During Big Ten Media Days, commissioner Tony Petitti continued to push for his 24-team playoff idea. In fact, the way he talked was as though it was something that’s coming sooner or later and not “if.” Unsurprisingly, after he gave his keynote opening address, one coach after another - including Nebraska’s Matt Rhule - made the case for why they all believe a 24-team College Football Playoff field is not only inevitable, but best for the sport. In the process, Petitti let one detail slip that wasn’t a shock, but certainly hasn’t been talked about much.
Petitti said that if the 24-team CFP becomes reality, the Big Ten will almost certainly do away with the conference championship game. That sentiment has been echoed among other conference commissioners over the last few years. More and more coaches have complained that championship games make it harder for a good seed to get into the playoffs.
Nebraska AD Troy Dannen let another little detail slip that might be a little more surprising if and when the playoffs move to 24 teams. He believes if that comes about, the Big Ten will also do away with a non-conference game and move to a 10-game conference slate.
We’re all assuming a playoff expansion to 24 (teams) right now,” Dannen told the Omaha World-Herald. “And, at that point, I think the Big Ten will be seriously evaluating 10 conference games.”
Troy Dannen says Nebraska football may lose a nonconference game under CFP expansion
It also seems at that point that Nebraska might look to making at least one of those two non-conference matchups a Power 4 tilt. With more seeds for at-large teams and a better chance to get into the College Football Playoff despite a loss here or there, it would make more sense to give fans what they want: more difficult opponents. Rather than Bowling Green and Ohio, could this lead to more face-offs against former Big 12 and Big 8 rivals?
Dannen says Nebraska is “down the road” on a couple of Power Four home-and-home nonconference series deep into the 2030s. For now, he’s not giving any hints on what those opponents might be or what conference they play in. The Huskers already have series against Oklahoma (2029 and 30), Arizona (2028 and 2031) and Oklahoma State (2034 and 2035), plus a home game vs. Cincinnati (2033) on the books.
NU has given cryptic hints that if the playoffs stay at 12 teams, some of those games might get booted for an easier non-conference opponent. It’s clear Dannen and others are trying a carrot-and-stick approach to get other conferences to support an expanded playoff field.
Bringing it up again was hardly a subtle approach this past week. Just ahead of the 2026 season, Petitti and the rest of the Big Ten would like to get an expanded playoff approved as quickly as possible. The quicker it gets approved, the quicker it can become reality.
The biggest question for Nebraska fans is whether having only two non-conference games is that attractive. Part of the fun is facing teams schools don’t normally see. Facing the same teams over and over can lose its luster. Of course, doing that and making the playoffs adds obvious excitement.
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