Big 12 commissioner Yormark, who previously worked as the chief executive of NBA outfit Brooklyn Nets, is hoping to grow the conference by taking it on the road.

Many college football teams are based in cities and locations that do not have a nearby NFL franchise, and Yormark and hopes to make the most of those gaps in the market, as well as college football’s pre-existing high viewership figures.

“In many of our markets we don’t have an NFL team so it is the biggest thing in town, if you will, and Saturdays are bigger than Sundays in many of our communities,” he told BBC Sport.

“Generally speaking, college football is only number two to the NFL in the sports landscape in the US, when you think about attendances, ratings and all the key metrics, so being able to bring the number two sport in America to the UK is an exciting opportunity for the Big 12, and playing at the historic Wembley Stadium makes it even more special.”

Of the 16 teams in the Big 12, half of them produced crowds averaging over 50,000 fans per home match during the 2025 season. All 16 of them averaged crowds of over 32,000 spectators per home match.

And with London hosting at least one regular season match since 2007 (with the exception of 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic), Yormark is eyeing up the chance for Saturday’s match becoming the start of a regular visit to the United Kingdom for Big 12 fixtures.

“This is an ideal opportunity for college football to draft behind the NFL, visit markets that they’ve opened up, and tap into the 14 million who identify as American football fans in the UK,” adds Yormark.

“It’s an exciting opportunity for us and we’re hoping this isn’t just a one-off. That we can continue to do and build upon moving forward.”

“We want the game to showcase what we think is one of the greatest sports in America, which is college football.”

This article is the latest from BBC Sport’s Ask Me Anything team.