logo
Big Ten's Petitti: No support for SEC's at-large bid preference for College Football Playoff

Big Ten's Petitti: No support for SEC's at-large bid preference for College Football Playoff

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Big Ten commissioner doubled down on the league's preference for multiple automatic qualifiers in the next version of the College Football Playoff on Tuesday, increasing the likelihood of a showdown with the Southeastern Conference when the format for 2026 is decided.
At the league's football media days, Tony Petitti said any change that adds at-large bids and increases the discretion and role of a selection committee — a format the SEC and others have shown a preference for — 'will have a difficult time getting support of the Big Ten.'
Petitti also bolstered the idea of a weekend's worth of play-in games for what — under one of the best-known proposals — would be four automatic bids for the Big Ten and SEC in a 16-team playoff, even though the games could put the Big Ten's top-seeded teams in jeopardy of being shut out of the CFP. The playoff expanded to 12 teams last season.
'There are 18 members in the Big Ten, you have 17 possible opponents and you play nine,' Petitti said. 'There's a lot of discrepancy. Let alone making comparisons across leagues, there's a lot of issues about how you compare teams inside the Big Ten. ... Where we came down is we were willing to take that risk.'
Though there is a Dec. 1 deadline for expanding the playoff for 2026, Petitti said he wouldn't put any deadline on it, echoing a sentiment SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey voiced earlier this month when he said the 12-team format could stay in place until the two leagues agree on something new.
Petitti said recent meetings between Big Ten and SEC athletic directors have produced good results and he expects another such summit would do the same.
'The goal would be to bring people back together, have a conversation about what we think works, then kind of go from there,' he said.
The Big Ten and SEC will ultimately decide the new format, with input from the Atlantic Coast and Big 12 conferences, along with Notre Dame and the six smaller conferences who are part of the system.
Also on Tuesday, ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips said his preference was one with five automatic bids and the rest at-large.
'Fairness and access should also be part of the equation,' Phillips said, while backing the work of the selection committee that would have a bigger role with 11 at-large selections to sort through.
___
AP Sports Writer Aaron Beard contributed.
___
Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Despite CFP concerns, Lincoln Riley wants USC-Notre Dame to 'play this game forever'
Despite CFP concerns, Lincoln Riley wants USC-Notre Dame to 'play this game forever'

USA Today

timea minute ago

  • USA Today

Despite CFP concerns, Lincoln Riley wants USC-Notre Dame to 'play this game forever'

With talks of the Southern California-Notre Dame rivalry potentially ending, Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley wants to "play this game forever," but admitted he's going to put the team's best interest at the forefront. The two college football powerhouses have met 95 times since 1926, nearly playing each other every season. But the non-conference rivalry's future is in jeopardy, with the teams only scheduled to play in South Bend in 2025 and Los Angeles in 2026. According to a Sports Illustrated report in May, USC is reluctant to keep the rivalry going on a long-term deal because of uncertainty with the future College Football Playoff format, while also considering the Trojans' move to the Big Ten. The game has typically been played in October when at Notre Dame and November in Los Angeles, and the outlet added USC has pondered moving the game to the early season. REQUIRED READING: Oregon's Dan Lanning backs College Football Playoff schedule with season ending Jan. 1 "I think depending on what happens here from a playoff perspective, and then do we expand?" Riley said at Big Ten media days on July 24. "What model do we go to, that's certainly going to have an impact, not only in the rivalry, but what time of year potentially that you would play it." It's been a frustrating situation for fans of both sides and college football purists, and Riley said at Big Ten media days he's been asked about the situation plenty in recent months. He wants the game to continue, but it can't be the top priority for the Trojans. "Do I want to play the game? Hell yeah, I want to play the game. Absolutely. It's one of the reasons I came here," Riley said. "But also my allegiance and my loyalty is not to Notre Dame, and it's not to anybody else. I'm the head football coach at USC, and I'm going to back USC, and I'm going to do everything possible that I can in my power to make USC as good as it can, and not going to let anything stand in between that. "I'm very hopeful we can get to a point where, where it makes sense. It's one of those situations right now where the two schools are in radically different situations. I think we can all agree with that, with the one having a conference affiliation and one not," he added. Riley then alluded to the proposals for the expanded College Football Playoff. Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti has advocated for automatic qualifiers − with four each for the Big Ten and SEC − with play-in games during conference championship week. It appears the future of the rivalry hinges on the format as USC is still seeking its first College Football Playoff appearance. Riley wants that plan adopted so it can preserve non-conference matchups "that mean a lot to the history of the game." "I'm very hopeful that we can get there, and I'm very hopeful that we play this game forever," Riley said. There was no mention of where talks are in extending the contract between the two teams. The Trojans will visit the Fighting Irish on Oct. 18 in what could be the final meeting in South Bend.

Lincoln Riley ‘absolutely' wants to keep USC-Notre Dame game on schedule
Lincoln Riley ‘absolutely' wants to keep USC-Notre Dame game on schedule

Los Angeles Times

timea minute ago

  • Los Angeles Times

Lincoln Riley ‘absolutely' wants to keep USC-Notre Dame game on schedule

LAS VEGAS — After shots were fired all summer over USC's hand in the future of its rivalry with Notre Dame, coach Lincoln Riley reiterated during Big Ten media day on Thursday that he 'absolutely' wants to maintain the historic matchup. 'Do I want to play the game? Hell yeah, I want to play the game,' Riley said. 'It's one of the reasons I came here. But also, my allegiance and my loyalty is not to Notre Dame and not to anyone else. I'm the head coach of USC. I'm going to back USC. And I'm going to do everything in my power to make USC as good as it can be. I'm not going to let anything stand in between that.' The sticking point in those negotiations, Riley confirmed, remains the uncertainty surrounding the College Football Playoff format. All week in Las Vegas, Big Ten coaches have voiced their support for a playoff model that would give the conference four automatic qualifiers, with play-in games to determine which of the Big Ten's top six teams would get those spots. Riley added Thursday that there are 'a million reasons' why the conference's preferred format should be adopted, but maintaining historic rivalries like USC-Notre Dame 'might be the most important.' 'We give every reason for college football to preserve nonconference games that mean a lot to the history of the game, the fanbases and the former players and everyone,' Riley said. But that format would also take nonconference scheduling almost completely out of the equation when it came to determining who deserves to be in the playoff. The Big Ten and Southeastern Conference appeared to be in lockstep on calling for four automatic qualifiers earlier this summer. But the SEC has since championed a different format, leaving the Big Ten and its coaches to defend their preferred format alone. The stalemate between the two power conferences could mean no changes are made to the playoff format for the foreseeable future. Similarly, USC and Notre Dame appear no closer to hashing out an agreement to continue their series, the last matchup of which is currently scheduled for this fall. Both, Riley said, are coming from 'radically different situations,' with USC bound to the Big Ten and Notre Dame untethered by a conference. Still, Riley said he was 'really hopeful' that USC and Notre Dame could come to an understanding.

A year after stumbling at Big Ten media days, UCLA's DeShaun Foster is poised and confident
A year after stumbling at Big Ten media days, UCLA's DeShaun Foster is poised and confident

Los Angeles Times

timea minute ago

  • Los Angeles Times

A year after stumbling at Big Ten media days, UCLA's DeShaun Foster is poised and confident

LAS VEGAS — It's easier for everything to go according to script when you have one. As DeShaun Foster strode across the stage inside a convention center here Thursday afternoon, the UCLA football coach clutched several pages of prepared remarks that helped him navigate a lengthy opening monologue with poise and confidence. Poking fun at his widely mocked and memed performance from a year ago, when he delivered a short, unrehearsed address filled with awkward pauses and an uneasy smile, Foster indulged reporters in a short recap of the lowlights. 'Last year I stood up here and reminded everyone that UCLA is in L.A., which looking back might have been the most obvious geography lesson in Big Ten history,' Foster said. 'But you know what? Important things are worth stating clearly. We are in L.A., and we're proud to be in L.A. This year we're ready to show the Big Ten what L.A. football looks like when it's firing on all cylinders.' The Bruins can only hope their turnaround on the field is as stunning as their coach's transformation on stage. A year ago, as UCLA stumbled to a 1-5 start, 'We're in L.A.' became a catchphrase freely wielded to ridicule a team that often looked as lost as its coach had while delivering his opening remarks inside Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Rather than run from his troubles, Foster barreled ahead like a running back who found an opening in a wall of defenders. The rookie coach found his footing with a team that won four of its last six games, narrowly missing an opportunity to play in a bowl game. His offseason was even more impressive. Foster overhauled his staff (only two assistants from last season remain) and redoubled his recruiting efforts, leading to a 2026 high school class ranked No. 21 nationally by Landing Nico Iamaleava from the transfer portal after the quarterback's spring of discontent at Tennessee generated immediate buzz. 'We're just excited to have a playoff quarterback, somebody that was able to lead his team to the playoffs,' Foster said. 'They might not have gotten the outcome that they wanted, but he still was able to play. He showed how tough he was in that game. Just being able to come back home and be comfortable and being in a familiar environment, I think the sky is the limit. We're excited about this.' While Iamaleava's arrival isn't expected to vault the Bruins into contention for the Big Ten title, much less the College Football Playoff — UCLA was picked to finish 15th in the 18-team conference by a media poll conducted by — there is recent precedent for teams taking a big leap in their coach's second season. Colorado finished 9-4 last season after going 4-8 in Deion Sanders' debut season and Arizona State went 11-3 and made the CFP one year after going 3-9 in Kenny Dillingham's first season. Foster said he hoped this season went as well as his second in the NFL, when he helped the Carolina Panthers reach the Super Bowl. Questions abound, particularly on a defense that loses every key playmaker, as the Bruins prepare to open training camp in Costa Mesa on Wednesday. The team will practice off campus for the first time since training in San Bernardino in 2016 because of the installation of a grass field outside the Wasserman Center. Some changes around the program feel more than cosmetic. UCLA athletic director Martin Jarmond said that Foster's willingness to make wholesale changes on his coaching staff after just one season and the associated recruiting surge are signs that this is a program on the rise. 'He's just brought a vibe back, a buzz and energy about UCLA football that we haven't had since I've been here, quite honestly,' Jarmond said. 'And that's what you want to see.' A few hours before Foster took a few sips of water and dabbed his head with a handkerchief before ascending stairs to the podium inside the Mandalay Bay, his boss predicted that he would have a better showing than he did last year. 'I think he's just more comfortable,' Jarmond said. 'You know, everybody is new at something and you don't nail the landing every first time. And so, thankfully you're not graded on what you say; you're graded on, how you perform and how you lead, and that's what he's done exceptionally well. I mean, the last half of the season, we finished 4-2 — the momentum he had going into the second half of the year and then the recruiting, that's what matters, what you're doing with the program. 'So I think he's excited about today. I think he's going to feel more comfortable because he's done it before. And that's just part of the deal. But he's going to be himself and he's going to be great.' Foster said his verbal stumbles from a year ago taught him a valuable lesson. 'Authenticity resonates more deeply than perfection,' he said. 'Our players saw me being human, and it brought us closer together. We've been joking about it for about a year now. The players know that that same genuine approach is how we coach, recruit and build this program.' Entering his second season, Foster said he expected significant improvement not just from his team but also from himself. 'Growth is part of the process, and we're all committed to being better than we were last season,' Foster said. 'I know there are questions about our progress, expectations and how well we're performing in this conference. That's totally fair. We're here to earn respect, not demand it. However, I can tell you this: My team is ready. They're confident. They're prepared, and they're hungry to show up and show out and redefine what UCLA football can be. So, yes, we're still in L.A. We're proud to be Bruins, and we're ready to make it happen starting now.' And with that, Foster announced that he was happy to take any questions, having answered a big one about himself.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store