After the recent Big Ten meetings concluded, Tony Petitti doubled down on a 24-team playoff (PO) field.

The Big Ten noted that if college football (CFB) had a 24-team field beginning in 2014, the year the field expanded to four teams and OBD played for a title, 80 programs would have made the PO.

The Athletic (NY Times $ site) broke down how many appearances the 80 programs would have qualified for.

Leading CFB with 12 appearances - Alabama and Ohio State. That's a PO 12 appearances in 12 seasons. (I know. You're shocked, right? 😁)

22 G6 teams would have qualified for at least one PO appearance.

The ACC, B12, and Notre Dame support expanding the field to 24. The SEC is the lone holdout, but SEC commissioner Greg Sankey admits that his conference is a house divided between a 16-team or a 24-team field.

For example, the president of the University of Georgia wants no more than 16 teams. Not surprising, as UGA would have made 10 PO appearances.

Every SEC team would have qualified for a 24-team PO. However, with one appearance, the presidents, athletic directors, and coaches of Arkansas and Vanderbilt have a different perspective than that of Georgia.

A decision on whether to expand the field from 12 to 24, the Big Ten will not agree to a lesser number of teams, has to be made by December 1, 2026.

The B1G 10 teams by PO appearances: 12 - Ohio State / 8 - Michigan, and Oregon / 7 - Penn State, and USC / 6 - Iowa (the same number as Texas, Ole Miss, and Oklahoma State) / 5 - Washington / 4 - Michigan State, Northwestern, and Wisconsin / 3 - Indiana (and Boise State) / 2 - UCLA / 1 - Illinois, and Minnesota.

A B1G Zip, Zero, Nada, Nudge - Rutgers, Maryland, Purdue, and Nebraska 🤪. (With Nebraska, Matt Ruhle is 0-9 vs. the Top 25, 2-25 in his career.)

How long can Sankey, on behalf of ESPN, and not on behalf of many of his member programs, especially the programs most in need of additional PO revenue, hold out?

Sankey also aggressively supports playing a conference champ game that many SEC coaches, including Lane Kiffin, don't want to play.

If the NCAA managed an FBS PO instead of a media company hosting a bowl extravaganza, the field would have been at 24 in 2014.

Tennessee coach Josh Heupel has come out in favor of 24.

Here's a take from Texas A&M coach Mike Elko. (I have yet to see a plan from those who abhor 24 that would raise close to the same money.)

'A lot' of people in college football could be headed to bankruptcy