'We Want More Conference Games To Matter In November': Commissioner Tony Petitti Kicks Off Big Ten Media Days

LAS VEGAS—Year two of the 18-team Big Ten Conference is here.

Big Ten Football Media Days kicked off the year Tuesday, with conference commissioner Tony Petitti taking the microphone in Las Vegas. Petitti began by highlighting the football success from last year.

"The Big Ten played in eight of the 11 College Football Playoff games last season, and we had both teams in the Rose Bowl quarterfinal game," Petitti said. On the way to the ninth national championship, Ohio State defeated the ninth, seventh, fifth, and top-seeded teams in the 12-team bracket giving the Big Ten back-to-back titles."

Three of the league's television partners - CBS, Fox, and NBC - had at least one Big Ten game with 9.5 million viewers last year.

Pettiti also dove into the future College Football Playoff format. As he has called for before, he and the league are for more automatic bids and less discretion from committees selecting at-large bids.

"With respect to format, the Big Ten has been consistent in its strong preference for a playoff
system that allocates spots based on conference standings and the results of play-in games," Petitti said. "We want to better connect the regular season and the post-season. A critical goal of any post-season format, regardless of sport, is to keep as many teams alive as deep into the season as possible. We want more conference games to matter in November."

Petitti isn't concerned about the number of conference games other leagues play, though that does matter when there are more at-large spots compared to more automatic bids in a given format.

"Each league will decide what they think the best conference schedule is for them," Petitti said. "I think in a system where you have allocated spots, I think in talking to our athletic directors and coaches, I don't think we really care how many conference games any league is playing because you're qualified off your conference standings. That's up to you to run your own league and decide how you want to do it.

"When you get to a system that's increasing the at-larges and the work of a selection committee, that's when you need to understand how we're competing in the regular season. Look, at the end of the day, it's really simple math. With 18 schools and nine conferences -- we're losing nine
more games to start. At the end of the day, I think it's really relevant."

Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti speaks to the media during the Big Ten NCAA college football media days. — Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti speaks to the media during the Big Ten NCAA college football media days at Mandalay Bay Resort. | Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images

When Petitti was asked about public desires for less guaranteed bids for any league, with reference to an unofficial poll on social media, he said he believes people will be excited about play-in games from leagues with automatic spots up for grabs.

"We feel pretty strongly that fans will really gravitate to a play-in weekend," Petitti said. "Providing games that are do-or-die on the field will drive fan interest. Whether there's enough information that fans have in any one poll about a new system will be, I'm not aware of how it was phrased or not.

"I just believe, and in talking to our league, the weekend that we're talking about where you would have championship games and across all conferences, meaningful play-in games, I don't see how that's a bad thing for football, and I think fans will gravitate to it."

Petitti was also asked about expansion of the College Football Playoff.

"The point I'll make is that every time you think about expansion, I think there's some sort of counter-idea that it gets easier to make these decisions," Petitti said. "It actually gets harder. More teams look alike. More teams are going to have 9-3 records and struggle in a conference road game.

"More teams might stumble in a conference home game. Some teams play tougher non-conference schedules. It's also just the evolution of how you go through the season and how you move across. I just think that those decisions are really difficult to make. I know this has been the system that we've used for a really long time, but I have a hard time believing expanding it will make these
decisions easier."

ig Ten commissioner Tony Petitti speaks to the media during the Big Ten NCAA college football media days. — ig Ten commissioner Tony Petitti speaks to the media during the Big Ten NCAA college football media days at Mandalay Bay Resort. | Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images

Other topics Petitti discussed include Las Vegas hosting the 2027 and 2028 Big Ten Men's and Women's Basketball Tournaments, why this event is in Las Vegas instead of Indianapolis, the Abbott Blood Drive, collectives and their place moving forward, revenue-share allocation, the difficulty for the selection committee in selecting at-larges, the Michigan sign-stealing scandal, and more.

Have a question or comment for Kaleb? Send an email to kalebhenry.huskermax@gmail.com.

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