Big Ten Media Days Live Updates: Commissioner Tony Petitti's Hot Take On Playoff Expansion

The Big Ten Media Days are kicking off in Las Vegas, Nevada. It has been a year since the Oregon Ducks joined the Big Ten through the conference realignment, and the season was filled with excitement.

Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti will be addressing the media ahead of the 2025 season on Tuesday morning at 11 a.m. PT.

Petitti will kick off the three-day event in Las Vegas, addressing the media. He is expected to discuss his views on further changes to the College Football Playoff format, as he has expressed concerns over 16 teams, instead supporting a 4-4-2-2-1 format, which would give the Big Ten four spots.

This article will be updated live with Petitti's comments.

Oregon Ducks Big Ten Tony Petitti Dan Lanning Ohio State Buckeyes Penn State Nittany Lions College Football Playoff NFL Draft — Oct 2, 2024; Rosemont, IL, USA; Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti speaks with the media during the 2024 Big Ten Womenís Basketball media day at Donald E. Stephens Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Melissa Tamez-Imagn Images | Melissa Tamez-Imagn Images

Future Brand Deals

"I think you saw it in terms of what we're doing with PayPal. When you think about the reach of a conference and what we're able to do, like obviously, each of our institutions has their own local sponsorship and deep relationships in their own market, their own states, but I do believe that you're going to see that sort of change and that the reach that we have allows us to do those types of deals."

Play-In Idea

"If you stumble in a nonconference game, I don't know why that discredits you"

"Last year' Ohio State was 7-2 and finished fourth in the Big Ten."

"As you expand the playoff, the rest of the bowl system, and trying to protect all of that, you're basically driving everybody to this one event. And I think it's just in every league's interest, not just ours to have more teams emerging."

"At the end of the day, I think our coaches were willing to take that risk because what they're thinking about is not a snapshot of any one season. They're look at how do we get more teams in contention."

"Your schedule, just by the way it plays out, might be easier than it was thought when it was thought up. We try to competitively balance our schedules, so there's an issue there."

"I think where our coaches came down and our ADs was that at the end of the day, there are 18 members in the Big Ten. You have 17 available opponents, you play nine of them. So there's a lot of discrepancy, let alone making comparisons across the leagues."

Letter to NCAA

"I will say, having gone through this. One thing to point out is that when you think about the CSC, and the discipline, and what we're trying to build with a new entity, you know, having an enforcement mechanism, just is faster, is a priority."

"I'm not gonna address what the contents of the letter we sent are. And because it's an ongoing process, I don't think it's appropriate for me to comment."

"I want to confirm that we did sumbit a letter, it's not uncommon in preceedings for conference office to weigh in."

Concerns Over Subjectivity In Playoff Expansion

"Everytime you think about expansion, there's some sort of counter idea that it gets easier to make these deicisons, it actually gets harder."

"At the end of the day, I think there's been a lot of concern about how those decisions are made."

"It's also teams not getting consideration. I just think there's a lot of that so the idea, and I'm not gonna point to any one school whether it's in our leage or outside, our leage. You can go back and look at the reaction when the rankings come out."

"I think it's been a really hard thing to do for a long time. I mean, you go back to the BCS and deciding who the two teams and then going back to the four-team playoff, it hasn't been easy. And I think I'm not gonna comment on, you know, the last couple of seasons."

Allocation of Revenue Share

"Consistently, you're seeing more of a revenue and market-based approach in terms of how the revenue share is allocated among members."

"In the Big Ten, what we've focused on is letting our members make the decisions they think is right for their programs and right for their student athletes, and then continue to provide the benefits that we've been doing and the support for all of the teams. So, really, it's an individual school decision."

"I think consistently throughout everywhere, people are taking a market-based approach about how they allocate rev share. One thing about the way the system is built, you know, there's no obligation to get to any number. What sports you chose to support, how you allocate the money among your student athletes, that's really a decision that's made institutionally."

"There's been a lot of discussion as you can imagine the system was new, we've been working to impliment it for more than a year at this point since we the agreement in principle to approve the settlement back, I guess it was last may of 24."

Scheduling

"I don't think we really care about how many conference games anybody really plays."

"People have talked about improving the committee's work. I believe the committee does a great job with what they have, and I have yet to hear any member tell me that more data will make the job easier. They have a lot of things in front of them. We went through a mock selection, we saw it. And so, I just think those two things have to go hand-in-hand."

"So will we consider more at larges, like right now I think the first thing is to really understand what everybody's doing in their conference schedule, but there's a second really critical part, which I mentioned in my remarks, which is, what are we doing to get the selection process right? So I think those two things go hand-in-hand. First is how many conference games are we playing, and then secondly, what's the selection process going to be at?"

"But when you get to a system that's increasing in the at-larges and increasing the work of a selection committee, that's when you need to understand, like 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, you know we're losing nine more games to start. And so, at the end of the day, I think it's really relevant."

"It's not a must and each league will decide what they feel think the best conference schedule is for them. I think in a system where you have allocated spots, I think in talking to our athletics directors and coaches, I don't think we really care how many conference games any league is playing cause 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."

Patience With CSC

"But, I don't think it's unusual when you have something this different that, you know, there's going to be some bumps in the road to get to the right place, and I think everybody's committed to get there."

"Again, I think people have to be patient when it comes to the CSC. You know, the settlement frankly came later than we expected, in terms of its approval, we're grateful that judge chose to approve it. But it did compress our time period, so it's a lot to catch up on, and it's a lot for coaches and administrators to deal with."

"I don't think it's unpredictable, but there will be some moments like this where, whether it's guidance or interpretation of rules or some discrepancy. But I think what's happened over the last few days, based on talking to our general council, and others that you know, they're working to get together to try to get to the right resolution on this, and then move forward. I don't think it will be the last time that there's some issue that comes up in the process."

"I think it's worth sort of talking about the relationship and the ongoing relationship that plaintiffs attorney's have in this process. You know, the CSC is brand now, it's in the process of making rules. We've had, you know, an incredible group working on an implimentation committee to provide guidance and help with rule making. Some of that has to be in a process that goes past the plaintiffs lawyers, that's what happened in this case."

College Football Playoff Format

"I do think we're obviously not on the same place on these discussions, I think there's lots of ideas. And I think the goal will be to bring people back together. Have a conversation."

"Providing games that are do or die on the field will drive fan interest. Whether its enough information that fans have in any one poll about what a new system will be, I'm not aware of how it was phrased or not."

"We feel really strongly that fans will gravitate to a play-in weekend."

"But to be clear, formats that increase the discretion and role of the CFP selection committee will have a difficult time getting support from the Big Ten."

"A critical goal of any postseason 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. Also, the playoff format should not function as a disincentive to schedule tough nonconference games. As we said throughout this process, we are open to considering any format ideas that come from our colleagues or the CFP staff."

"With respect to format, the Big Ten has been consistent in strong preference for a playoff system that allocates spots based on conference standings and the results of play-in games. We want to better connect the regular season and the postseason."

"At the time there was a lot of discussion about future formats and the number of teams in the playoff. A specific decision on format was not reached. Instead, it was agreed that the Big Ten and SEC would control changes to the CFP format and the selection committee process after considering feedback from the membership. Like the revenue share parameters, the Big Ten and SEC's format control is set forth clearly in the agreement that all members signed."

"I know there's been a great deal of talk about the future CFP format, and I'm sure you'll have questions for me. First, I'd like to talk about the process. In the spring of 2024, the member conferences came together to negotiate a media deal with ESPN. Prior to concluding that deal, an agreement was reached that set forth revenue sharing from the College Football Playoff to the conferences and Notre Dame."

"As for the 25 season, this week you will hear from our coaches, and an outstanding group of players. It's clear Big Ten football has ever been deeper or stronger."

2024 College Football Season

"Last year, the four most-viewed college football games of the season featured Big Ten teams. As did seven of the top 10 and 12 of the top 20. Each of our three program broadcast television partners. CBS, Fox, and NBC had at least one Big Ten matchup with more than 9.5 million viewers. 21 of our games had more than five million viewers, and 40 had at least three million viewers."

"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. On their way to their 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."

NIL House Settlement

"It was an equally impactful year off the field for our members with the approval of the House settlement and the implementation of a new model for collegiate athletics. We continue to work with our colleagues in the A4 and throughout college athletics to ensure that the new model provides the intended benefits for student athletes while providing a sustainable, transparent, and fair system of competition. Our administrators and coaches have made it very clear, we are committed to the new model."

Petitti On Big Ten's 2024-2025 Success

"Big Ten members won 13 national championships in football, field hockey, men's water polo, men's gymnastics, women's ice hockey, men's and women's indoor track and field, men's and women's wrestling, women's gold, men's outdoor track and field, and rowing."

"The 2024-2025 season was a remarkable one for the Big Ten, for our student athletes, our coaches, administrators, and fans. During their historic first Big Ten season, USC, UCLA, Washington, and Oregon combined for 19 conference titles, including Oregon's 2024 Big Ten football championship."

"Last month, we announced a new collaboration with PayPal and Venmo that allowed our schools to securely and efficiently distribute payments to student athletes on July 1. This year, Venmo will present a new Big Ten rivalry series that will highlight some of the most storied matchups in college sports across football and men's and women's basketball."

"This fall will be the second year of the We Give blood drive in partnership with Abbot, attacking the worst blood shortage in a generation. Last year, more than 20,000 Big Ten donated blood and saved more than 60,000 lives, and the University of Nebraska won a one-million-dollar prize to support student health initiatives. This year we'll be kicking off the competition on Aug. 27 with the winner announced Dec. 6 at the 2025 Discover Big Ten Championship Game, in Indianapolis, airing on Fox."

"This is the Big Ten conference's debut in the city that will host our 2027 women's and 2028 men's basketball tournaments. This year we're excited to announce new and expanded partnerships and platforms to strengthen our conference and deepen the impact of our corporate partners. These relationships reflect our commitment to innovation, fan engagement, and delivering value to our student athletes and schools."

"Next week, our teams open training camp and just 37 days from today, Rutgers, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Wisconsin will kick off their seasons and the first full weekend of the 2025-2026 college football season. Among the 18 head coaches you'll hear from over the next three days, I want to especially welcome new Purdue coach, Bary Odom to the conference."

College Football Playoff Format:

The 2024 college football season was not just the first year the Oregon Ducks, USC Trojans, Washington Huskies, and UCLA Bruins joined the Big Ten; it was also the first year of the College Football Playoff expansion.

The Big Ten conference was well represented, as four teams made the first 12-team college football playoff bracket. The Oregon Ducks were the No. 1-ranked team, earning an automatic bid to the quarterfinals. The other teams in the conference to compete in the postseason were the Ohio State Buckeyes, Penn State Nittany Lions, and the Indiana Hoosiers.

Oregon Ducks Big Ten Tony Petitti College Football Playoff Ohio State Buckeyes Penn State Nittany Lions Dan Lanning NFL Draft — Jul 26, 2023; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti speaks to the media during Big 10 football media days at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-Imagn Images | Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

The Oregon Ducks ended up falling short in the quarterfinals, losing to Ohio State in the quarterfinals. Both Ohio State and Penn State represented the Big Ten in the semifinals, and in the end, the Buckeyes became the college football national champions.

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Oregon Ducks Dan Lanning Tony Petitti Big Ten College Football Playoff Ohio State Buckeyes Penn State Nittany Lions Indiana — Jan 1, 2025; Pasadena, CA, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning looks on in the second quarter against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the 2025 Rose Bowl college football quarterfinal game at Rose Bowl Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Oregon Ducks’ First Season In Big Ten

The Oregon Ducks dominated in their first season in the conference, finishing the regular season undefeated and becoming the No. 1-ranked team in the nation. It was a thrilling 2024 season for the Ducks and the Big Ten conference, but it is time to look forward to 2025.

The Oregon Ducks and coach Dan Lanning were among the top teams represented in the 2025 NFL Draft. The Big Ten had 10 first-round draft picks, and two were former Ducks players. Oregon had 10 players in total selected in the Draft. After a tough ending to the season, the Ducks are looking to make a deeper playoff push this year.