Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti has rolled out a brand new College Football Playoff format that, should it be adopted, would be a massive boon for the Nebraska football team. The problem is that while the Huskers would certainly benefit, the college football world would suffer to a degree that would push the regular season even further towards being totally irrelevant.
According to Pete Thamel, the Big Ten is now floating a new format that would introduce either 24 or 28 playoff teams, with the Big Ten and the SEC getting seven automatic bids each. While Thamel does make it clear the new format is in the very early stages, it has been sent to the SEC, and the conference is expected to discuss it this week.
Tony Petitti’s mega-expanded playoff would hand Nebraska football an easier postseason path
The format, which makes it easier for the Nebraska football team to contend for the postseason as long as they finish in the top half of the Big Ten, also allows the ACC and Big 12 to each get 5 auto bids. Mid-major conference winners would get two bids, and then there would be two at-large bids with the 28-team idea.
In offering this expanded playoff option, Petitti is moving ever closer to the joke Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule was skewered for earlier in the summer when he said the playoffs should include 40 teams.
This new option would take yet another step towards making the regular season and non-conference games almost completely unimportant for Power Conference teams. Seven Big Ten autobids would allow Nebraska or any other team to go 0-3 in their non-conference slate and still procure a bid in the postseason.
It also moves closer to making sure that the playoffs are only Power Conference since a Nebraska team that was ranked 8th in the Big Ten, but went 3-0 in the conference and 8-4 team in the regular season, would get a bid over a 9 or 10 win mid-major program.
With Petitti seemingly taking the wrong message from the pushback from his last attempt at getting more B1G teams back during media days, we're now left to hoping the SEC can save us. While Nebraska football fans might be enticed by the idea of a better chance at the playoffs, the long-term health of the sport won't be aided by a 28-team playoff.