This Week in the West: Big Ten commissioner talks radical CFP format, Pac-12 expansion and a nugget in the ACC settlement

The offseason is definitely not the slow season as yet another week delivered news impacting both the Pac- legacy schools and other universities across the region Here are three developments you might have missed Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti talks future CFP format Nitty gritty Petitti is the man behind the radical - - - - playoff model that would grant the Big Ten and SEC four automatic bids but he had not publicly explained his reasoning until appearing on Fox analyst Joel Klatt s podcast earlier this week Why it matters Petitti doesn t care for the spotlight and can get away with radio silence on bulk guidelines issues But not when it comes to the College Football Playoff and a format that would dramatically alter the sport s competitive landscape beginning with the season The Hotline was critical of his silence as were other media outlets College sports is not like the corporate world it s not even like professional sports As gatekeepers to the playoff the conference commissioners must make their event to the populace Petitti s silence allowed the SEC s Greg Sankey to gain control of the narrative and position his conference in opposition to Petitti s proposal That was a big predicament for the Big Ten Interestingly Petitti chose a friendly space to definitively explain himself since Fox is the Big Ten s primary media partner And he made good points There s considerable merit to the AQ model in which of the bids would be reserved for automatic qualifiers The SEC and Big Ten would receive four each the ACC and Big would receive two one would be reserved for the top crew outside the Power Four Primarily it would promote marquee non-conference matchups because only the results within league play would matter to the qualification process That mentioned the SEC ACC and Big have good reason to advocacy the so-called format in which there would be five berths for conference champions and at-large slots In our view the ACC and Big don t have a choice The CFP necessities resolution by December so ESPN can begin planning its initiatives for the fall of Sankey has been involved in college sports for his entire career and understands the need to bring the community along as this momentous process plays out Petitti completely appears to have grasped that reality but it could be too late The Big Ten s radical plan has lost momentum Pac- adds Texas State for Nitty gritty The rebuilt conference landed the final school needed to meet Football Bowl Subdivision certification requirements prior to its revival on July Why it matters The conference had eight schools locked up last fall but Gonzaga doesn t count toward the FBS minimum Nine months later and on the third anniversary of USC and UCLA announcing they were leaving for the Big Ten the Pac- secured its future The conference could add football- or basketball-only schools in coming weeks but no longer has a hole in its membership that must be filled And for the first time the Pac- s borders will extend into the Central Time Zone into a state where money flows and football is king As the Hotline noted Monday following the official announcement Texas State is certainly not Texas or Texas A M or even Texas Tech But in particular regards the Bobcats will serve the same purpose just on a relative basis Commissioner Teresa Gould clearly believes Texas State is a valuable chip for the long haul They re relentless they re going to invest they re going to position themselves to compete at the highest level Gould disclosed during an appearance on Canzano Wilner The Podcast that covered a slew of issues They were a perfect fit in terms of our competitive aspirations Those aspirations are based on establishing the rebuilt Pac- as the fifth-best conference in the FBS and claiming a playoff berth regardless of the format on a regular basis ACC settlement terms with Florida State Clemson disclosed Nitty gritty The conference and its rebellious members agreed to drop litigation against each other back in March but only now is the completed version available for masses inspection The drop in departure costs is exactly what was revealed months ago Starting in schools can leave for million Why it matters The ACC is the next rupture point for the sport with Florida State and Clemson hoping to jump to the SEC or Big Ten as soon as it becomes financially feasible Related Articles College football recruiting Oregon lands Iheanacho Jackson in huge week Mailbag Pac- finances MW media options the Memphis factor and more Big kills preseason media poll in response to CFP selection process Pac- expansion Texas State completes Texas expansion quest from s Pac- expansion Texas St becomes th member as realignment rolls on That date appears to be when the penalty plunges and the Big Ten begins a new media contract cycle and would in theory be interested in expansion But there are other doable outcomes for the sport in the s including the creation of a super league The ACC settlement addresses that as well with what s described as the option of limited withdrawal according to The Athletic It allows a group of schools to join a single sport league conference or other association for considerably less than if an individual member sought to join another conference Put another way The stipulation creates a pathway for the top ACC football schools to join a super league before the s We re skeptical that option will exist but it s a notable advancement nonetheless for what could be the next conference to liquefy Send suggestions comments and tips confidentiality guaranteed to wilnerhotline bayareanewsgroup com or call - - Follow me on the social media platform X WilnerHotline