Tony Petitti Pushes for Automatic Qualifiers in 16-Team Playoff

Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti opened Big Ten Media Days by renewing his push for a 16-team College Football Playoff that prioritizes automatic qualifiers (AQs). He believes this approach will strengthen the connection between the regular season and the postseason, while addressing schedule imbalances across major conferences.

Petitti’s ideal format would award four automatic bids each to the Big Ten and SEC, two each to the Big 12 and ACC, one to the highest-ranked Group of Five champion, and leave three spots for at-large selections. This model, known as 4+4+2+2+1+3, contrasts with the alternative 5+11 format, which gives automatic bids to the five highest-ranked conference champions and leaves 11 spots to be chosen by a committee.

Petitti said the Big Ten would likely oppose the 5+11 proposal. “It’s a model that’s going to have a hard time getting Big Ten support,” he said.

Big Ten and SEC Hold the Power

With the current 12-team CFP set to run through 2025, a new format must be agreed upon by year’s end to expand in 2026. While the 5+11 structure is backed by the Big 12 and ACC — and recently gained more support within the SEC — the Big Ten and SEC ultimately have the most influence over what happens next.

If no agreement is reached, the CFP may remain at 12 teams beyond 2025.

Concerns Over Committee-Heavy Playoff Format

Petitti, along with Big Ten coaches and administrators, doesn’t believe a selection committee should carry so much weight when choosing 11 playoff teams. He raised questions about how the committee would fairly compare teams from different leagues that don’t share common opponents or play balanced schedules.

“How are we differentiating from teams that don’t have head-to-head play, teams that don’t play common schedules across leagues that do different things?” he asked. “I think that’s a really hard, tall order. Every time you think about expansion, it gives some sort of counter idea that it gets easier to make these decisions. It actually gets harder. More teams look alike and more teams are going to have 9-3 records. More teams are going to struggle in a conference road game and still, more teams might stumble at a conference home game.”

Conference Scheduling Still a Hot Topic

Another debate tied to playoff expansion is the number of conference games each league plays. The Big Ten and Big 12 currently play nine, while the SEC and ACC play eight. Petitti said this discrepancy becomes less important if automatic bids are awarded based on conference standings.

“Each league will decide what they think the best conference schedule is for them,” he said. “In a system where you have allocated spots, I think in talking to athletics directors and coaches, I don’t think we really care how many conference games any league is playing, because you qualify off your conference standing … but when you get to a system that’s increasing the at-larges and increasing the work of a selection committee, that’s when you need to understand how we’re competing in the regular season.”

Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano agreed, saying, “Everybody’s got to play the same number of league games, otherwise we can’t even have a conversation about it. How do you do 5+11 as human beings on a committee when one league’s playing one less game? I don’t care who you play. League games are harder. They hold more significance.”

More Meaningful Games Late in the Season

Petitti said the Big Ten’s proposal would keep more teams in the CFP race deeper into the season. Instead of only a conference title game, the league could create a play-in weekend — with higher-seeded teams like No. 3 vs. No. 6 and No. 4 vs. No. 5 — to determine playoff spots.

It would also keep motivation high for teams in tougher conferences.

“If you’re 6-3 in the Big Ten, I would argue that’s a great record,” Petitti said. “And if you stumbled in a nonconference game, I don’t know why that disqualifies you. [An] 8-4 [record] is a winning percentage. If you project that winning percentage in every other sport, I’m pretty sure you make the postseason.”

Marquee Nonconference Games Still Matter

Petitti also believes the 4+4+2+2+1 model will encourage schools to keep scheduling big-time matchups outside their league. He pointed to this year’s Texas vs. Ohio State opener on August 30 as the type of high-stakes game that helps grow the sport.

“Does winning a big conference game help you more than losing a tough nonconference game hurts?” he asked.

Big Ten Coaches Still Support AQ Model

Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti, who led the Hoosiers to the first-ever 12-team CFP in 2024, said the SEC once supported the AQ-heavy model before shifting views this spring. Still, he and other Big Ten coaches back Petitti’s approach.

“You’ve got to have play-in games,” Cignetti said. “On championship weekend, we advocate for 3 to play 6 and 4 to play 5, which gives teams more to play for at the end of the year. Now you’re earning it even more so on the playing field.

“College football fans aren’t quite ready to accept, in all parts of the country, 8-5 being a really good year.”

Keeping Conference Championships Important

Petitti also doesn’t want CFP expansion to make conference championship games irrelevant. He suggested adding incentives like a first-round bye to keep the stakes high.

“When you get to a large field, it’s probably not the same do-or-die, but if you can keep a bye at stake, potentially really make the seeding important, and then you combine that with the goal of the fight, wanting to win a Big Ten Championship, and that still matters in our league, I think that’s a good combination,” he said. “We want our two best teams to know they’re in the CFP, and we want them to compete really hard for a Big Ten championship with the goal that if they win that game, they might get a bye.”

Hoping for Unity with the SEC

Despite some disagreements, Petitti remains optimistic that the Big Ten and SEC can find common ground before the deadline. The two leagues have held productive joint meetings over the past year.

“We’re obviously not in the same place on these discussions,” Petitti said. “…But I will say, every time we come together … good things have happened.”

Coach Schiano echoed that sentiment. “It is pro-ish, but who’s kidding who? We’ve kind of made the move now. And you already have a 12-team playoff, so if you’re going to have that, make a 16-team. That’s fine.”