At Big Ten Media Days on Tuesday, league commissioner Tony Petitti openly discussed the possibility of expanding the conference through realignment.
Despite rumors surrounding the destruction of the ACC, Petitti mentioned that the Big Ten is comfortable where they are and is focused on getting the upcoming season correct.
“I think it’s pretty clear when you look at the schedule that we’ve talked about unveiling here about the strength and depth of what we’re doing,” Petitti said. “I think the fit of the four is across. Obviously, we’re here to talk about football. When you go beyond that, you know, for our presidents and chancellors, the academic fit is really important if you look at the strength and all other sports that the four new members bring. So it’s a complete match across many different factors.”
The hot-button topic at media days for each power conference has been realignment with rumors of Florida State and Clemson looking for a way out of the ACC. While weekend reports announced that the pair of teams would not change leagues prior to the 2025-26 season, conference realignment remains at the forefront of the minds of fans.
“That’s what made the decision to add Oregon and Washington, which was done by my staff, and then the decision that Kevin Warren and his staff made to add USC and UCLA,” Petitti continued. “So I see great strength across matchups, you know, 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.”
After expanding membership to 18 schools ahead of the 2024 season, Petitti’s disinterest in further expansion could lead the Big 12 into striking position with teams on the open market.
