Tony Petitti’s Big Ten Keeps Winning. Now His 24
Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti is increasing his public profile as the conference enjoys a period of unprecedented success in college football. Petitti is actively advocating for expanding the College Football Playoff to 24 teams by 2027.
Why it matters
The expansion of the College Football Playoff represents a major shift in the business and competitive structure of American collegiate athletics.
CHICAGO — Tony Petitti was navigating various staircases in the Hilton Chicago to get to the basement for a radio interview Tuesday. At the top of the last one, a security guard stopped him, asking to see his credential. The Big Ten commissioner got ID checked at Big Ten football media days.
The guard was doing her due diligence—and to be fair, Petitti hasn’t been much of a public figure in previous years, despite his high-profile job. It’s hard to be considered one of the faces of a multibillion-dollar industry when people don’t see your face very much.
That’s changed at this event, with Petitti increasing his engagement with the assembled media.
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