Big Ten commish Tony Petitti refuses to back down from new College Football Playoff expansion proposal after Greg Sankey's SEC Media Days remarks

The Big Ten and SEC are two of the most powerful conferences in college football. The last four national champions have come from them, giving the conferences a significant say in the decision-making process in collegiate football.

Ahead of the 2025 season, there has been considerable discussion about the College Football Playoff format expansion for the foreseeable future. According to On3's Brett McMurphy, the Big Ten's stance is clear.

"The Big Ten will not back off its preferred College Football Playoff format for 2026, guaranteeing B1G 4 automatic qualifiers, unless SEC decides to add 9th league game. There’s no way (Big Ten commissioner) Tony (Petitti) moves off four AQs meaning 12-team playoff likely will return in 2026," McMurphy tweeted on Wednesday.

This report comes after SEC commissioner Greg Sankey indicated that the 12-team playoffs could remain if a resolution isn’t met with his Big Ten counterpart. The Big Ten isn't backing down unless its demands are met.

According to On3 in June, conference commissioners opted to "start over" on choosing the 2026 CFP format. Initially, the Big Ten and SEC wanted four automatic qualifiers each, with two automatics coming from the Big 12 and ACC. However, the Big 12 and ACC rejected the idea.

The SEC later chose not to support the 4 AQ model, but championed the 5 AQ+11 at-large format for a 16-team playoff.

According to the report, the Big Ten will not support the 5+11 format as the SEC remains at eight conference games. That's because the Big Ten plays just three nonconference games, while the SEC plays four. The Big Ten feels that it is a drawback if the selection committee chooses 11 at-large teams.

Big Ten and SEC teams dominate 2025 national championship odds

According to BET MGM, the Big Ten and SEC are the favorites to win the next national championship. Reigning champions and Big Ten powerhouse, the Ohio State Buckeyes, have the best odds at +525. Perennial semifinalists and SEC team, the Texas Longhorns, have +550 odds. Fellow SEC program, the Georgia Bulldogs, round out the top three with +700 odds.

The Buckeyes are fresh off an excellent 2024 campaign that culminated in a national championship. Ryan Day likely favors his team's chances of going back-to-back, and the oddmakers agree.

The Longhorns are one of the biggest talent factories in college football. They are confident of going all the way with Arch Manning at center and Steve Sarkisian calling the shots.

Then there's the Bulldogs. The Kirby Smart-coached team were the previous back-to-back national champions. It will look to make a strong title charge in the coach's 10th season in charge.