Big Ten commish says a 24-team playoff would make regular season more meaningful, not less

RANCHO PALOS VERDES, Calif. (AP) — Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti painted his conference's 24-team College Football Playoff proposal as a way of making the regular season more meaningful — not less — and said he's surprised he keeps having to explain that to a stout group of critics who favor a smaller expansion.

“When I was in baseball, we never had to convince people that keeping more people in the race is better for everybody,” Petitti, who helped shepherd in playoff expansion when he was with Major League Baseball from 2008-20, said Tuesday. “But I feel like, in this space, we're being asked to do that.”

Petitti met with reporters on the second day of the league's spring meetings. He spelled out the reasoning behind the push for a 24-team playoff and projected a sense of unanimity among his coaches and athletic directors in favor of doubling the tournament from its current 12-team format.

He once again said there was no real love in his league for what the Southeastern Conference prefers — a move to 16 teams that, under one scenario, would put every playoff team in action on the first week.

“I don’t understand the motivation to play a championship game without a bye,” he said.

But, Petitti asked, if leagues got rid of the title games, then in a 16-team format that adds only two games to the playoffs, “what's the economics” to make up what he estimates is $200 million in revenue the Power Four conferences would lose?

Over the past few weeks, both the Atlantic Coast and Big 12 conferences have said they would prefer a move to 24 teams.

In what might have been the week's biggest eye-opener, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said on “The Paul Finebaum Show” that at his own league meetings in Florida next week, he expects “a lot of our coaches, a lot of our athletic directors and probably some others (will) think 24 is the right direction.”

That would mark a seismic shift from where the SEC has been for the past year.

Sensing the gulf between the SEC and his own league — the two conferences that must agree to a change — Petitti said the Big Ten shifted away from a model with multiple automatic qualifiers to one that would place 23 at-large teams selected by the committee into the new bracket, with one slot reserved for a Group of 6 program.

Games in the first two rounds would be played on campus.

Petitti said the system created enough “tiers” — with eight first-round byes, eight more first-round home games and the last eight spots going to teams simply looking for a playoff berth — to generate interest in regular-season games across the country, and down to the wire.

“I don't get why we can't have a Minnesota-Iowa game have a big impact every so often — or every year, actually,” Petitti said.

Because the leagues haven't been able to agree, the upcoming season's playoff will be a 12-team affair. The deadline to decide about 2027 is Dec. 1.

Such a big expansion would involve a huge amount of logistical maneuvering, most important of which would be figuring out what to do with conference title games and selling the 12 new playoff games to TV partners.

All would be worth the work, Petitti insisted.

“I don't understand the basic premise that more games that have an impact or keep you in the hunt isn't the right thing to do,” he said.

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FILE - Greg Sankey, commissioner of the Southeastern Conference, speaks during NCAA college basketball women's SEC Media Day, Oct. 16, 2024, in Birmingham, Ala. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart, File)

FILE - The Big Ten logo is seen on the field at Husky Stadium during an NCAA college football game, Oct. 25, 2025, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson, File)

FILE - Big Ten Conference Commissioner Tony Petitti speaks during an news conference at the Big Ten Conference NCAA college football media days at Lucas Oil Stadium, July 26, 2023, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — It was only a matter of time before Washington Nationals outfielder James Wood hit a grand slam.

But an inside-the-park shot, like the one Wood smashed in Tuesday’s 9-6 victory over the New York Mets?

“I didn’t think it would be like this,” Wood said. “That was a fun way to get it.”

Down 5-0, the Nationals loaded the bases with two outs in the second inning against Mets starter Nolan McLean. Wood hit a first-pitch sweeper to the opposite field, where it glanced off the leaping Nick Morabito’s arm and bounded into center.

“When I saw that, I kind of just knew it was a full-on sprint home,” the 23-year-old Wood said of his 53rd career home run. “That’s probably why my eyes got big.”

Center fielder Tyrone Taylor braced himself before running into the wall before looking at Morabito, who pointed to the carom before giving chase himself.

“He lost track of the baseball,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “He went after and then he didn’t know where the ball was. That’s a tough break there.”

Wood scampered around the bases in 15.15 seconds and slid headfirst across the plate well ahead of the throw for his first career grand slam and 13th homer of the season.

It was the ninth inside-the-park grand slam in the majors since 1994. The previous one was hit by Toronto’s Raimel Tapia on July 22, 2022.

“When they get over the fence, obviously I think James enjoys that more so he doesn’t have to run as hard or as far,” first-year Nationals manager Blake Butera said. “But that was pretty cool. I think everyone was pretty fired up, talking some smack that he can’t hit it over the fence.”

The Nationals have two inside-the-park grand slams since the franchise moved to Washington in 2005. Michael A. Taylor hit the other Sept. 8, 2017, at home against Philadelphia.

Three of the four inside-the-park grand slams this century were hit at Nationals Park. Philadelphia’s Aaron Altherr connected for one at Washington on Sept. 25, 2015.

Now, Wood has joined that small club.

“It’s probably the biggest smile I’ve seen on his face since I’ve gotten to know him,” Butera said.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

New York Mets third baseman Brett Baty (7) watches Washington Nationals' James Wood head home on a inside-the-park grand slam during the second inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, May 19, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)

Washington Nationals' Drew Millas, right, celebrates as the Nationals' James Wood slides into home on a inside the park grand slam home run during the second inning of a baseball game against the New York Mets, Tuesday, May 19, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)

Washington Nationals' James Wood hits an inside the park grand slam home run during the second inning of a baseball game against the New York Mets, Tuesday, May 19, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)

Washington Nationals' James Wood slides into home as New York Mets catcher Luis Torrens waits for the throw on an inside the park gland slam home run during the second inning of a baseball game Tuesday, May 19, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)