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Big Ten Proposes 16-Team Playoff with Conference Play-In Games

Tony Petitti’s 16-team playoff proposal grants four automatic bids to both the Big Ten and SEC, introduces conference play-in games, sets a year-end deadline for agreement.

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Jul 22, 2025; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti speaks to the media during the Big Ten NCAA college football media days at Mandalay Bay Resort. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images
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Overview

  • At the Big Ten’s first football media days in Las Vegas at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, commissioner Tony Petitti unveiled a 16-team College Football Playoff format awarding four automatic qualifiers each to the Big Ten and SEC.
  • The plan adds a play-in round on the weekend following conference championship games to determine which teams secure automatic playoff berths.
  • Indiana coach Curt Cignetti and other league coaches publicly backed the play-in concept as a way to raise competitive stakes late in the regular season.
  • Cleveland.com’s preseason poll released July 21 marked Penn State as the 2025 Big Ten favorite for the first time, with Ohio State finishing second.
  • Discussions with SEC leadership over the proposed format continue, with both conferences targeting a binding agreement by the end of the year for 2026 implementation.