NFL News NFL News, Reports and Updates
Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti stands at a podium and speaks during a Big Ten Conference media days news conference Tuesday. (Darron Cummings / Associated Press)
A giant, inflatable Oregon Duck mascot drifted down the White River on Tuesday, not far from where Big Ten Conference coaches, players and executives converged for the opening day of their annual media event.
It was not an interloper from some faraway place. It was home.
Adding to the surreal feel, mannequins wearing the football jerseys of Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington with Big Ten patches on the shoulder stood in a corridor on the bottom level of Lucas Oil Stadium alongside those of traditional conference heavyweights Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State.
After welcoming the four new members who officially will join the conference Aug. 2, Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti accepted a reporter’s invitation to daydream about stacking the expanded, 12-team College Football Playoff with entrants from his inflated, 18-team conference.
“I’m trying to think about what the maximum is,” Petitti told The Times while leaning back in a black leather chair deep inside the massive football stadium where the Big Ten championship game will be held in December.
In theory, the Big Ten could field eight CFP teams as part of a format that gives spots to five conference champions and the next seven highest-ranked teams. The chances of that happening might be on par with Petitti being the next man to walk on the moon, but that didn’t stop the commissioner from smiling about the possibility on a day dedicated to celebrating the completion of a merger two years in the making.
Read more: USC’s Jennifer Cohen says Trojans are ‘well positioned’ for new revenue-sharing era
None of the newcomers were on hand — UCLA and USC players and coaches are scheduled to speak with the…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/commissioner-says-hes-optimistic-big-224349588.html
Author : LA Times
Publish date : 2024-07-23 22:43:49
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
