Before Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti brought up the four new additions to the conference at Big Ten football media days in Indianapolis on Tuesday, he dropped some news for the future.
Petitti opened up his remarks by announcing the conference had agreed to continue playing the Big Ten Championship at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis through 2028.
Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti speaks to the media during the Big 10 football media day at Lucas Oil Stadium July 23, 2024, in Indianapolis.
The news comes after rumors the conference would look to potentially start having events on the West Coast in cities like Las Vegas or Los Angeles with a larger footprint that now includes Oregon, Washington, USC and UCLA.
“The cities that are now interested in hosting Big Ten championships has clearly expanded,” Petitti said. “We’re really comfortable with the decision to stay with football here in Indianapolis in the next four seasons. We think it’s the right thing to do.
“Having said that, I think you’ll begin to see us expand. I think it’s important to make sure that markets around the country get to experience Big Ten championships. It’s a really good way to connect the conference. I think over time you’ll start to see the geographic footprint expand, keeping in mind competitive issues.”
After making the announcement, Petitti went on to formally introduce the new members of the conference, including Oregon.
“I see great strength across matchups,” he said. “The footprint that we’ll have going forward. I think we’ve got to get a lot of things right, but I feel really good about the way we’re positioned for the future in terms of the health and strength of the conference.”
Petitti said that as of now, the Big Ten is “focused” on the 18 teams in its conference.
He also mentioned new technology and advancements that the Big Ten will…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/big-ten-welcomes-oregon-football-185210427.html
Author : The Register-Guard
Publish date : 2024-07-23 18:52:10
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