Big Ten: No league championship game if college football moves to a 24-team playoff

Key Points:

• The Big Ten Conference is willing to eliminate its championship game if college football adopts a 24-team playoff format, as stated by Commissioner Tony Petitti, who views it as a worthwhile trade-off for an expanded postseason.
• The 24-team playoff proposal, supported by the Big Ten, ACC, Big 12, and Notre Dame, aims to increase late-season game significance by ensuring more teams have postseason implications, though the SEC remains opposed due to concerns over losing conference championship games.
• Petitti highlighted the challenges teams face playing a conference championship game before entering the playoff, such as lack of byes and quick turnaround times, and believes a 24-team format would better incentivize competitive play throughout the season.
• Big Ten coaches largely back Petitti's position, with USC's Lincoln Riley comparing the potential playoff structure to the NFL model, suggesting conferences could crown regular-season champions without a championship game while recouping revenue through additional playoff contests.
• Despite differences over the playoff format, Petitti and SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey maintain communication, and Petitti expressed interest in more SEC-Big Ten matchups, while the Big Ten highlights recent national championships to assert its competitive strength.