If Tony Petitti’s College Football Playoff plan seems rigged in favor of the Big Ten, that’s only because it is.
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At least Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti dropped any pretense that his vision for the future format of the College Football Playoff would be a boon for anyone other than his conference.
Petitti, as he plainly stated in a recent interview with Joel Klatt of Fox Sports, works at the behest of one conference.
“Representing the Big Ten,” Petitti said, “that’s my job.”
If Petitti’s playoff plan seems rigged in favor of the Big Ten, that’s only because it is.
Petitti wants a playoff format that’s all upside, no risk, for the Big Ten. Shocking, right?
Herein lies the persistent problem in determining a playoff format for 2026 and beyond. It’s not that the conference commissioners who shape the playoff lack ideas. It’s that their ideas are so self-serving.
With no overarching commissioner looking out for the good of the game or its postseason, the individual conferences hit an impasse in their playoff format negotiations.
Big Ten wants to reduce role of playoff selection committee
Petitti, in his interview with Klatt, outlined the Big Ten’s preference for a 4+4+2+2+1 playoff format. In this 16-team playoff plan, 13 of the 16 spots would be dispersed via automatic bids. The Big Ten and SEC would be assigned four automatic bids apiece. Two apiece would go to the ACC and Big 12, with another auto bid going to the next-best conference champion, leaving just three at-large bids for a selection committee to determine.
“We’re not asking to…
Source link : https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2025/07/09/college-football-playoff-format-big-ten-plan/84493690007/
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Publish date : 2025-07-09 10:37:00
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