At first glance, that number sounds wild. But in today’s college football, maybe it isn’t.

Why the Big Ten is pushing this

The Big Ten’s idea isn’t really about chaos — it’s about access. With 18 teams now in the league and more national-caliber programs than ever, the conference believes too many worthy teams are being shut out by a small playoff field.

Under a 24-team format:

• More teams would still be playing for something meaningful in November

• Fewer seasons would feel “wasted” after one early loss

• Fans would get more playoff games on campuses — the best atmosphere in sports

In a world where Ohio State, Oregon, Michigan, Penn State, USC, and Washington all exist in the same league, a four- or even 12-team playoff can feel outdated. Heck, after two straight seasons of being a College Football Playoff participant, Indiana deserves to be included in the discussion about the nation’s elite college football programs.

Why other leagues are hesitant

Here’s the problem: not everyone sees the sport the way the Big Ten does.

The SEC, ACC, and Big 12 are far more comfortable with 16 teams than 24. To them, 24 feels like:

• Too many games

• Too much risk of watering down the regular season

• Too big of a logistical and financial leap

They worry that if almost everyone gets in, then classic matchups — Alabama vs. Georgia, Ohio State vs. Michigan — lose some of their urgency.

The real fight isn’t 12 vs. 24 — it’s control

This debate isn’t just about numbers. It’s about who gets to shape the future of college football.

The Big Ten and the SEC now dominate TV revenue, brand power, and playoff résumés. A bigger playoff benefits the Big Ten especially, because its schedule is brutal and deep. A 24-team format protects teams that survive that grind with two or three losses — teams that would often be good enough to win it all.

Smaller leagues worry that a huge field would turn the playoff into a power-conference invitational.

So… will 24 teams ever happen?

Not soon — but don’t laugh it off. My skepticism about the “internal” nature of this plan is that Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti gave this information to Pete Thamel, knowing that it would create a small firestorm of conversation and discussion.

A 16-team playoff feels like the next step. But once that door opens, it’s hard to close it. Television networks, especially Fox, will want more games. Fans will want more chances. And conferences like the Big Ten will keep pointing out how many top-15 teams get left home every year.

24 teams might sound crazy today. Five years ago, so did 12.

And that’s why the Big Ten’s idea matters — even if it doesn’t win right now.

The post The 24-Team CFP Is Coming… Maybe appeared first on Saturday Glory.

NCAA President Charlie Baker and each of the Power 5 conferences — the Atlantic Coast, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and Southeastern — jointly announced Thursday that they’ve agreed to settlement terms regarding antitrust and class-action lawsuits. According to Ralph D. Russo of The Associated Press, the NCAA and Power 5 will pay nearly $2.8 billion, expected to be paid over 10 years, to settle several antitrust claims, notably House v. NCAA, Hubbard v. NCAA and Carter v. NCAA, and the joint statement claimed it “is an important step in the continuing reform of college sports that will provide benefits to student-athletes and provide clarity in college athletics across all divisions for years to come.”

Among the longstanding aspects that made up the foundations of the NCAA is set to change: schools can directly pay players.

Here is the full joint statement from Baker, ACC commissioner Jim Phillips, Big Ten commissioner Tony Petititti, Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark, Pac-12 commissioner Teresa Gould and SEC commissioner Greg Sankey.

“The five autonomy conferences and the NCAA agreeing to settlement terms is an important step in the continuing reform of college sports that will provide benefits to student-athletes and provide clarity in college athletics across all divisions for years to come. This settlement is also a road map for college sports leaders and Congress to ensure this uniquely American institution can continue to provide unmatched opportunity for millions of students. All of Division I made today’s progress possible, and we all have work to do to implement the terms of the agreement as the legal process continues. We look forward to working with our various student-athlete leadership groups to write the next chapter of college sports.”

READ: College Football Playoff, TNT Sports reach 5-year sublicensing agreement; TNT Sports to begin broadcasting 2 first-round games in 2024

READ: Reports: Big Ten Conference made $880 million in revenue during 2023

Notre Dame President Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C. also reportedly released a statement, calling the settlement “necessary to avoid what would be the bankruptcy of college athletics.” Here is his full statement according to Ross Dellenger of Yahoo! Sports.

“The settlement, though undesirable in many respects and promising only temporary stability, is necessary to avoid what would be the bankruptcy of college athletics. To save the great American institution of college sports, Congress must pass legislation that will preempt the current patchwork of state laws; establish that our athletes are not employees, but students seeking college degrees; and provide protection from further antitrust lawsuits that will allow colleges to make and enforce rules that will protect our student-athletes and help ensure competitive equity among our teams,” Jenkins stated via Yahoo! Sports.

Among the expected outcomes from the settlement include the NCAA and universities sharing revenue directly with student-athletes. There could be “millions of dollars” paid to players as soon as fall 2025, according to the AP.

The model for revenue sharing with student-athletes “will cost major conferences a cumulative $1 billion-plus annually,” according to Yahoo! Sports, and schools can share up to $22 million with student-athletes per year — a figure that “was derived from 22% of an average of power conference revenues” and subject to change and exceptions.

According to Dan Murphy and Pete Thamel of ESPN, any Division I athlete dating back to 2016 is eligible to receive a share as part of the settlement class. These athletes therefore drop their claims in three antitrust lawsuits — House v. NCAA, Hubbard v. NCAA and Carter v. NCAA — and cannot sue the NCAA for other antitrust-related reasons.

Roster size could also be affected as a result of the changes expected after the settlement. According to Yahoo! Sports, scholarship restrictions could be eliminated while roster limits would be implemented.

Bankruptcy was reportedly at risk had the settlement not been reached among the NCAA and Power 5 regarding the lawsuits.

READ: Penn State Board of Trustees approves Beaver Stadium renovation before 2027 season

The ability for student-athletes to profit from their name, image and likeness began when the NCAA implemented policy in July 2021. Since, college athletics has seen a flurry of changes in almost the past three years, including in areas such as the conference realignment and the transfer portal. Texas senator Ted Cruz hosted an NIL roundtable on Capitol Hill in March discussing its impacts and urging Congress to pass college athletics legislation.

According to Yahoo! Sports, there is likely a five-to-eight month time period before finalization of the settlement to account for official filing, judge approval and individual plaintiff objections among other things.

Final details will be submitted to the court and Judge Claudia Wilken in the next 30 days, according to ESPN.

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According to Daniel Libit of Sportico, tax reports show the Big Ten took in the $880 million figure between July 1, 2022, and June 30, 2023.

The Big Ten distributed “about $60.5 million” to the 12 longest-tenured members in the conference, according to Steve Berkowitz of USA TODAY. Maryland and Rutgers received “about $2 million less” than the other 12 members of the Big Ten.

READ: Penn State Board of Trustees approves Beaver Stadium renovation before 2027 season

The Big Ten’s revenue earnings allow it to pass the Southeastern Conference for most revenue among college conferences, and the SEC had $853 million in revenue in fiscal year 2023, according to Sportico. The SEC distributed “an average of about $51.3 million” to each of its 14 members.

The Big Ten spent, including its distributions to member programs, “just over $897 million” in 2023 and “operated at a deficit of just over $17.5 million for the year, but still had net assets totaling $247 million,” according to USA TODAY.

Despite retirement in 2020, former commissioner Jim Delaney was the Big Ten’s “highest-paid employee” having received $5.8 million from retirement or deferred compensation and bonus or incentive compensation, according to Sportico. Delaney remains on the conference’s payroll as an outside consultant.

READ: Colorado announces season-ticket sellout for 2nd-straight season

The Big Ten entered a new media rights deal it signed in 2022 worth nearly $7 billion. It reached agreements with CBS, FOX, NBC, NBCUniversal’s Peacock, Big Ten Network and FS1 and will continue through the 2029-30 season.

Now over a year into its new media agreement, the Big Ten will likely see the beginnings of its impact financially. For comparison on revenue between fiscal years 2023 and 2022, the $880 million last year “represent about a 4% increase in total revenue and a nearly 3% increase in per-school payouts” according to USA TODAY.

The Big Ten also saw Tony Petitti take over after Kevin Warren as conference commissioner in May 2023, and Petitti’s pay was not reported because the report only covered the 2022 calendar year, according to USA TODAY.

ALSO WATCH

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According to a release, the two conferences are compelled “to take a leadership role in developing solutions for a sustainable future of college sports,” and they’ll address “recent court decisions, pending litigation, a patchwork of state laws, and complex governance proposals” among other topics.

READ: Ohio Lineman Jake Cook Commits to Louisville

“The Big Ten and the SEC have substantial investment in the NCAA and there is no question that the voices of our two conferences are integral to governance and other reform efforts,” Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti stated in a release. “We recognize the similarity in our circumstances, as well as the urgency to address the common challenges we face.”

Both the Big Ten and SEC are expending to upwards of 18 and 16 teams, respectively, beginning this summer.

The joint advisory group “will have no authority to act independently and will only serve as a consulting body,” according to a release.

READ: Reports: Ole Miss hires Billy Glasscock as next GM

The timetable and composition of the joint advisory group are yet to be determined.

“There are similar cultural and social impacts on our student-athletes, our institutions, and our communities because of the new collegiate athletics environment,” SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey stated in a release. “We do not have predetermined answers to the myriad questions facing us. We do not expect to agree on everything but enhancing interaction between our conferences will help to focus efforts on common sense solutions.”

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The Wolverines were without Jim Harbaugh, who served the first of a three-game suspension as a result of the Big Ten Conference’s discipline of the Wolverines program for in-person, advanced scouting. Moore was emotional after the victory. 

“I want to thank the Lord,” Moore said. “I want to thank coach Harbaugh. I f—ing love you, man. I love the s— out of you, man. We did this for you, for this university, the president, our AD. We got the best players, best university, best alumni in the country. Love you guys. These f—ing guys right here. These guys right here man. These guys did it. These guys did it man.” 

PODCAST: November crowns champions and who will step up in week 11?

Moore and the Wolverines rolled to 10-0 amid a season in which investigations and suspensions have loomed over the team. 

So when Moore had an opportunity to talk up the Michigan program and the state of the Wolverines, he took it. 

“I’m a pretty calm guy but there’s a lot of emotions,” Moore said. “Being here six years, I feel like this place is home. What coach Harbaugh has done for me just giving me the opportunity to be here and this whole university and these players, these fans, I mean, this place is like home to me. Home to my family. So it’s very deep, and I wear my heart on my sleeve. I work extremely hard as we all do so that meant a lot for us to get this win in this situation. To show that and make it about players, the players are — we have elite players, elite university, and just so happy for them.” 

In the days and weeks leading up to the Big Ten’s announced suspension of Harbaugh following in-person scouting, Michigan supporters asked conference commissioner Tony Petitti for due process in investigating the Wolverines program. 

Michigan university president Santa Ono wrote a letter last week to Petitti encouraging due process. After Harbaugh’s suspension was announced, athletics director Warde Manuel released a statement Saturday criticizing the Big Ten and NCAA. 

Playing without Harbaugh, Moore said the message rang a similar tune as usual to the Wolverines players. 

“Play for yourselves, play for the team and play for Michigan. That’s the constant message,” Moore said. “We did make it about him. Just play for everybody that you’ve always played for. Think about this game as you’re in the backyard with the boys, with your friends, and you’re just going to have to win. This was a tournament game for us, a playoff game for us, so we knew we had to do whatever we needed to do to win. So it’s been a crazy 24 hours but at the same time our team is built for this. Our staff is built for this, and we’re all built for it.” 

READ: Big Ten issues penalty to Michigan after violation of sportsmanship policy over in-person scouting

Michigan beat Penn State on the ground, rushing for 227 yards which are the most allowed by the Nittany Lions this season. 

Running backs Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards each had a rushing touchdown, and the former had two, while the team carried the rock for 4.9 yards per run. 

“We got two of the best backs in the country so at the end of the day we do whatever it takes to win,” Moore said. “Sometimes it’s throwing more, sometimes it’s punting more, and we’re going to do whatever we can in that game to win. We thought as we got into the game obviously the run game became priority, and I think our guys up front really asserted themselves to be dominant and those backs ran super hard so I was really excited about that.” 

The Wolverines FaceTimed Harbaugh after the victory. Moore said Harbaugh “always alluded to” him potentially serving as acting head coach if a suspension was announced in the week leading up to the Penn State game. 

Moore said he leaned on defensive coordinator Jesse Minter and running backs coach Mike Hart among members of the coaching staff against the Nittany Lions. Amid tumultuous times for the Michigan program, the Wolverines led themselves to a top-10 win despite the news. 

“They were ready. It’s crazy,” Moore said. “This team is different. They’re built very different, and we let them know that coach wasn’t going to be there. And they knew that there was possibly that he wasn’t, and then when we told them here, they were ready to go. They didn’t flinch.” 

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Big Ten athletic directors and coaches have met on video calls in recent weeks, and Thursday struck a bit of a different tune according to multiple reports.

PODCAST: Calculated Risk: Previewing a week 10 with plenty of intrigue

According to Pete Thamel of ESPN, Big Ten athletic directors “met with commissioner Tony Petitti on a video call Thursday” and “the athletic directors left the call with the notion that Petitti is taking the Big Ten’s ability to punish Michigan over the allegations more seriously than before.”  

The Thursday meeting “took on a distinctly different tenor than when they met a week ago,” according to Thamel, and the athletic directors left with the message that “the conference needs to step up.” The meeting also took place without Michigan athletics director Warde Manuel present. 

The NCAA launched an investigation in October into Michigan regarding alleged sign stealing, and staff member Connor Stalions was suspended with pay. 

READ: CFP Chair Corrigan talks top-six, Michigan investigation after first rankings

According to Thamel, Stalions bought tickets to at least 30 games at least 11 Big Ten schools in the past three seasons, and tickets were also bought for the 2021 and 2022 Southeastern Conference championship games. 

Petitti and the Big Ten could look into whether Michigan violated the conference’s sportsmanship policy amid allegations of sign stealing. 

Purdue head coach Ryan Walters spoke during The Ryan Walters Show about the alleged Michigan sign stealing, and he brought up an interesting perspective that his team has had to take on. 

“It’s unfortunate, and what’s crazy is they aren’t allegations, like, it happened,” Walters said. “There’s video evidence. There’s ticket purchases and sales that you can track back, and we know for a fact that they were at a number of our games. And so we’ve had to teach our guys a new language in terms of some signals, and we will operate differently offensively like you might see us in a huddle for the first time this season so it is it is what it is, but we’re excited to go play and I think it’ll make for a great story.” 

READ: Preview Thursday: Week 10

Walters and the Boilermakers will face No. 3 Michigan in Ann Arbor on Saturday, and Purdue already seems to have taken steps as a result of reports surrounding the sign stealing investigation. 

No potential punishment was discussed among Big Ten athletic directors, according to Thamel. Petitti has spoken with the NCAA about its own investigation. 

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Ohio State stood atop at No. 1 in the first CFP rankings, its highest CFP rank since the 2019 season. No. 2 Georgia, No. 3 Michigan and No. 4 Florida State rounded out the playoff-bound top-four. 

PODCAST: Calculated Risk: Previewing a week 10 with plenty of intrigue

Corrigan spoke about the reasoning behind the Buckeyes’ No. 1 ranking, saying Ohio State’s play on both sides of the ball ultimately gave it the edge. 

“The win against Penn State, to win at Notre Dame, to win at Wisconsin,” Corrigan said. “They’re proving they can do it at home. They’re proving they can do it on the road. They have explosive plays, down a receiver, Marvin Harrison, Jr. is clearly one of the top players in the country. And as we’ve looked at it, as we evaluate it, it is part of the overall evaluation, but a top-five defense that’s giving up about 10 points a game really does play into it as well. So to pick on completely on one side when the other side is so dominant, and by the way, the offense is really, really good so we got to take all of that into account as we’re looking at it, and we came to the conclusion as a committee that they deserved the No. 1 ranking.” 

Much was to be seen regarding Michigan’s ranking and the ongoing NCAA investigation into alleged sign stealing. The Big Ten Conference released a statement Oct. 19 that it had been notified by the NCAA of the investigation, and Michigan has since suspended a staff member with pay. 

On Wednesday night, “a vast majority of the Big Ten coaches expressed their frustrations with the ongoing signal-stealing investigation at Michigan in a video call with commissioner Tony Petitti, according to Pete Thamel of ESPN. 

Hancock said “there wasn’t any suggestion that anything changed” when talking about Michigan athletics director Warde Manuel’s position on the CFP committee, as he is a member of the selection committee, and both he and Corrigan said Manuel “was fully engaged in the meeting.” 

“To Bill’s point, (Manuel) was completely engaged in everything that was going on,” Corrigan said. “Obviously, he gets recused early in the process if you will with our ranking, but Warde was in the room, was engaged was making the points that he had seen for the teams that we were talking about, was a really good committee member as all 12 of them were.” 

The topic of the ongoing NCAA investigation into alleged sign stealing by Michigan wasn’t a big talking point, according to CFP Executive Director Bill Hancock. 

“It just wasn’t an issue,” Hancock said. “Warde brought credibility when he came to the committee, and he still had it and still has it. And as Boo and I both said he was fully engaged today so it’s just not an issue here.” 

READ: Preview Thursday: Week 10

The Wolverines have the No. 6 scoring offense and No. 1 scoring defense in college football. Hancock said Michigan has “played well all season” amid the ongoing sign stealing investigation. 

“Fact of the matter is no one knows what happened,” Hancock said. “The NCAA is dealing right now with allegations only. The committee makes its judgments based on what happened on the field, and clearly Michigan has been a dominant team.” 

Behind the top-four is No. 5 Washington and No. 6 Oregon, which both faced off against one another with the Huskies prevailing 36-33 in Week 6. 

Based on resumes, Florida State has two ranked wins, Washington has one and the Ducks have two. 

READ: Big Board: Week 10

Corrigan advocated for the Seminoles’ No. 4 ranking, and noted that the recent performances of the Huskies and Ducks — Washington has won its past two games by nine points or less — led to their positioning in the first CFP rankings of the year. 

“I think as you look at the full body of work, with Florida State being No. 4, the win over LSU, the win against Duke, kind of a frontloaded schedule if you will,” Corrigan said. “They’ve looked really good. Offensively putting up 41 points a game, their defense is ranked in the top 20, but again, as we looked at it overall and went through the process, we came out with Ohio State one, Georgia two, Michigan three, Florida State four. With regards to Washington, a huge win over Oregon, who we have at No. 6. But in looking at that, the game most recently, two most recent games at home against Arizona State and on the road at Stanford from a committee standpoint gave us some pause and put them in at No. 5.” 

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Sabau will bring important experience to Utah State as she oversaw the administration of all 28 of the Big Ten’s sponsored sports, according to a release. She was the chief sports officer at the Big Ten, and Sabau provided departmental oversight to the conference’s sports of football, basketball, hockey, Olympic sports and officiating among others. 

“I am energized to serve our Aggie student-athletes, coaches, staff, university, alumni, donors and the Logan community,” Sabau stated in a release. “We will compete for championships with integrity and we will build on the current momentum of Utah State Athletics.” 

Sabau previously served as senior deputy athletics director at Ohio State. She spent four years as the Buckeyes’ sport administrator on the gridiron as well as conducting a national search for a women’s ice hockey head coach, naming Nadine Muzerall to the post who later guided Ohio State to its first national championship in 2021. 

Sabau was named Big Ten deputy commissioner and chief sports office in March 2021, the first to do so in the position. 

Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti stated that he and the conference wish Sabau congratulations on her new position at Utah State. 

“Diana is a team player who has built strong relationships both internally and externally throughout her career,” Petitti stated in a release. “She places the student-athlete experience at the center of everything she does, which is one of the many reasons she was able to immediately impact the success of multiple Big Ten championships and events.” 

Sabau will start in her new position at Utah State on Aug. 21, according to a release.

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