3 months ago
The 2026 college football season kicks off on Saturday. And while there are lots of notable developments on the field this time of year, there are plenty off of the field as well.
One of those came on Wednesday, when the Big Ten announced a contract extension for commissioner Tony Petitti. The extension, which runs through 2033, was unanimously approved by the league's 18 university presidents and chancellors.
"Tony has provided outstanding vision for the Conference through extremely turbulent times," COP/C Chair and President of Indiana University Pamela Whitten said in a statement. "We're thankful for his leadership and appreciate his spirit of innovation and collaboration as we continue to navigate the changing landscape of college sports."
Petitti has served as the Big Ten commissioner since 2023. While USC agreed to join the league prior to him taking over, he has overseen the transition of the four West Coast schools into the conference.
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#tony #petitti #university
One of those came on Wednesday, when the Big Ten announced a contract extension for commissioner Tony Petitti. The extension, which runs through 2033, was unanimously approved by the league's 18 university presidents and chancellors.
"Tony has provided outstanding vision for the Conference through extremely turbulent times," COP/C Chair and President of Indiana University Pamela Whitten said in a statement. "We're thankful for his leadership and appreciate his spirit of innovation and collaboration as we continue to navigate the changing landscape of college sports."
Petitti has served as the Big Ten commissioner since 2023. While USC agreed to join the league prior to him taking over, he has overseen the transition of the four West Coast schools into the conference.
Contact/Follow TrojansWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of USC Trojans news, notes and opinion.
#tony #petitti #university
3 months ago
The Big Ten and all other college sports conferences are tackling the topic of jersey patches in football and other sports. College Sports Wire picked up some of the latest details on this issue:
"Illinois and Ohio State were two schools that jumped into lucrative deals, and Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti was asked about the conference's stance on allowing individual programs to agree to such arrangements.
"'Does it make sense to allow the institutions to do it themselves? Are there certain sports you want to hold back? Should we have a conference policy?', Petitti said at Big Ten Media Days, alluding to the thoughts the conferences had when they anticipated these deals coming down. 'Our ****** ysis and the work we did with our members led to the decision that the conference should review those decisions at an institution-based level. That's where we are. It doesn't mean around championships you might do something different with an additional patch, but the core thing, we think it was best left up to the strength of our institutions, let them do the deals that they need to do and kind of go from there.'"
We saw the Big 12 negotiate a sponsorship deal which included a company logo on jersey patches but had other components as well. That deal, however, did not prevent Big 12 member schools from negotiating their own separate deals. It seems the Big Ten is not in a fundamentally different place. It will be fascinating to see how this issue evolves in the coming years.
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#sports #conferences #ISSUE
"Illinois and Ohio State were two schools that jumped into lucrative deals, and Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti was asked about the conference's stance on allowing individual programs to agree to such arrangements.
"'Does it make sense to allow the institutions to do it themselves? Are there certain sports you want to hold back? Should we have a conference policy?', Petitti said at Big Ten Media Days, alluding to the thoughts the conferences had when they anticipated these deals coming down. 'Our ****** ysis and the work we did with our members led to the decision that the conference should review those decisions at an institution-based level. That's where we are. It doesn't mean around championships you might do something different with an additional patch, but the core thing, we think it was best left up to the strength of our institutions, let them do the deals that they need to do and kind of go from there.'"
We saw the Big 12 negotiate a sponsorship deal which included a company logo on jersey patches but had other components as well. That deal, however, did not prevent Big 12 member schools from negotiating their own separate deals. It seems the Big Ten is not in a fundamentally different place. It will be fascinating to see how this issue evolves in the coming years.
Contact/Follow TrojansWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of USC Trojans news, notes and opinion.
#sports #conferences #ISSUE
3 months ago
Curt Cignetti takes high road following Indiana's historical CFP national **** le season originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Coming off a historic 2025 campaign that featured six top-10 victories and a national championship to cap a perfect 16-0 season, Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti brought his trademark directness to Big Ten Media Days.
Entering year 44 in coaching, Cignetti expressed appreciation for Commissioner Tony Petitti's leadership, alongside unwavering support from university president Pam Whitten and athletic director Scott Dolson.
Reflecting on their remarkable season—which included monumental road wins over Oregon, Iowa, and Penn State—Cignetti emphasized that the program's success is rooted in relentless daily consistency rather than looking too far ahead. "We don't talk about product, results. We don't talk about championships, playoffs, National Championships, those sorts of things, okay. I'm a firm believer in our blueprint," Cignetti said.
Addressing how the Hoosiers maintain their culture amidst significant roster turnover and modern Name, Image, and Likeness dynamics, Cignetti maintained that foundational standards remain non-negotiable.
#season #sporting #don 't
Coming off a historic 2025 campaign that featured six top-10 victories and a national championship to cap a perfect 16-0 season, Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti brought his trademark directness to Big Ten Media Days.
Entering year 44 in coaching, Cignetti expressed appreciation for Commissioner Tony Petitti's leadership, alongside unwavering support from university president Pam Whitten and athletic director Scott Dolson.
Reflecting on their remarkable season—which included monumental road wins over Oregon, Iowa, and Penn State—Cignetti emphasized that the program's success is rooted in relentless daily consistency rather than looking too far ahead. "We don't talk about product, results. We don't talk about championships, playoffs, National Championships, those sorts of things, okay. I'm a firm believer in our blueprint," Cignetti said.
Addressing how the Hoosiers maintain their culture amidst significant roster turnover and modern Name, Image, and Likeness dynamics, Cignetti maintained that foundational standards remain non-negotiable.
#season #sporting #don 't
4 months ago
A remark in Bret Bielema's introductory statement Tuesday at Big Ten Media Days lingered until he was asked about it. When the question arrived minutes later, he knew what he had done.
"Well, I think I just made the headline, right?"
Yes, but not only that — the sixth-year Illinois head coach also stoked the flames of a fiery debate about college football's most dominant conference.
While at the podium discussing the sport's ever-changing landscape, Bielema conveyed his excitement about the state of both his program and the game overall. Soon after that, he took a swing at the SEC, the conference he coached in for five seasons from 2013-17 as Arkansas' frontman.
"They kind of want to live in 2005 forever," he noted mid-sentence. That line followed Bielema touting the vision of Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti and acknowledging that his former commissioner, Greg Sankey, has to protect the SEC.
#well #soon
"Well, I think I just made the headline, right?"
Yes, but not only that — the sixth-year Illinois head coach also stoked the flames of a fiery debate about college football's most dominant conference.
While at the podium discussing the sport's ever-changing landscape, Bielema conveyed his excitement about the state of both his program and the game overall. Soon after that, he took a swing at the SEC, the conference he coached in for five seasons from 2013-17 as Arkansas' frontman.
"They kind of want to live in 2005 forever," he noted mid-sentence. That line followed Bielema touting the vision of Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti and acknowledging that his former commissioner, Greg Sankey, has to protect the SEC.
#well #soon
4 months ago
The 2026 college football season is nearly here! On Tuesday, Big Ten Media Days begin in Chicago, marking the unofficial start of the year. This year's event will be three days long, with six schools going on each day. USC is scheduled for the first day.
Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti will kick off the day with his introductory press conference at 8:45 AM Pacific Time Tuesday. He will be followed by the head coaches from USC, Illinois, Rutgers, Penn State, Wisconsin, and Iowa.
Lincoln Riley will be the last head coach of the day to speak. His press conference will be at approximately 10:45 AM Pacific Time. Both Riley and Petitti's press conferences will be broadcast live on Big Ten Network.
In addition, the Big Ten Network studio set will be having players and coaches on throughout the day. Riley will join the set between 11:15 AM and noon Pacific Time. USC quarterback Jayden Maiava and defensive linemen Alex VanSumeren and Jide Abasiri will be interviewed between 1:00 and 1:30 PM.
USC is heading into its third season in the Big Ten. After going 7-2 in conference play and finishing in fourth place in the league standings last year, the Trojans are hoping to put together an even better campaign in 2026.
#conference
Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti will kick off the day with his introductory press conference at 8:45 AM Pacific Time Tuesday. He will be followed by the head coaches from USC, Illinois, Rutgers, Penn State, Wisconsin, and Iowa.
Lincoln Riley will be the last head coach of the day to speak. His press conference will be at approximately 10:45 AM Pacific Time. Both Riley and Petitti's press conferences will be broadcast live on Big Ten Network.
In addition, the Big Ten Network studio set will be having players and coaches on throughout the day. Riley will join the set between 11:15 AM and noon Pacific Time. USC quarterback Jayden Maiava and defensive linemen Alex VanSumeren and Jide Abasiri will be interviewed between 1:00 and 1:30 PM.
USC is heading into its third season in the Big Ten. After going 7-2 in conference play and finishing in fourth place in the league standings last year, the Trojans are hoping to put together an even better campaign in 2026.
#conference
