Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti made his most detailed case yet for a 24-team College Football Playoff, drawing a hard line against the 16-team format the SEC prefers. Speaking at the league's spring meetings in California, Petitti said the Big Ten has "zero conversation" about 16 and would stick with the current 12-team model if forced to choose.

The Power 4 conferences would lose more than $200 million collectively in championship game revenue under a 16-team bracket, Petitti argued. Without those marquee matchups, the economics simply don't work, and the expanded tournament wouldn't generate enough new inventory to offset the loss. His counterargument centered on access: seeding No. 1-8 teams with a bye while keeping the bottom half fighting for a spot.

Petitti invoked his time running Major League Baseball to argue that more teams in the race benefits everyone. He dismissed concerns that 24 teams would gut the regular season, pointing to tiered incentives — home games for mid-tier seeds, a protected path for the top two — that keep stakes high late into November. Michigan AD Warde Manuel said he'd accept 16 only if it led to 24, calling 24 "stops the conversation."

The Big Ten's proposal requires SEC commissioner Greg Sankey to pivot from the league's 16-team stance. Sankey and SEC leaders have yet to publicly waver. With the SEC's spring meetings next week in Florida, the rift between the two power conferences remains the biggest obstacle to any playoff expansion deal.