Clemson and Penn State are tied for the most USA TODAY Sports preseason All-America first-team selections with three.
Eight teams had three or more players earn first- or second-team honors: Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, LSU, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State and Texas.
Clemson QB Cade Klubnik is a USA TODAY Sports preseason All-America first-team selection and is a Heisman Trophy favorite.

There was no bigger no-brainer than Smith, who dominated the Big Ten as a true freshman in helping lead the Buckeyes to the national championship. He’s one of two Ohio State standouts to land on the first team, along with safety Caleb Downs, that were unanimous selections.

Clemson and Penn State tied for the most first-team selections with three. Eight teams had three or more players earn first- or second-team honors: Clemson with five, Penn State with four and Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Oregon, Ohio State and Texas with three.

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Voting for the preseason All-America teams was conducted by 27 members of the USA TODAY Sports Network.

The biggest debate might’ve come at running back. Penn State alone has two backs with first-team résumés in Nicholas Singleton and Katron Allen. Voters placed Singleton on the first team, joining Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love, while Allen and Oregon’s Makhi Hughes landed on the second team.

Overall, 18 teams in the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll had at least one selection.

First team

Offense

QB Cade Klubnik, Clemson

After taking the leap as a second-year starter in 2024 (36 touchdowns), Klubnik is expected to make a serious run at the Heisman Trophy as Clemson chases the third national championship under Dabo Swinney.

RB Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame

RB Nicholas Singleton, Penn State

Love (1,125 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns in 2024) is a big-play threat who could find even more running room should Notre Dame strike an even firmer run-pass balance behind a new starting quarterback. Singleton (1,099 yards and 12 scores) got the nod over Allen, but the two combine to make the Nittany Lions’ running game a physical force.

WR Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State

WR Ryan Williams, Alabama

TE Eli Stowers, Vanderbilt

Smith (1,315 yards, 15 touchdowns) is simply a generational talent. Williams tailed off down the stretch last season (48 catches for 865 yards) and will need to be more consistent to help Ty Simpson ease into the starting role. A former quarterback, Stowers (49 catches for 638 yards) has been a key part behind Vanderbilt’s recent surge.

OT Spencer Fano, Utah

OT Kadyn Proctor, Alabama

OG Olaivavega Ioane, Penn State

OG Ar’maj Reed-Adams, Texas A&M

C Jake Slaughter, Florida

Fano was a day-one starter for Utah and is a virtual lock for All-America honors on either side of the line. Proctor (6-foot-7, 360 pounds) is poised to fulfill his five-star potential thanks to a unique combination of size, power and agility. Ioane is the face of a vastly improved Penn State front as he enters his second year as a starter. Reed-Adams is a former Kansas transfer who helped the Aggies rank second in the SEC in rushing yards per game in 2024. Slaughter is odds-on favorite to capture the Rimington Trophy as the nation’s top center.

Defense

DE Dylan Stewart, South Carolina

DT Peter Woods, Clemson

DT Zane Durant, Penn State

DE T.J. Parker, Clemson

Stewart (10½ tackles for loss) is one of the elite young players in the SEC. Woods (8½ tackles for loss) and Parker (11 sacks) are two reasons why Clemson is the unquestioned favorite in the ACC. Durant (11 tackles for loss) is among the most disruptive interior linemen in the Power Four.

LB Anthony Hill, Texas

LB Kyle Louis, Pittsburgh

LB Whit Weeks, LSU

After monster 2024 (113 tackles and 16½ stops for loss), Hill will be asked to take on an even bigger role for the Longhorns’ reworked defense. Louis (15½ tackles for loss, four interceptions) might be the most well-rounded linebacker in the Bowl Subdivision. LSU’s defense made only slight gains last season and will need continued excellence from Weeks (125 stops) to contend for the top of the SEC.

CB Jermod McCoy, Tennessee

CB Leonard Moore, Notre Dame

S Caleb Downs, Ohio State

S Dillon Thieneman, Oregon

McCoy (team-best 13 passes defended) is a true stopper on the outside who was outstanding in his first year in the SEC. Moore (two interceptions) made quarterbacks look the other way as a freshman and may be the most promising young defender in the FBS. Downs (82 tackles) has an obscenely broad skill set and impacts games in a variety of ways, including the return game. A transfer from Purdue, Thieneman (104 tackles) will be one of the most important new additions in the Power Four.

Specialists

K Dominic Zvada, Michigan

P Brett Thorson, Georgia

Zvada made 21 of 22 field goals in 2024, including a remarkable seven of seven from 50 or more yards. Thorson averaged 47.6 yards per punt last season and the Bulldogs allowed opponents to average just 5.2 yards per return.

RET Keelan Marion, Miami (Fla.)

AP Desmond Reid, Pittsburgh

Marion (26.2 yards per kickoff return with two scores) was a game-changing return man for Brigham Young in 2024 and will be expected to do the same for the Hurricanes. Reid just does it all: run (966 yards), catch (52 grabs for 579) and return (12.2 yards per punt with one touchdown).

Second team

Offense

QB Garrett Nussmeier, LSU

RB Makhi Hughes, Oregon

RB Kaytron Allen, Penn State

WR Jordyn Tyson, Arizona State

WR Antonio Williams, Clemson

OT Francis Mauigoa, Miami (Fla.)

OT Jordan Seaton, Colorado

OG Cayden Green, Missouri

OG Keylan Rutledge, Georgia Tech

C Logan Jones, Iowa

Defense

DE Matayo Uiagalelei, Oregon

DT Christen Miller, Georgia

DT Tim Keenan, Alabama

DE Colin Simmons, Texas

LB CJ Allen, Georgia

LB Aiden Fisher, Indiana

LB Sonny Styles, Ohio State

CB D’Angelo Ponds, Indiana

CB Avieon Terrell, Clemson

S Michael Taaffe, Texas

S Koi Perich, Minnesota

Specialists

K Will Ferrin, Brigham Young

P Palmer Williams, Baylor

RET Barrion Brown, LSU

AP Isaac Brown, Louisville

The NFL’s deadline for teams to set their initial 53-man rosters is Aug. 26.
Several starters from 2024, including Commanders RB Brian Robinson Jr. and Patriots OLB Anfernee Jennings, could be sent packing.
New England could be cutting both of its wide receiver draft picks from 2024 as part of a larger shake-up.

For front offices and coaches, the cuts can entail a handful of difficult decisions. By and large, however, the process largely entails formalizing moves that had been clear for some number of weeks, with time finally up for hordes of undrafted rookies and other long shots who filled out the 90-man groups through preseason.

But even though franchises more often split from their marquee and high-investment players much closer to free agency and the draft than the start of the season, cutdown day still can spark some consequential action. And the process of paring down for Week 1 can force teams to render verdicts on players whom they once envisioned serving as key contributors in short order.

Here are 12 notable players who could be on the chopping block as the NFL’s 53-man roster deadline looms next Tuesday:

New England Patriots wide receivers Ja’Lynn Polk, Javon Baker and Kendrick Bourne

Few units were as maligned in 2024 as the Patriots’ receiving corps, which scarcely provided Drake Maye anything beyond the magic the No. 3 overall pick could create on his own. With Stefon Diggs signed to be the new go-to target and third-round pick Kyle Williams providing a field-stretching complement to slot DeMario Douglas, the top of the depth chart found resolution relatively quickly over the spring and summer. But the back end has seen several shifts, with the latest seemingly putting several big names on the outside looking in heading into the final exhibition contest.

With Mike Vrabel putting his imprint on the roster right away, draft capital might not be enough to save either Polk, a second-round pick just last year, or Baker, a fourth-round pick from the same class. Both wideouts have seemingly been lapped by Efton Chism III, an undrafted rookie who earned Maye’s seal of approval in organized team activities and caught all six of his targets for 71 yards and a touchdown last week against the Minnesota Vikings. Leaving open the possibility for the Eastern Washington product to be scooped up by another team might be a non-starter for New England at this point given how much value he has shown. With Kayshon Boutte and Mack Hollins entrenched as backups, it’s hard to see a path forward for either of the second-year pass catchers or the reliable Bourne, who signed a three-year, $19.5 million contract with the Patriots last March.

Patriots safety Kyle Dugger and outside linebacker Anfernee Jennings

For all of the focus on the offseason improvements to the Patriots’ moribund offense, the defense has been treated to plenty of upheaval itself in recent months – and more could be on the way.

Dugger, who has started 65 games for New England in the last five years and signed a four-year, $58 million deal to remain with the team last spring, has been relegated to second-string work. That might have been dismissed as merely part of his recovery from the tightrope ankle surgery he underwent after last season, but his usage in the last preseason game – a team-high 45 snaps, including the final play, all of which came after the starters came out – indicates something more meaningful afoot. Executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf said Monday he still believes there’s a place for Dugger, but it’s difficult to envision where that is. The combination of a dead cap hit of $14.25 million and savings of just over $1 million might dissuade the Patriots from making a move, but a clean break might be in order.

Jennings, a full-time starter for the last two years, also proved to be a poor schematic fit for the new coaching staff. Yet his extended action in the preseason might have paid off, as he recorded three sacks last week. The sixth-year veteran can’t be counted on to provide much of a spark as a pass rusher for a defense that ranked last in sacks in 2024, but New England would benefit from a little reliability on the edge given how volatile the team’s other options are.

Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Beanie Bishop Jr. and edge rusher DeMarvin Leal

An undrafted free agent out of West Virginia, Bishop emerged from relative anonymity to string together some notable moments while stepping in as the Steelers’ nickel corner last season, notching four interceptions, seven passes defensed and the October award for NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month. But Pittsburgh’s trade for Jalen Ramsey and signing of Brandin Echols would seem to leave the slot-only defender without much of a home, and defensive coordinator Teryl Austin confirmed Monday that the odds are stacked against Bishop sticking around.

“(Bishop) really has to fight and work to get some splash to put himself in the picture,” Austin said.

The same could be said of Leal, though perhaps it might already be too late for the 2022 third-round pick. Long considered a tweener, the 6-4, 290-pounder struggled to find a true position in the pros but eventually settled in at outside linebacker. Yet translating his impressive athleticism into any semblance of production still hasn’t come easy. With super sub Nick Herbig and third-round rookie Jack Sawyer providing depth behind the standout pass rushing tandem of T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith, Leal looks superfluous heading into the final year of his deal.

Washington Commanders running back Brian Robinson Jr.

What began Monday as trade speculation surrounding the Commanders’ lead back ended the night as a tacit admission of the team’s plans. Robinson sat out Washington’s preseason contest against the Cincinnati Bengals, and coach Dan Quinn’s comments afterward appeared to cement a changing of the guard in the backfield. Robinson has been a steady ball carrier throughout his first three years, eclipsing 700 yards rushing in each campaign. But there might not be many takers for a ball carrier who lacks an explosive element to his game and is set to earn $3.4 million in base salary for the final year of his contract, leaving a release as the more reasonable resolution.

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Skyy Moore

Never mind the two drops he was responsible for in last week’s preseason loss to the Seattle Seahawks, as coach Andy Reid brushed those aside as uncharacteristic mistakes. The real problem for Moore: He hasn’t caught a pass since December 2023 after a core muscle injury limited him to just six games last season, and the 2022 second-round pick doesn’t appear to be on the precipice of a long-awaited breakout. The 5-10, 195-pound wideout remains primarily an intermediate threat on a team that, pending a suspension for Rashee Rice, has a glut of players capable of owning that area of the field. An 88-yard punt return touchdown against the Seahawks served as a reminder of the tantalizing ability that drew Kansas City to Moore in the first place. But with Tyquan Thornton emerging as a potential downfield weapon for Patrick Mahomes and Nikko Remigio not loosening his grip on the kickoff and punt returner roles, Moore might need to head elsewhere before he can resume trying to make good on his potential.

Baltimore Ravens outside linebacker David Ojabo

With fellow edge rusher Adisa Isaac estimated to be sidelined until midseason with a dislocated elbow that included ligament damage, Ojabo’s spot might be safe – at least for now. But the 2022 second-round pick from Michigan entered camp as one of the few players on the Ravens’ roster who seemed to be on uncertain ground. Ojabo’s development has lagged behind that of his peers for some time after the Nigeria native spent much of his youth in Scotland before moving to New Jersey, but the gap only widened after he suffered a torn Achilles during his pro day at Michigan. After playing in just five games his first two years in the NFL, Ojabo appeared in 13 games last year but notched just two sacks. Baltimore appeared prepared to look elsewhere to jolt its pass rush, with second-round rookie outside linebacker Mike Green starring in early work. But Ojabo, who crushed Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson Sr. on a sack in the preseason opener, said earlier in August he feels rejuvenated by not having to worry about health for the first time in his NFL career, and Baltimore might have enough of a need at the position to keep him around.

New York Jets wide receiver Malachi Corley

Beware the danger of NFL draft comparisons. Dubbed the ‘YAC King’ during his prolific career at Western Kentucky, Corley was widely likened to Deebo Samuel Sr. thanks to his burly build (5-11, 215 pounds) and knack for turning quick hits into long gains. Yet the lasting memory of the third-round pick’s rookie campaign, which featured just three catches for 16 yards, was his Halloween blunder against the Houston Texans in which he willfully dropped the ball before crossing the goal line, negating what would have been his first career NFL touchdown. New Jets coach Aaron Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey have zero buy-in for keeping a pick from a previous regime, and Corley hasn’t helped his cause with a dearth of positive plays throughout the offseason and training camp.

New Orleans Saints defensive end Isaiah Foskey

Things haven’t exactly panned out along the defensive line the way New Orleans might have envisioned in recent years, with the likes of Marcus Davenport and Payton Turner not living up to their first-round billing. The problem has continued with Foskey, who appeared on just 5% of the Saints’ defensive snaps in 2024. The No. 40 overall pick in 2023 once might have been seen as a potential successor to Cameron Jordan, but New Orleans in March re-upped Chase Young on a three-year, $51 million contract to hold down the starting spot opposite Carl Granderson. With Chris Rumph II and seventh-round rookie Fadil Diggs each flashing some upside, Foskey might not stick around with Kellen Moore and the new coaching staff.

The Yankees drafted Core Jackson, who admitted to drawing a swastika on a Jewish student’s door while at the University of Nebraska.
Jackson said the 2021 incident occurred while he was intoxicated and has since apologized, stating he’s grown and learned from the experience.
The Yankees conducted thorough background checks before drafting Jackson and owner Hal Steinbrenner approved the selection.

The New York Yankees selected 19 players in the 2025 MLB Draft, including one prospect who admitted that he drew a swastika on a Jewish student’s door while attending college at the University of Nebraska.

Core Jackson, who was the Yankees’ fifth-round selection this year, told The Athletic that the incident happened in 2021 when he was a 17-year-old freshman, also telling the website that he couldn’t remember drawing the swastika because he was ‘blackout drunk.’

Jackson said that he called teams to let them know about what he had done before the 2024 draft, adding the incident was a ‘really stupid mistake,’ and he is no longer “the person he was when it all happened.’

‘I think it’s important that it is part of my story,” Jackson told The Athletic. “I have this platform now that God has given me, and I can share my story about his forgiveness.’

Nebraska’s discipline for Jackson included a fine, sensitivity training and community service.

‘I felt like the worst person in the world,’ Jackson said of the incident. ‘I don’t want there to be any excuses for my actions.’

Jackson transferred to South Mountain Community College in Phoenix the next season, then played for the University of Utah for his junior season, hitting .321 with four homers and 33 RBIs,

He also ran into trouble in Utah after being charged with driving under the influence last September. Jackson performed community service, paid fines and was ordered to do substance abuse training after the DUI was dropped to a misdemeanor charge of impaired driving.

Jackson received a signing bonus of $147,500 when he was drafted and was assigned to High-A Hudson Valley. According to the article, the Yankees did their ‘most thorough ‘due diligence’ ‘ on Jackson, and owner Hal Steinbrenner signed off on the draft pick.

‘I would ask for their forgiveness and let them know I’m not the same person I was when that happened,’ he said of people upset about his past. ‘I’ve grown up. I’ve learned. I’ve reconciled. I’ve done the things I needed to do to learn about it.’

Golfer Ben Griffin had considerable troubles during the final round at the BMW Championship, carding a 6-over in his first three holes of the day.

Griffin triple bogeyed the first hole at the FedExCup Playoff tournament at Caves Valley Golf Club outside of Baltimore, and after his round, he gave a strange reason for his bad start.

Griffin says he had a snowball-sized clump of creatine on the golf course, after which he started to shake and said he felt like he had tremors.

‘I take creatine as a supplement, and this morning I didn’t take it until I basically teed off on one. I was at the end of my batch, and I had this like, basically a snowball of creatine. So it had been in my bucket for a month, and broke it up and put it in my water bottle. Whatever, I’m all good. I’ve taken it on the golf course before. It’s fine,’ Griffin said.

‘I started taking it after my second shot and I accidentally swallowed one of the big rocks that was in my water bottle. I’ve never overdosed on creatine before, but I think I did in the moment because I didn’t really drink any water after that. I basically just inhaled like a snowball.’

Griffin finished tied for 12th with a 3-under par for the tournament, which was won by the world’s No. 1 player, Scottie Scheffler.

Griffin’s score was good enough to be one of the top 30 players at the season-ending TOUR Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta.

The Minnesota Vikings have seen their receiving corps thinned ahead of the 2025 NFL season by Jordan Addison’s three-game suspension and Rondale Moore’s season-ending knee injury.

That may inspire general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah to add to the position ahead of Week 1.

The Vikings are ‘seriously exploring veteran receivers in the trade market’ given the absences in their receiving corps, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports. The goal would be to pair the veteran with Justin Jefferson – who is expected to play in Week 1 after missing several weeks of training camp with a hamstring injury – until Addison returns to the field in Week 4.

Minnesota is armed with a respectable $26.4 million in salary cap space, per OverTheCap.com. That will enable to the team to easily absorb salary in any trade involving a wide receiver.

The question is whether the Vikings will be looking for a stopgap to help replace Addison or whether they will consider swinging bigger as they look to surround first-year starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy with as much talent as possible.

Here are some options the Vikings could consider pursuing.

Vikings WR trade targets

Terry McLaurin, Washington Commanders

If the Vikings want to swing big at receiver, they could consider trying to pry McLaurin away from Washington. The 29-year-old requested a trade amid a contract dispute with the Commanders, and the team could eventually capitulate to his demand if it can’t bridge the gap on a long-term extension.

McLaurin has posted five consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons and logged a career-best 13 touchdowns in his first season with Jayden Daniels. He is a consistent separator and a sharp route runner who would create a top-tier receiving trio alongside Jefferson and Addison.

Add in that McLaurin overlapped with Kevin O’Connell for two years in Washington and he should be able to quickly ingratiate himself into Minnesota’s offense.

K.J. Osborn, Washington Commanders

If the Vikings don’t target McLaurin, they could still swing a deal with Washington. Osborn is firmly on the Commanders’ roster bubble, so they could consider shipping the 28-year-old back to Minnesota, where he enjoyed the best seasons of his career.

The Vikings selected Osborn in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL Draft and he recorded 158 catches for 1,845 yards and 15 touchdowns across four seasons with the team. He served as the team’s No. 3 receiver in 2023, Addison’s rookie season, and could reprise that role with the Vikings for this campaign.

Kendrick Bourne, New England Patriots

The Patriots have some difficult roster decisions to make at receiver. Bourne, Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker are all on the roster bubble, so the Vikings could pursue any to add depth to their receiver room.

Bourne – a nine-year veteran who has played 111 games and made 292 catches during his career – is the most experienced of the bunch. That may make him the best option fro the Vikings, who could use him as an early-season No. 2 receiver across from Jefferson before shifting him into the No. 3 role upon Addison’s return.

Allen Lazard, New York Jets

Lazard spent five years with the Green Bay Packers, giving the Vikings plenty of opportunities to watch him play. He disappointed during his two seasons with the New York Jets, but his 83 career games played and his 6-5, 227-pound frame would add needed experience and size to Minnesota’s receiver room.

Brandin Cooks, Saints

Cooks has been traded four times during his career. Could the Saints make it a fifth? New Orleans signed the 2014 first-round pick to a two-year deal in the offseason, but the soon-to-be 32-year-old may not fit the timeline of their rebuild.

If the Vikings come calling, the Saints could be comfortable rolling with Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed as their top receivers while elevating some of their young talent at receiver. Cooks has notched 1,000-yard receiving seasons with four different teams but is coming off a career-low 29 catches for 259 yards and three touchdowns across 10 games with the Dallas Cowboys in 2024.

Diontae Johnson, Cleveland Browns

Johnson has been on four different teams in the last year, and was infamously released by the Baltimore Ravens after refusing to play in a game because he was cold. He signed with the Browns during the offseason to try to rebuild his value, but the 29-year-old may not make Cleveland’s final roster.

Johnson was a capable starter for five years with the Pittsburgh Steelers before his trying 2024 season. O’Connell may smell an opportunity to buy low on the Toledo product and see if he can coach the 2021 Pro Bowler back into his top form while Addison is suspended.

Vikings WR depth chart

Below is the pecking order of Minnesota’s top-six receivers according to the Vikings’ most recent depth chart:

Justin Jefferson*
Jordan Addison*
Jalen Nailor
Lucky Jackson
Tai Felton
Jeshaun Jones

* Denotes starter.

Any receiver the Vikings acquire would likely join the top-six group. However, it isn’t clear if he would immediately catapult into the top three or have to work his way up the depth chart.

If Minnesota doesn’t land a veteran wide-out, one of the other receivers on its roster – Silas Bolden, Dontae Fleming, Tim Jones, Robert Lewis, Myles Price and Thayer Thomas – would potentially have a chance to make the 53-man roster during Addison’s suspension.

The New York Yankees hit nine home runs in a single game for the second time this season, defeating the Tampa Bay Rays 13-3.
Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger, and Giancarlo Stanton hit consecutive home runs in the first inning.
Bellinger, Stanton and Jose Caballero each hit two home runs apiece.

For the second time in franchise history – and also the second time this season – the New York Yankees have hit nine home runs in one game.

After blasting the Brewers for nine dingers on March 29, the Bronx Bombers did it again Tuesday night, Aug. 19, when they connected for nine more in a 13-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays.

After the first pitch was delayed nearly two hours by rain, Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger and Giancarlo Stanton hit back-to-back-to-back home runs in the first inning off Rays starter Shane Baz as the Yankees became the first MLB team ever to have two nine-homer games in the same season.

The Yankees looked extremely comfortable playing at George Steinbrenner Field – their spring training home in Tampa. The ballpark, whose dimensions mirror Yankee Stadium, is being used as the Rays’ temporary home this season while Tropicana Field is undergoing repairs from hurricane damage last fall.

Bellinger, Stanton and former Ray Jose Caballero each hit a pair of home runs, and were joined by Judge, catcher Ben Rice and second baseman Jazz Chisholm in the historic power-hitting display.

‘It was awesome to see,’ Stanton said during his postgame interview on the YES Network. ‘It was incredible across the board.’

The Big Ten, led by Tony Petitti, spent the offseason concocting absurd College Football Playoff proposals.
A 28-team playoff would increase television inventory, but devalue college football’s regular season.
Imagine unranked teams making the playoff. That’s the Big Ten’s latest idea.

The conference that once held itself aloft as a beacon of all things good and honorable about college athletics is now considering making a mockery of the College Football Playoff.

The Big Ten, led commissioner Tony Petitti, has jumped the shark.

Instead of capitalizing on the momentum of back-to-back national championships, the Big Ten spent the offseason concocting absurd College Football Playoff plans, with its latest idea even zanier than the last.

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Petitti just will not rest until he gets every 8-4 Big Ten team into the playoff. His latest playoff idea, according to multiple reports, would expand the playoff to as many as 28 teams and include as many as seven automatic bids apiece for the Big Ten and SEC, with additional automatic bids for other leagues.

We’ve now zoomed past 8-4 Iowa toward an even lower rung on the totem pole for playoff mediocrity. Welcome to the playoff hunt, 7-5 Rutgers!

This idea doesn’t count as radical. It’s ridiculous.

Big Ten damages credibility in offseason of bad ideas

They say you are the company you keep. Well, Petitti spent the past few months keeping company with – and breathing life into – stupid ideas. He previously failed to gain support for his attempt to rig the playoff with a 16-team format that would have reserved four automatic bids for his conference and four more for the SEC. When that plan failed to gain traction, the Big Ten upped the ante by socializing this idea to shoehorn unranked teams into the playoff.

Petitti’s expanded playoff plans would increase television inventory, but at what cost? Growing the playoff to 28 teams would cheapen the regular season. That cannot be the end game.

A 28-team playoff does nothing for the Big Ten’s upper crust, either. Ohio State doesn’t need this. Neither does Michigan, not when it can cheat its way to glory. Oregon couldn’t win one playoff game, so now the solution is to shove the Big Ten’s champion into a 28-team maze?

When Petitti arrived on the college sports scene in 2023, he brought with him a Harvard law degree and a background as a television executive. He began his tenure overseeing the additions of Oregon and Washington to solidify the Big Ten’s western flank. A fine start. Since then, he’s moved to the back of the class and tarnished his credibility while raising his hand with goofy playoff suggestions, while his SEC counterpart, Greg Sankey, retains his grip on the king’s scepter.

Can Big Ten and SEC find a compromise to expand playoff?

Let’s assume there’s something behind this latest plan for playoff gluttony other than a desire to make the Big Ten a magnet for criticism.

What other motivation might the Big Ten have? Well, by floating a plan more ludicrous the last, the Big Ten might hope to reignite conversations toward a compromise.

Oh, so you don’t like a 28-team playoff that invites 7-5 Big Ten teams? OK, let’s make a deal!

Just one problem with that. Petitti remains intent on reducing the playoff selection committee’s role, in favor of a preassigning a bundle of automatic bids, but the SEC doesn’t seem too interested in making a deal toward playoff plans bloated with multiple automatic bids for conferences it believes are inferior.

The SEC backpedaled from Petitti’s past plan to rig a 16-team playoff with a stacked deck of automatic bids. The SEC’s coaches turned their eye toward a 5+11 playoff model that would add four additional at-large bids to the 12-team current playoff format. The Big 12 and ACC support the 5+11 plan.

The Big Ten stands in objection to the 5+11 model, in part because the ACC and SEC play one fewer conference game than the Big Ten. The Big Ten’s pushback on conference scheduling is not without merit, but it lacks the power to bring the SEC and ACC to heel on its scheduling.

Expanding the playoff would require the SEC and Big Ten to align behind a model. If they cannot agree on a new format, that would prolong the runway for the current model.

“The Big Ten has a different view (of what’s good for playoff expansion),’ Sankey said in July. ‘That’s fine. We have a 12-team playoff. … That could stay if we can’t agree.’

If you think Sankey’s bluffing about persisting with the current model, consider he was one of the architects of the 12-team playoff. He dubbed the first year of the expanded playoff “a success,” even though the SEC did not advance a team to the national championship game. The offseason tweak to introduce straight seeding benefits the SEC. There’s no reason for the SEC to rush to abandon this format.

The selection committee historically values the SEC. The more at-large bids, the better, for the SEC.

Maybe, Petitti believes flooding the zone with zany ideas will spur the SEC toward a suitable compromise. There’s another possibility, though. With each half-baked playoff idea, the Big Ten and its leader further diminish their credibility, and the opportunity for playoff expansion absorbs a gut punch.

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