B1G Commissioner Focused on Current Members

Tony Petitti Addresses Expansion, Other Items Tuesday

Jul 23, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti speaks to the media during the Big 10 football media day at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports / Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports

INDIANAPOLIS — Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti said Tuesday his only concern is on the 18 teams in his conference when he was asked about further expansion.

Of course, he said the same thing last season at the Big Ten’s football media days about the arrival of USC and UCLA in the conference, and within a couple of weeks Oregon and Washington were on their way as well.

So, if there’s going to be any further expansion, it doesn’t sound like it, but in this world of college athletics, anything is possible.

“Look, we're focused on the 18 right now,” Petitti said. “That's what we're focused on. We had to do a lot of work. A lot of work had been done to integrate USC, UCLA. We started that work over immediately when we added Oregon and Washington. I think we're really comfortable where we are.

“We've got to get this conference right, and that's what our focus is.”

The addition of the two additional schools from the PAC-12 forced a hasty re-creation of the football schedule over the next two seasons, and provided even more challenges within the conference.

Still, Petitti feels the expansion has been worth it.

“I think the fit of the four is across -- obviously, we're here to talk about football,” he said. “But when you go beyond that, you know, for our presidents and chancellors, the academic fit is really important, if you look at the strength in all other sports that the four new members bring. So it's a complete match across many different factors. That's what made the decision to add Oregon, Washington, which was done by my staff, and then the decision that Kevin Warren and his staff did to add USC, UCLA.

“I see great strength across matchups, the footprint that we'll have going forward. I think we've got to get a lot of things right, but I feel really good about the way we're positioned for the future in terms of the health and strength of the conference.”

Among other topics discussed by Petitti:

• The Big Ten’s football championship game will be in Indianapolis the next four seasons, but Petitti sees scenarios where the league’s championships in all sports will be spread around the conference’s footprint.

“I think you'll begin to see us expand,” he said. “I think it's important to make sure that markets around the country get to experience Big Ten championships. It's a really good way to connect the conference. I think over time you'll start to see the geographic footprint expand, keeping in mind competitive issues.

“Obviously after our championships, teams go into the NCAA tournaments and championships as well. Keeping all that in mind. I think you can fully expect that over time you'll see the footprint of how we host championships change and grow.”

• Conference football games being played on Friday nights is something that will continue, Petitti said, given the conference’s media rights agreements.

“If you look at our footprint on Saturday, having the three broadcast partners supported by the cable presence and Big Ten Network, I think Friday is an opportunity for national exposure,” Petitti said. “I think you're going to see some programs there really embrace the opportunity to play on Friday.

“Of course, we don't want to burden any one institution. We care about what happens at the stadium as well and what happens on campus. But if you look at it, it's an opportunity to get programs to showcase them as they build in matchups. I think for us to have that footprint is really terrific.”

Petitti said he understands if schools don’t want to play on Fridays.

“I think on the hurdle side, look, there are just traditional places that want to play more on Saturday,” he said. “We understand and respect that. It's a league discussion that involves all 18 about the best way to format our schedule. Where coaches are embracing opportunities to have that exposure on Friday night, we try to lean into that. That's the way we approach it.

“Where are we looking more likely to go, that will change over time. Collectively we understand we're all doing this together, and we've got to make every telecast opportunity work for the conference to be as strong and healthy as we can.”

• There are no conference games on the first week of the college football season this year, as there have been in past years.

“We obviously play nine conference games,” Petitti said. “We're trying to balance that. I think Kerry Kenny and our team have done a really remarkable job of coming up with a schedule that takes in so many factors, obviously the nonconference schedule, the competitive balance, travel, getting through the season.

“I think the core of what we do is that we are in the grind of conference football in November, and that's like the primary piece. I'm more concerned about that run to the end of the season than necessarily conference games the first or second week.”