Tony Petitti stands by CFP proposal giving Big Ten, SEC four auto-bids each

As a former television executive, Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti has an eye for what can create intrigue and draw ratings. That’s at least part of why he is proposing an expanded 16-team College Football Playoff.

However, Petitti also believes his proposal would eliminate the guesswork in selecting who’s in and who’s out, opening the door for more exciting regular-season games while also creating a more equitable structure.

At least, that’s how he’s spinning it. Speaking with Fox Sports’ lead college football analyst Joel Klatt on Monday, Petitti revealed why he is still standing by his proposed format — which would see the Big Ten and SEC granted four automatic berths each, the ACC and Big 12 two a piece, and one more for a conference champion outside the Power 4 — despite push back from the SEC, ACC, and Big 12.

“The alternative to this system is expanding the field and giving the committee more to do,” Petitti suggested, per The Athletic. “If you go to 16 and you have 11 at-large, you’ve just added even more decision-making. The answer is, well, at that point, it gets to be easy, because you’ll cover everybody. No, because the more spots you put into the system, the more difficult decisions you’re facing.

“Teams start to look more alike, as we all have a tough road loss. Some of them may have stumbled at home in a tough conference game. The sequencing of when you play, you might be at a really difficult place, and then have to go on back home and play somebody else or be on the road for two weeks. That journey is really relevant. So, I think you make it harder.”

Of course, Petitti sees some added benefits from television, too. For one, if his proposal is adopted, the Big Ten would likely institute two play-in games between teams that finished third through sixth in the conference’s standings, to be played on Championship Weekend. And suppose the CFP qualification is mainly based on performance within one’s conference. In that case, Petitti suggests the door is open for more high-profile non-conference games during the season, as teams wouldn’t fear a tough loss impacting their playoff resume.

“The goal is to play more non-conference games, because if you’re qualifying for the CFP off your conference record, and then a play-in game, the fact that you play a tough SEC or ACC or Big 12 team and maybe get beat on the road, or whatever the result is, that might impact your seeding down the road, but it’s not going to impact your access,” Petitti said. “There’s three at-larges, so yeah, it does a little bit. But at the end of the day, that loss isn’t fatal.”

The conference commissioners tasked with approving a new format must do so by December 1, should it be implemented for the 2026 season. But given the Big Ten and SEC find themselves on different sides of the issue, a resolution doesn’t seem imminent.