Big Ten has a specific plan for football scheduling in 12-team playoff era

At Big Ten media days, the reality of the 12-team College Football Playoff era was acknowledged alongside the arrival of USC and the new West Coast schools. Commissioner Tony Petitti discussed how he wants a Big Ten football regular season to set up — and maximize — College Football Playoff berths for the conference.

Petitti specifically stressed the need to have lots of great late-season matchups with likely playoff implications, so that more fan bases and schools remain interested in the playoff discussion for a larger portion of the season. Wanting stadiums to be filled in November, not just September and October, was a clear point of focus. Having teams in the playoff hunt and being able to have two playoff-contending teams battle each other for a playoff spot late in the season are evident priorities for the Big Ten.

Some people might wonder why USC is playing Michigan in September, then. Shouldn’t that game have been pushed back? The possible answer is that USC isn’t viewed as a national title or playoff contender on the same level that Michigan is.

It brings up a point: If USC does really well this year and in 2025, the Trojans will play featured Big Ten games later in the season in 2026 and beyond.

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