Petitti reiterates Big Ten's push for 24-team CFP

CHICAGO -- Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti on Tuesday doubled down on his league's push for a 24-team College Football Playoff, saying the Big Ten can still eliminate its conference championship game in time for a new format to begin in 2027. "The faster it goes," he told ESPN, "the easier it will be. "There's some things you have to unwind, there's no doubt about that," he said about the Big Ten's television contract with Fox to broadcast its title game. "I think we're committed to doing that." If the CFP format is going to expand in time for the 2027 season, the SEC and Big Ten need to agree on it because they have the bulk of control over the future format. Still, the Big 12, ACC and Notre Dame have all expressed support for a 24-team field, while the SEC remains partial to a 16-team format until more information is provided to make an informed decision. CFP leaders are expected to get more answers at a meeting in August, but sources remain skeptical a decision would be made then. There is another annual meeting in September at the Big Ten headquarters, which could provide some more clarity on the direction they are headed. Petitti said "it's not a great thing to be talking about during the season." "I think we've got another 30 days or so before the season starts to see how much progress we make, if any," he said. One of the biggest questions looming is how much revenue could be generated from a 24-team field and if it would compensate for the lucrative revenue from Power 4 conference championship games. "If we find the value, I think it just changes the tone of the conversations," Petitti said. "It's been completely collaborative. And even though the [memorandum of understanding] gives the SEC and the Big Ten more the operating decision-making in this process, we've really included on a daily basis our colleagues in the ACC and Big 12 and everybody else in the CFP room. "We're trying to do this together," he said. "I think there's been a lot of movement among coaches and ADs around the country that 24 is the right number, but we have to see if it has the right value, and we have to understand that process and how we schedule it and when." Petitti was asked Tuesday if a 24-team field would devalue the regular season, and he reiterated his belief that a tiered system of incentives would prevent that. "The idea is keeping as many teams in contention for as long as possible," Petitti said. "Play as many meaningful games for as long as you can. Secondly, the format creates all kinds of incentives. If you think about a 24-team playoff, right, a bunch of teams are going to be ranked between 16 and 24 that are just trying to make sure they're in. You're going to have teams playing until the very end to see if they're in. You're going to have teams playing to see if they can get a home game. So, every game is going to matter because your seeding is always going to be determined by somebody else. "It's a big advantage to be one of the eight teams to get a bye," he said. "It's a big advantage to be seeded one and two. You have the best path to the semifinal. It's a lot different to go on the road in the first-round game than it is to host one in your stadium. I think we've got a lot of different incentives all across the format that keep you playing hard until the very end."