Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark walks the field before an NCAA football game between TCU and Colorado, Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, in Fort Worth.
Elías Valverde II/Staff Photographer
If Taylor Sheridan is short on material these days, he could do worse than the tale of a billionaire booster from Texas locking horns with the cufflinks-and-caviar East Coast type running the local conglomerate.
Cody Campbell vs. Brett Yormark in a power struggle as big as Yellowstone, only with football and goombahs instead of oil and cattle.
Article continues below this ad
In case you haven’t been keeping up, Campbell, whose largesse transformed Texas Tech from a have-not to a have-a-lot overnight, took exception upon learning his beloved Red Raiders would play Houston on a Friday night this fall. Campbell tweeted that, even though Yormark, boss of the Big 12, isn’t a native Texan, he should know better than to infringe on the “sacred” rites of Texas high school football.
“Cody Campbell does not run the Big 12,” Yormark replied in an interview with the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, at which point things got ugly.
In a follow-up interview with ESPN, Campbell called Yormark a “dictator,” then reminded the commissioner he works at the pleasure of Big 12 university presidents, who report to regents such as himself.
Make Dallas News a preferred source so your search results prioritize writing by actual people, not AI.
Add Preferred Source
“Apparently Brett didn’t get the memo,” Campbell wrote on X. “EVERYTHING RUNS THROUGH LUBBOCK!!”
Article continues below this ad
And Tech fans always complained that Texas fans were obnoxious. Apparently a new contender is stepping into the void.
Anyway, nothing stirs up the faithful around here like anyone encroaching upon the state religion in its weekly observance on fall Friday nights, and yours truly is as ready to take up the fight as the next believer.
Just as long as, you know, we’re straight up about what we’re fighting for.
In Campbell’s case, it’s a little hard to tell. Big 12 teams playing on Friday nights isn’t exactly a new thing. Houston, the Red Raiders’ opponent on Oct. 17, has played on Friday nights so often, the Cougars should report to the UIL. Six times they’ve done it since entering the Big 12, including three violations of Friday Night Lights just last year. TCU is next with four.
Article continues below this ad
Other than the day after Thanksgiving, meanwhile, Tech has never played on a Friday night as a member of the Big 12. Last year, the Red Raiders and Iowa State were the only Big 12 schools that didn’t.
For the record, the Big 12 — not just Yormark — approved 12 football games a year to be played on a day other than Saturday in an effort to increase viewership. Yormark claims viewership on Fridays last year were 64% better than their average otherwise. Hard to argue those numbers, especially when you consider the bigger picture of what the man wielding them has meant to the Big 12’s existence.
Campbell is probably right when he says Yormark is out of touch with the local culture, and he’s got a backstory right out of Goodfellas, but give the man his props. He saved the Big 12 when he renegotiated its TV rights a year ahead of time. Otherwise the league might have gone the way of the Pac-12, which is still holding auditions for members.
Let me make myself crystal clear: Other than Black Friday or Thanksgiving, I’m not in favor of college games on any day but Saturdays. Especially not on Fridays. But I also get it. Not everyone traipses out to the local football stadium on a Friday night to watch someone else’s kids play. A lot of people parked on their couches after a long week like the option of a Big 12 college game over another slice of Undercover Boss.
Article continues below this ad
Seems to me if everyone else has to play on a Friday, Tech should, too. All for one and one for all and all that. Even if the Red Raiders were the class of the league in football last year, and stand to repeat this fall, they shouldn’t get special treatment, should they?
I mean, wasn’t a Thanksgiving game against TCU this fall a pretty good makeup call?
Texas Tech’s athletic director gets it, if you were wondering.
“As someone who grew up playing Texas high school football and a traditionalist,” Kirby Hocutt told me Friday, “I understand what Friday nights mean in this state. Those nights are special, and they’ve always belonged to high school programs and their communities. I really do wish that was the case in this situation.
Article continues below this ad
“At the same time, as part of the Big 12, we entered into a new media agreement with Fox and ESPN that includes games in weeknight windows. That’s part of the current landscape of college athletics. I know moving this game to Friday night isn’t ideal for everyone. It requires some adjustments, and we’re going to do everything we can to make it as easy as possible and create a great experience for our fans.”
Hocutt went on to note the unique opportunity to “showcase our program” on a national stage.
By signing up, you agree to our Terms Of Use and acknowledge that your information will be used as described in our Privacy Policy.
In fairness, Campbell has a valid gripe when he notes that the Red Raiders are playing Oregon State the Saturday before Houston, and they don’t get home from Corvallis until midday Sunday. Makes for a short week of preparation.
Article continues below this ad
Campbell told the Lubbock paper that Yormark “could have gone to bat for us and didn’t, because, again, he wanted the ratings.”
Let me ask: Who doesn’t? TV contracts rule. Gotta pay those $6 million quarterbacks. I know Campbell’s perfectly willing, but even a billionaire could use a handout occasionally. Just the same, if he wants to joust with the commissioner, I’m all for it. Only promise me rights to the screenplay. Taylor Sheridan’s probably got more drama than he can say grace over.