Open For Business: College Football w/ John Kurtz

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BYU Playoff Snub Looks Worse: The Numbers to Prove It; Texas Tech Can Win a Natty Dec 21, 2025

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About This Episode
In this episode of the Open For Business Big 12 Podcast, John Kurtz uses advanced metrics and SP+ to compare BYU to the actual playoff field, pushes back on the lazy “G5 doesn’t belong” narrative, examines how TV and realignment warped the College Football Playoff structure, and explains why Texas Tech and BYU might quietly be in the best position of any Big 12 programs in the new era. He also breaks down the Kyle Whittingham-to-Michigan rumor mill and what it tells us about Utah’s place in the sport after its private equity deal and coaching transition.
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#BYU #BYUFootball #TexasTech #G5Debate #CollegeFootballPlayoff #Big12Football #KyleWhittingham #MichiganFootball #OregonFootball #CollegeFootball #JohnKurtz #OpenForBusinessBig12
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Texas Tech Grabbing Big 12 Stars in the Portal? Dec 19, 2025

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📺 About This Video
In this video, John Kurtz reacts to reports that Texas Tech is on the verge of landing Cincinnati quarterback Brendan Sorsby from the transfer portal. John lays out why Texas Tech’s huge NIL and donor backing, contract moves with defensive coordinator Shiel Wood and GM James Blanchard, and aggressive pursuit of Big 12 quarterbacks make them both a standard-bearer and a problem for the rest of the conference. He explains Sorsby’s ties to Texas Tech, why the Red Raiders are in position to poach players from within the league, and how this kind of “ruthless” roster-building will reshape the Big 12 pecking order.
From there, John dives into College Football Playoff politics. He breaks down the latest on commissioner meetings about expanding beyond 12 teams, why the ACC, SEC, and Big 12 have circled a 16-team model with multiple automatic bids, and why he’s baffled that Brett Yormark isn’t pushing harder for a format that would cement the Big 12’s access. John explains how the current memorandum of understanding guarantees the Big 12 champion a playoff spot next year, what Notre Dame’s top-12 clause really means, and why the league has to think in terms of self-preservation in a sport where powerful voices openly want to squeeze out anyone outside the SEC and Big Ten.
If you follow Texas Tech football, Cincinnati football, Big 12 football, the transfer portal, NIL, or playoff expansion debates, this breakdown is for you.
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Is Kenny Dillingham Going to Michigan? Will Private Capital Kill the Big 12? Dec 14, 2025

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Kenny Dillingham to Michigan? Big 12 New Era & Private Equity Money – live reaction and breakdown.
The big boys are coming for Big 12 coaches again. After Sherrone Moore was fired at Michigan, rumors exploded that Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham was the Wolverines’ top target. Now there are reports of a contract extension at ASU, an emotional press conference from Dillingham, and an AP story saying Michigan’s search firm has contacted his camp (and Eli Drinkwitz’s). I’ll walk through what’s real, what’s rumor, and how devastating it would be for the Big 12 to lose another star coach and alum.
Then we zoom out. With Mike Gundy, Chris Klieman, Matt Campbell, Kyle Whittingham (and maybe Dillingham) gone, the Big 12 is officially in a new era. Collin Klein, Eric Morris, Morgan Scalley, Jimmy Rogers and others are stepping into massive shoes while Texas Tech and BYU look poised to become the league’s biggest brands. On top of that, the Big 12 is closing in on a private capital deal with RedBird and Weatherford worth up to $500 million. I’ll break down how the loan/credit-line structure works, which schools might opt in, and what it means for the league’s long-term survival in an NIL and revenue-sharing world.
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#KennyDillingham #MichiganFootball #ArizonaState #ASUFootball #Big12 #Big12Football #CoachingCarousel #CollegeFootball #NIL #TransferPortal #RedBirdCapital #WeatherfordCapital #PrivateEquity #UtahFootball #BYUFootball #TexasTechFootball #JohnKurtz #OpenForBusinessBig12
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Texas Tech CRUSHES BYU for Big 12 Title; Playoff Bye Coming; BYU OUT of the Playoff Dec 07, 2025

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Texas Tech drills BYU for the second time this season to win a Big 12 championship. The Red Raiders are heading for a first-round bye in the playoff and BYU is likely now out.
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BYU Criminally Punished by Playoff Committee; Tech Gets a Playoff Bye; Notre Dame Left Out Dec 07, 2025

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The committee punished BYU for losing a conference championship game but didn't punish Alabama at all. Texas Tech gets a playoff bye. Notre Dame gets left out.
Get “Open For Business” a Big 12 newsletter sending the key headlines, interviews, and my analysis straight to your inbox. No more college football news through an SEC/Big Ten lens. If you're a Big 12 fan (or just curious), sign up below!
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Kalani Sitake STAYING at BYU! HUGE Day for BYU; Cougars OUT of Playoff if they Lose to Tech Dec 03, 2025

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Kalani Sitake staying at BYU is one of the biggest days in BYU football history. The Cougars are ponying up big time to keep him. Bad news, though: they're out of the playoff without a win Saturday. Tech gets a top four spot.

ESPN Has Already Decided BYU is OUT of the Playoff; Media Hates Cinderella; Sitake to Penn State? Nov 30, 2025

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ESPN and the national media are shaping the College Football Playoff conversation in a way that leaves BYU on the outside looking in again, and it’s setting the Cougars up for failure. I break down how the playoff race really looks for BYU, Texas Tech, Notre Dame, Miami, Alabama, Vanderbilt, and Texas, why BYU’s resume stacks up with anyone, and how TNT is doing more for the Big 12 than ESPN right now. We also dive into Kirk Herbstreit’s comments about Duke and the ACC tiebreaker mess, why changing the rules on the fly would crush what’s great about college sports, and how bloated super-conferences created this problem in the first place. Then I look at what the coaching carousel means for the Big 12, from Kenny Dillingham’s shot at Lane Kiffin to Kalani Sitake’s name popping up in the Penn State rumor mill, plus Big 12 Coach of the Year debates, season evaluations, and why a BYU/Texas Tech sweep next week could still deliver a two-bid Big 12 or a playoff bye.
Get “Open For Business” a Big 12 newsletter sending the key headlines, interviews, and my analysis straight to your inbox. No more college football news through an SEC/Big Ten lens. If you're a Big 12 fan (or just curious), sign up below!
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Support Weekly Realignment and College Football Content
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Want up-to-the-minute conference realignment and college football content?
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BYU and Texas Tech BOTH Win; Big 12 Will Get 2 in the Playoff OR Get a Playoff Bye Nov 30, 2025

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BYU and Texas Tech both took care of business, and now the Big 12 is positioned to either land two College Football Playoff bids or give Tech a top-four seed and a bye. I break down why this isn’t last year’s BYU team, how dominant Tech looked against WVU, and where the at-large battle stands vs Texas, Miami, A&M and the SEC.

National Reporter Has Definitive Proof BYU Should be in the Playoff + Why Yormark is Quiet Right Now Nov 27, 2025

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Why isn’t there a louder national push for BYU in the College Football Playoff race? In this video, I break down why the Big 12’s strategy may be happening more behind the scenes than on social media, how BYU’s blind resume stacks up against ACC contenders like Miami, and why that brutal community note under the ACC tweet exposed the narrative. I’ll walk through BYU’s wins, strength of schedule, strength of record, and what a conference title game berth would mean for their at-large hopes.
Plus, we dive into Oklahoma State’s big swing with the hire of Eric Morris from North Texas, his track record with quarterbacks like Patrick Mahomes and Cam Ward, what it could mean for the Cowboys’ struggling offense, and why this move could quietly put the rest of the Big 12 on notice.
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Why Won't Brett Yormark FIGHT for BYU? Cougars Screwed Again by Selection Committee Nov 26, 2025

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BYU is the first team out of the College Football Playoff field in the rankings this week despite a better resume than many teams in front of it. Why won't the Big 12 say anything??
Get “Open For Business” a Big 12 newsletter sending the key headlines, interviews, and my analysis straight to your inbox. No more college football news through an SEC/Big Ten lens. If you're a Big 12 fan (or just curious), sign up below!
https://bit.ly/OFBNews12YT
Get John Kurtz and Open For Business merch here: https://johnkurtzofb.myswaggymerch.com/#!/
Don’t miss college football and realignment breaking news! Subscribe to the channel
https://www.youtube.com/@JohnKurtzShow
Support Weekly Realignment and College Football Content
Venmo: https://account.venmo.com/u/John-Kurtz-4
Want up-to-the-minute conference realignment and college football content?
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jlkurtz

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