The Big Ten wants to emphasize conference standings, prop of mediocre teams, and insert play-in games to the College Football Playoff process.
Big Ten’s playoff plan would devalue non-conference games rather than rectifying that soft portion of the schedule that needs boosted.
College football needs to put more value on interconference clashes. Don’t neuter high-stakes games between Power Four conferences. Emphasize them.

Tony Petitti says his preferred College Football Playoff format would make for a compelling November, and, on that point, I agree with the Big Ten commissioner.

November, though, doesn’t require a commissioner’s help. That portion of college football’s calendar already rocks, full of epic rivalries and crucial games that influence playoff qualifications and seeding.

On a wild Saturday last November, Florida upset Mississippi and Oklahoma stunned Alabama in results that altered the playoff field. That same day, Penn State barely survived Minnesota, and Arizona State wriggled past Brigham Young in a thriller with playoff stakes.

Regular-season television ratings peak in November. It’s the rest of the season that could use a boost.

That’s where Petitti’s controversial 4+4+2+2+1+3 playoff plan falls flat.

Big Ten playoff plan would devalue non-conference games

Petitti claims to want a playoff model that would improve the regular season, but his plan wouldn’t achieve that goal.

The surest way to improve the season would be to incentivizing teams to play tough non-conference games and reduce the feast of cupcake games that shackle the season’s early weeks. Petitti, though, aims to devalue non-conference games.

November would stay great in his plan, and play-in Saturday would generate buzz, but his idea to award more than 80% of the playoff bids based on conference standings and play-in games would diminish September and, to a lesser extent, even October.

“Fans will gravitate to” play-in games, Petitti said Tuesday at Big Ten media days.

At what cost?

One play-in Saturday is not worth deflating September.

If the playoff became a Petitti production based mostly on conference results, interconference games like Ohio State-Texas, LSU-Clemson and Michigan-Oklahoma would become glorified exhibitions.

Play-in Saturday could prop up average teams

Petitti admits to wanting to prolong the playoff hopes of average teams. He sees the chance for an 8-4 Big Ten team winning a play-in game and cracking the playoff as an asset, not a detriment. I see a structure that would make the season’s first two months less relevant.

I’m envisioning a scenario in which Iowa loses to Iowa State in a September non-conference matchup, and the Hawkeyes slog to 8-4 before winning a play-in game to reach the playoff, while the Cyclones go 10-2, lose a play-in game and miss the playoff.

That’s how a playoff becomes a farce.

Fortunately, Petitti’s playoff plan is going nowhere fast. He’s failed to gain support from other conferences. The playoff format for 2026 and beyond remains undecided.

Petitti would like to diminish the selection committee’s role and, as he puts it, allow playoff spots to be decided on the field and not in a boardroom. In practice, his plan not only would diminish the selection committee, but it also could dilute the influence of some November results.

Alabama, Mississippi and Miami lost to unranked opponents late last November, results that bounced them from the playoff. If Petitti’s model had been in place, the losing teams would have retained a playoff path through play-in games.

I don’t see how college football’s season improves if Syracuse upsetting Miami on the final day of November carries no weight on the playoff picture.

How to actually improve college football’s regular season

Petitti’s playoff plan would earmark four automatic bids for the Big Ten and four more for the SEC – that’s half of a 16-team field – while the Big 12 and ACC received only two automatic bids apiece.

Is it any wonder why the Big Ten hatched this plan, and the Big 12 and ACC detest it?

If Petitti wants to get serious about improving the regular season, then he’s going about this backward by focusing on conference standings and propping up mediocre teams.

Here’s how you improve the regular season: Preserve automatic bids for conference champions, but keep most of the playoff bracket open to at-large bids, and devise a system in which the playoff committee values meaningful non-conference results while evaluating bubble teams.

As it is now, Big Ten teams like Indiana and Nebraska are canceling their toughest non-conference games in favor of weaker schedules, and SEC teams cling to their Championship Subdivision games like a child hugs a security blanket. 

These gimme games bog down the schedule, particularly early in the season.

To rectify that, task the selection committee to reward teams that schedule – and win – tough non-conference games and hold accountable bubble teams that beefed up their record purely by blasting patsies.

Do this, and you’d spur more Big Ten vs. SEC games, of which there are only three this season. Likewise, only three SEC teams will play a Big 12 opponent. Generating more high-stakes non-conference clashes between Power Four opponents not only would become a boon for September audience, those games also would help the committee separate the wheat from the chaff come selection time.

Imagine if Oklahoma played Oklahoma State this October, instead of Kent State, or if Texas played Texas Tech in September, instead of Sam Houston, or if Southern California opened the season against Missouri, instead of Missouri State.

That’s how you improve the season.

College football needs a play-in Saturday in December less than it needs more significant non-conference games, some of which could restore rivalries that conference realignment interrupted.

College basketball figured this out. The NCAA men’s tournament selection committee values victories against opponents within the top quadrants and thereby rewards teams that schedule tough. Qualifying for March Madness isn’t purely an exercise of assembling a fine record. Who you played, and who you beat, matters. Teams that avoid tough games are held accountable in bubble debates.

Petitti claims he’s got college football’s regular season at heart in his playoff plan. He’s wrong. His playoff plan would diminish and neglect the non-conference portion of the schedule that needs enhancement.

Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.

LATROBE, Penn. – Like always, T.J. Watt expects the rigors of Pittsburgh Steelers training camp will come with a night out with teammates at Sharky’s Café, the popular sports bar minutes away from St. Vincent College.

After all, some traditions never get old. And with the Steelers descending on the quaint Catholic school for training camp for the 58th year, Sharky’s is just the place to break the monotony of summer practices…while munching on chicken wings.

“All the traditions, that makes this place special,” Watt said Wednesday, shortly after checking into the Steelers camp with a fresh, three-year contract worth $123 million.

One guess who’ll be springing for the tab at Sharky’s. And then some.

“Yeah, I’ll be picking up the check for quite some time,” Watt, 30, confirmed. “I’ve got no problem doing that.”

It’s no wonder. Watt’s historic deal averages $41 million, which tops the $40 million-per-year figure for Cleveland Browns star Myles Garrett and makes him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history. The contract has $108 million guaranteed and came with a $40 million signing bonus.

That mega deal is some kind of calling card for the former NFL Defensive Player of the Year. And it begs for comparative context.

Consider T.J.’s big brother, J.J. During his 12-year NFL career, J.J. Watt earned three NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards and collected $129.7 million in compensation.

That T.J. nearly matched his brother’s career earnings with the extension signed last week prompted a hilarious reaction from J.J.

In a post on X, J.J. posted, “I swear if this guy ever lets me begin to reach for my wallet at dinner…”

T.J. chuckled when reminded on J.J.’s social media dig.

“We’ve always had really good banter,” he said. “J.J.’s covered the checks for a lot of my life. I have no problem repaying the favor, but he’s done pretty damn well for himself.”

All joking aside, Watt’s big contract invites a huge question reflective with the huge hole in his impressive NFL resume.

Will Watt, heading into his ninth NFL season, finally help the Steelers win a playoff game? For all of his achievements – Watt was the second-fastest player in NFL history to notch 100 sacks, a pace bettered only by the great Reggie White – he’s still seeking his first NFL playoff victory as Pittsburgh has won all of zero playoff games since 2016.

“I think staying healthy is a huge thing. Rotating. Staying fresh,” Watt said, when someone asked what needs to happen for Pittsburgh to avoid its recent pattern of late-season swoons. “I think it’s the way we approach practice and everything. Everything you do is contagious, one way or another. So, I’m just trying to be the best teammate I can be, day in and day out.”

No, it’s never all on one player, even one as gifted as Watt. Yet having him in the fold from the start of camp undoubtedly eliminates the possibility of a major distraction that might have dampened the “all-in” buzz that exists after such an eye-popping offseason.

Pittsburgh lured Aaron Rodgers as a free agent, plus swung trades that landed star wideout DK Metcalf, premier cornerback Jalen Ramsey and versatile tight end Jonnu Smith. The Steelers added play-making cornerback Darius Slay and crafty receiver Robert Woods. The draft brought defensive end Derrick Harmon and a promising running back in Kaleb Johnson.

After such an aggressive offseason, not coming to camp without sealing the deal with Watt – the negotiations lingered for months – would have been a bad look.

Sure, it’s business. And after Garrett struck a deal with the Browns, topping the contract that Maxx Crosby signed with the Las Vegas Raiders that is worth $35.5 million per year, the market for edge rushers keeps escalating.

And it’s likely that Watt’s “highest-paid” tag comes with a short shelf life, with Dallas Cowboys star Micah Parsons next in line for a new deal.

With training camps open, time to grade every NFL team’s offseason – just two get A’s

While Parsons reported to Cowboys camp without a new contract, the drama has dominated the early stages of camp – much like the (since-resolved) cases of Dak Prescott and Cee Dee Lamb put a drag on Dallas’ camp last year.

No, there’s no circus in Steelers camp, at least not when it comes to contract matters. After swinging all the big offseason moves, GM Omar Khan sure checked that other crucial box in coming to terms with Watt’s agents.

How do you spell relief?

“Certainly, we’re glad that the business component of it is done and he’s here and ready to work,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said after putting the squad through its annual conditioning test to open camp. “But I don’t know about the relief component of it.

“I just know when two sides are properly motivated – him wanting to be here and us wanting him here – it was a matter of time before it worked out. I think the speed in which it happened, once they really got focused and serious, is reflective of that.”

Steelers’ new throwback uniforms honor 1933 Pittsburgh Pirates, not bumblebees

Watt heard all of the rumblings during the offseason, as the negotiations dragged on. Some of it seemed absurd, like suggestions the Steelers would put their defensive centerpiece on the trade block. There was also a theory that Watt wouldn’t sign until Garrett and Crosby’s deals were done to set the market, which is, well, what happened.

A few months ago, Watt – who didn’t participate in the offseason workout program and skipped the team’s mandatory minicamp — posted a cryptic message on Instagram. It was a photo of himself in a Steelers uniform, flashing a peace sign.

“Sometimes, it’s just fun to have fun with the narratives out there,” Watt said. “I’m very in-tuned with what’s going on in negotiations and how things are going. It’s fun to see what all you guys are writing, thinking that things are one way and they’re completely a different way. So, sometimes it’s fun.”

Well, it’s all business now for Watt. And given his contract and the expectations, it’s pretty big business.

Follow Jarrett Bell on social media: On X: @JarrettBell

On Bluesky: jarrettbell.bsky.social

LAS VEGAS — He’s selling it because he believes it. Or maybe there’s no alternative when you’re deep into the buildout.

Oregon is doubling down, Dan Lanning says. Just one bad game away for the program that spent more time than any other at No. 1 last season — then played its worst game since the last time they played the eventual national champion.

And lost by 46.

That was Lanning’s first game at Oregon in 2022, a brutal loss at the hands of Georgia that can only be eclipsed by the brutal loss at the hands of eventual national champion Ohio State in last year’s Rose Bowl College Football Playoff quarterfinal — as the nation’s No.1 team and national title favorite.

But ignore those bookend beatdowns, there’s a bigger picture here.

“The process works,” Lanning said on the dais at Big Ten Media Days, throwing talking points chum to the masses. “We’re close.”

This, of course, means next to nothing in the coaching world of ‘you’re the last thing you put on tape.’

So I got Lanning away from the stage Wednesday, and asked what exactly does doubling down mean? Oregon has won 35 games in his three seasons, and last year won the conference championship in its first season in the Big Ten.

The Ducks have hit nearly every significant metric of growth under Lanning, from elite recruiting, to a winning record vs. ranked teams, to sitting on top of the college football world for nearly two months.

MAN WITH PLAN: Oregon’s Lanning pitches playoff that ends Jan. 1

So what in the name of Dan Fouts does doubling down mean?

“We’ve had a lot of success, and I really attribute that to our growth mindset,” Lanning said. “Our DNA mindset of who we are.”

Wait, what? 

So I got annoyed with the nothing answer, and Lanning got annoyed at me — and the next thing you know, Kirby Smart arrived. And by Kirby Smart, I mean the aura of the best coach in college football and Lanning’s mentor.

And it went about like what you’d think.

“Doubling down is continuing to work your ass off at practice,” Lanning said. “Doubling down is continuing to run when your body tells you ‘no.’ Doubling down is getting necessary sleep. It’s focusing intently on all those pieces and more. All the time.”

Hallelujah, now we’re getting somewhere. 

There’s a reason Lanning and three Oregon players who attended Big Ten media days were peppered with questions about the loss to Ohio State, and the impact moving forward. And it’s not because of the hoard of swooning Ohio State media endlessly reliving Scarlet and Gray glory.

When you fail so spectacularly on the biggest stage of all, there must be a complete deconstruction of the disaster. It’s not simply losing to a better team, which Ohio State was on that day. 

It’s how did it fall apart so quickly, and how was the preparation so ineffective? How was an Oregon team built for this moment so out of its element?

Ohio State scored on the third play of the game. Ohio State’s first two scoring drives took all of six plays. 

Ohio State led by 31 midway through the second quarter, and Oregon looked a whole lot like the Ducks team that was dismantled in Lanning’s first game against Georgia. Outcoached, outplayed, outclassed. 

So yeah, it’s a fair question to ask how that Rose Bowl loss translates to 2025, especially considering this talented Oregon team has gone from a record-setting quarterback (Dillon Gabriel) with 63 career starts, to one (Dante Moore) with five.

You don’t grind for three years on a buildout, painstakingly changing everything about a program and molding it into what Nick taught Kirby and Kirby taught you, and ignore the elephant in the room.

“A lot of work, man, a lot of it,” said Oregon linebacker Bryce Boettcher, a two-sport athlete who returned for his senior season instead of playing professional baseball. 

He hasn’t forgotten the suddenness of what happened in Pasadena on New Year’s Day. Why in the world would he? 

“It drives you,” Boettcher continued. “It’s hard to explain, the way it ended. That’s a problem. That’s not something you ever forget.”

And that’s where Lanning tangibly doubled down on what he knows works. He protected his roster from key transfer portal defections, and added a handful of critical pieces (starting OTs Isaiah World and Alex Harkey, RB Makhi Hughes) to solidify the team around Moore.

He went from taking a small group of players on a leadership retreat, to taking 35. Because more is better when adversity hits, and because good teams are led by coaches. Great teams are led by players.

Great teams that can withstand giving up a touchdown on the third play of the Rose Bowl, and not crawl into a fetal position at the thought of it all.

A great, player-led team goes on the road this year in the Big Ten, and isn’t impacted by a whiteout at Penn State, or a 3,000-mile trip to Piscataway, New Jersey. Because who among us wouldn’t travel three time zones to reach lovely Piscataway? 

A great, player-led team isn’t concerned with anything but doubling down and completing the buildout.

“What happened last year has nothing to do with the future,” Lanning said. 

Neither do the bookend beatdowns. 

But they’re all part of the bigger picture.

Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB.

Hulk Hogan, legendary wrestler, has died at 71.

Real name Terry Bollea, Hogan rose to prominence as a wrestling superstar in the 1970s, eventually crossing over into superstardom as part of World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in the 1980s.

The enduring image of Hogan was bodyslamming Andre the Giant in the main event of WrestleMania III.

‘Hulkamania’ ran wild all the way into the 1990s, when he found himself in World Championship Wrestling (WCW), where he was later reborn as the villainous ‘Hollywood’ Hulk Hogan, leader of the infamous nWo faction. He later returned to WWE in the early 2000s, kicking off his final full-time run with the company, before signing with Total Nonstop Action (TNA) Wrestling in the mid-2000s. He made sporadic WWE appearances in the decades that followed.

Hogan was the subject of several controversies, including a racist rant caught on video and a highly publicized lawsuit vs. Gawker Media. He also gained notoriety for striking down attempts at unionization within the wrestling industry.

Still, Hogan’s superstardom exceeded the confines of the squared circle and permeated pop culture in a way few before and after have been able to accomplish.

The wrestling world paid homage to the ‘Hulkster’ following news of his death Thursday:

The WNBA regular season heats up as the Indiana Fever host the Las Vegas Aces in a highly anticipated matchup on Thursday, July 24.

The Fever will be without Caitlin Clark, who has been ruled out of the game against the Aces due to a right groin injury. This will mark the 12th regular-season game that Clark has missed. Ahead of tonight’s game, the Fever announced Clark underwent further medical evaluations earlier this week, which confirmed no additional injuries or damage. There is no timetable for her return, however, as Clark and the team prioritize the All-Star guard’s long-term health.

The Fever are aiming to snap a two-game losing streak after their recent loss to the New York Liberty. All-Star Kelsey Mitchell led the Fever in scoring in the loss, recording 29 points, two rebounds and two assists.

The Aces are currently enjoying their first three-game winning streak of the season after an 87-72 deafeat of the Atlanta Dream. Three-time MVP A’ja Wilson led the team with 24 points and 12 rebounds, while Jackie Young and Dana Evans contributed a combined total of 28 points in the victory.

Here is how to watch the Indiana Fever take on the Las Vegas Aces tonight:

What time is Las Vegas Aces vs. Indiana Fever?

The Indiana Fever will host the Las Vegas Aces on Thursday, July 24 at 7 p.m. ET at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Fans can watch the action on Prime Video.

How to watch Las Vegas Aces vs. Indiana Fever: TV, stream

Time: 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. PT)
Location: Gainbridge Fieldhouse (Indianapolis)
Streaming: Prime Video
Local TV: WTHR Channel 13 (Indianapolis), Vegas 34 (Las Vegas).

The game will also be available to view on demand on WNBA League Pass after it concludes.

Stream Aces vs. Fever on Prime

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The father of Jacksonville Jaguars rookie Travis Hunter is being released from jail in Palm Beach County, Florida, after the state of Florida decided at a court hearing July 24 to withdraw its allegation that he violated his probation there.

Travis Hunter Sr., 39, was arrested July 22 after he allegedly violated his probation stemming from drug and gun charges in 2023.

His probation officer said he violated the “community control” portion of his three-year probation sentence when there was an 11-minute lapse in tracking his whereabouts on his electronic monitoring device. Under community control, he is generally required to be confined to his home under monitoring from the device, which generated a “bracelet gone” alarm for 11 minutes on the night of June 28, according to the officer’s report.

“It was beeping for I think 10 or 11 minutes, and then it was plugged back in, and they verified that he’s where he was supposed to be (at his home),” Hunter’s attorney Bradford Cohen said via Zoom at a court hearing July 24. “I don’t know if it was a low battery.”

As a result of the alleged violation, Hunter Sr. was taken into custody and held without bond until the hearing in court before Judge Howard Coates July 24. Hunter’s attorney told the judge he was prepared to admit to the probation violation as part of an agreement with the state to release Hunter and reinstate the terms of Hunter’s probation. But the judge advised that such an admission would require a guilty plea that could stack up against Hunter Sr. if he violated probation again.

“Once you get the violation, it’s cumulative in this court,” the judge said at the hearing, which was also viewable via Zoom. “The second violation will be dealt with more harshly.”

The attorney for the state then agreed to just withdraw the allegation instead and reinstate the terms of his probation as if it never happened.

“Mr. Hunter, you should be released forthwith,” the judge said. “There will be an order entered reinstating your probation.”

Travis Hunter’s father in the spotlight more as son soars

Hunter Sr. has been in the public eye recently after his son, the Heisman Trophy winner from Colorado, mentioned him in his speech at the Heisman ceremony in December. Hunter Jr. brought attention to his legal situation then when he mentioned his father couldn’t be there then or at other times previously.

Travis Hunter’s father arrested in Florida after alleged probation violation

Then in recent months, Hunter Sr. has made special requests in court related to his son. He asked for the court’s permission to attend the NFL draft with his son in Wisconsin in April and then attend his son’s wedding in Tennessee in May. The judge granted both requests.

But the judge denied his request to modify his probation so he could be with his son more frequently as he begins his rookie season in Jacksonville.

Why Travis Hunter’s father is on probation

His probation stems from traffic stop in Lantana, Florida, in November 2023, after the police said he didn’t have “any lights for the tag” on his car, according to the police report. Police identified him as a habitual traffic offender with no driver’s license and subjected him to a search that allegedly found drugs and a backpack with a pistol and loaded magazine, according to court records.

Hunter Sr., a former standout athlete in Palm Beach County, ended up being charged with illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon after a prior conviction in 2018 for “sale or possession of heroin with intent to sell.” He reached a plea deal in 2024 that included a sentence of 90 days in jail. He got released on Dec. 5, just nine days before his son’s Heisman ceremony in New York.

He also was sentenced to three years of probation, including one year of community control supervision.

Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com