?” said Cam Stuart. But despite these hurdles, Kalani Sitake led the program to one of its best seasons in recent memory.

Last year, the Cougars earned around $19 million from the  $470 million distributed by the Big 12. For the 2024-2025 season, the program has received partial revenue from the $558 million distributed by Brett Yormak, the Big 12 commissioner. But the game changer arrives in 2025, when the brand new ESPN and FOX’s six-year deal kicks in, which will give $31.7 million annually to the schools until 2031. Moreover, starting from this season, BYU also becomes eligible to receive the whole share as opposed to the partial share they were getting. What this essentially means is doomsday for other Big 12 programs.

“BYU is about to get 13 million more dollars next year. Who’s who signed off on this? Like, if you want to avoid a monopoly on just a school being good in the Big 12, who’s signed off on giving them $13 million more a year when they’re already throwing around money? That is a recipe for creating a powerhouse…I don’t mean to keep pumping BYU’s tires here, but that is pretty scary for the rest of the conference when it comes to the two biggest sports, right? Football and Men’s Basketball,” said Derek C. Toll.

What this essentially means is BYU would be getting almost $13 million more than the previous sum they were getting with the FOX and ESPN deal kicking in. And since the program was already outperforming all expectations. The added promise of that $13 million will be like an added fuel to an already powerful superhero. This could lead to a monopoly in recruiting, and with the House v NCAA coming in. They will be able to leverage the revenue entirely, including their basketball program, from that $20.5 million.

Kalani Sitake endorse Brett Yormark’s expanded CFP idea?

The 12-team playoff last year gave fresh life to programs often overlooked. For instance, Tennessee under Nico Iamaleava finally made it to the playoffs, and teams like SMU, Arizona State, and Boise State made it to the playoffs. Maybe BYU could also have made it if they hadn’t lost those two games against Kansas and ASU. But now, with an expanded playoff on the cards, their chances look stronger.

The SEC and the Big 10 are vying for the 4-4-2-2-1 playoff format expanded to 16 teams, whereas the Big 12 and the ACC are looking to get a 5+11 format. So, just recently, even Sitake extended his support to the 5+11 idea. “I think for me, it makes sense to go 5 and 11… I agree with our commissioner. And I think we’re all, I mean, like I said before, you’ve heard me say this before, I’ll follow Commissioner Yormark’s leadership.”

What the 5+11 format proposes is 5 automatic bids for the 5 conferences, and the rest 11 would be at-large bids distributed according to playoff rankings. This could mean that with this format, no single conference like the SEC or the Big 10 will benefit as they were getting 4 bids each in the 4-4-2-2-1-1 format. The 5+11 format will bring in parity, and open the door wider for teams like BYU, but it still has its share of criticisms.