Big Ten commissioner emphatically shuts down expansion rumors

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Big Ten commissioner emphatically shuts down expansion rumors

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Matt Wadleigh | Last updated Oct 8, 2026 3:41 PM ET

The Big Ten Conference has 18 football teams, and there have been plenty of rumors about possible expansion.

The Protect College Sports Act would allow the Big Ten to add two more, but Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti shut down those talks with a straightforward statement.

Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti here at Big Ten Media Day regarding realignment: “There’s absolutely no discussion taking place around expansion.”
— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) October 8, 2026

Petitti also said the conference has “18 strong members,” so it doesn’t seem like there are any plans to add teams at this time.

The Big Ten name has been misleading for a long time. It moved to 11 teams, then 12 and then 14 in 2014. In 2024, the conference added all of Oregon, USC, UCLA and Washington in a Pac-12 raid, and that is how it got to the 18 teams it is at in 2026.

To make things even more confusing, the Big 12 Conference has 16 teams, and the Pac-12 Conference has 8 teams, so nobody matches what the number says in their official title.

There have also been talks of the College Football Playoff expanding once again, this time going from 12 to 24 teams, so there could be more changes coming to the sport.

But, from the Big Ten side, it doesn’t seem like the conference will grow, at least not right now.

More must-reads: