Big Ten's Tony Petitti backs 24-team playoff

Tony Petitti used the Big Ten’s spring meetings in Rancho Palos Verdes, California, to make the conference’s position plain: the league wants a 24-team College Football Playoff, not a 16-team compromise. Petitti said the Big Ten would stay with the current 12-team field if that is what it takes to wait for broader agreement. His comments came as support for a larger bracket spread this week to Oregon coach Dan Lanning and figures around Notre Dame and Washington. The 2026 season is still set to use a 12-team playoff. Under the current framework, any change beyond that requires the Big Ten and SEC to align, and executives face a Dec. 1 deadline tied to ESPN’s 2027 planning, according to Yahoo Sports and Sporting News. ### What exactly did Petitti say this week? Tony Petitti said Tuesday that “there is a deep commitment to 24” and added, “If we have to wait, it’s OK. We’ll wait,” according to Yahoo Sports from the Big Ten meetings in California. He also said the conference had “zero conversation” about a 16-team format and described the fallback as staying with the current system. (sports.yahoo.com) The Associated Press, carried by Yahoo Sports, reported that Petitti cast a 24-team field as a way to keep more teams in contention deeper into the season. He said he did not understand the point of keeping conference championship games in a 16-team setup if those games did not carry first-round byes. ### Why is the Big Ten resisting a 16-team middle ground? (sports.yahoo.com) Petitti tied part of the argument to money and scheduling. Yahoo Sports reported that the Big Ten believes eliminating conference title games would forfeit roughly $200 million to $250 million in value, and Petitti questioned whether adding only a small number of extra playoff games in a 16-team model would replace that revenue. (sports.yahoo.com) Petitti also said a 24-team bracket could be built with eight first-round byes, eight more home games and a final tier of teams chasing entry into the field. He said that structure would preserve stakes across the regular season, including for games outside the national top tier. ### What format is the Big Ten actually pushing? (sports.yahoo.com) The Associated Press reported that the Big Ten has moved away from a model heavy on automatic qualifiers. Petitti instead described a version with 23 at-large teams chosen by the selection committee and one berth reserved for a Group of 6 team, with the first two rounds played on campus. (sports.yahoo.com) Sporting News reported that the 2026 playoff itself remains at 12 teams for a third straight season, though with some format tweaks. The outlet said the four Power 4 champions will receive automatic bids, the highest-ranked Group of 6 champion will qualify, and Notre Dame can make the field if it finishes in the top 12 of the CFP rankings. (sports.yahoo.com) ### Who else is lining up behind 24 teams? Dan Lanning publicly backed a 24-team model this week, according to Ducks Wire. Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua also said, “I think 24 is not the only solution, but I think it’s the best solution,” in comments highlighted by Sports Illustrated’s Notre Dame site. (sports.yahoo.com) Yahoo Sports reported that Petitti believes he has brought other decision-makers closer to the Big Ten position, naming ACC commissioner Jim Phillips, Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark and Bevacqua among those now aligned behind a 24-team concept. The AP separately reported that the ACC and Big 12 have both said they prefer moving to 24 teams. (duckswire.usatoday.com) ### What has to happen next for this to move? Greg Sankey and SEC administrators meet next week in Florida, where the conference’s position could come into clearer view. Yahoo Sports reported that the CFP governance committee is next scheduled to meet in person in June, when media consultants are expected to present a valuation of a 24-team field. (sports.yahoo.com) The next hard marker is Dec. 1. Yahoo Sports reported that ESPN needs a decision by then for the 2027 playoff, while the 2026 season will proceed under the 12-team format already in place. (sports.yahoo.com)