The Big Ten has been one of the most dominant conferences across all sports in recent years. During the 2025 football season, the Big Ten accumulated 11 bowl wins in the CFP, securing the most of any conference. The Hoosiers locked down the third straight Big Ten National Championship title, and along that journey, there were five Big Ten wins during the CFP, again securing the most of any conference.
Success is in the bylaws of the Big Ten Conference, and on Tuesday morning, during the 2026 Big Ten Football Media Days, Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti spoke about sustained success. From the Protect College Sports Act to College Football Playoff expansion to the relationships across conferences, Petitti strives for a model of predictability across all of college athletics.
Protect College Sports Act
It is no secret that the SEC and the Big Ten have had reservations about the Protect College Sports Act. The bill is meant to establish a framework and rules surrounding spending caps, transfer rules, and eligibility limits. It is believed that some parts of the bill unfairly target the Big Ten and the SEC. Petitti believes that rectifying this bill requires amending the language.
“It is absolutely imperative that we see the amended language of the bill,” Petitti said. “We cannot change our position until we see the amended bill and we have an opportunity to share it with our leadership.”
Petitti mentioned that they expect to see an amended bill shortly, even as early as this afternoon. Petitti believes that if Congress can be in charge of who is in which conference, how players move, and how games are scheduled, then the language in the bill must be right. The conversations they have had with Congress in the last couple of months must also be reflected in the bill. Overall, Petitti feels optimistic about the direction the bill is taking.
“We feel very strongly that the language has to be right,” Petitti said. “So we have to be sure that we get those protections. There seems to be an alignment in the direction with the senators. They understand our issues.”
There are also issues surrounding state preemption, specifically around the recruiting space. There are questions around whether states can enact recruiting laws. Petitti hopes to see national standards in the revised bill, along with working around the revenue share and NIL.
“We need to see language on all of that.” Petitti continued. “But at the end of the day, when the conference gets the bill, and we work through it, are we in a position where it does a lot more help than not? And if we can get to that place, then we can move into a position very quickly to support it.”
Protecting Big Ten Rivalries
Rivalries are embedded into college athletics. They are ignited through games, teams, and conferences, and for many fans, the Big Ten and the SEC have always had that fire. However, within its walls, there is a great relationship between SEC commissioner Greg Sankey and Tony Petitti. For Petitti and Sankey, the future of college athletics and the Protect College Sports Act are all about staying together and working together to get as much right as possible. They understand that nothing will be perfect, but by working together they can hope to fix some of the discrepancies, as well as create predictability.
“We are taking the most complicated things in college sports, and we are doing it together,” said Petitti.
CFP Expansion
The 24-team CFP expansion was another area of focus for Petitti, a move he strongly advocates for. His reasoning revolved around one simple word: incentive. Petitti believes the 24-team expansion will create incentive for every team. Each team will be fighting for a spot until the very end.
“The idea is keeping as many teams in contention for as long as possible,” Petitti said. “Secondly, the format creates all kinds of incentives. You are going to have teams playing until the very end if they are in.”
The 24-team expansion will keep teams in contention for as long as possible, and as a result, each team will fight for every opportunity. It will also ensure that competitive games are played towards the end of the season, which will incentivize institutions to invest more into football programs, ensuring revenue generation growth.
“I think playing for competitive games is going to be crucial,” Petitti said. “We’ve got institutions making incredible investments into football, and it is really important to maintain that commitment to invest, and you have to have an opportunity to play to maintain investment.”
However, this also creates questions about the calendar year and creates many challenges for recruiting, requiring coaches to do the bulk of their recruiting during the postseason.
“It creates a lot of additional complexities,” Petitti said. “I understand the concerns from coaches. It is really difficult to recruit and build your roster in the middle of post season. It is not the ideal system.”
Unsurprisingly, college football is going through many changes; nothing will be perfect, but for Petitti and many others, it relies on working together. For Petitti, his goal is not necessarily to create sustainability, but rather predictability for coaches, athletic directors, and athletes. The Protect College Sports Act is a large part of that, and while they wait, Petitti and others will engage in conversations that ensure college athletics is as successful and predictable as possible for everyone involved.
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