There is no clear favorite to win the Big Ten this season. Could that open the door for the USC Trojans as a sleeper?

While the idea is in the very early stages, the Big Ten's proposal for a 24- or 28-team College Football Playoff eliminates conference title games and offers a large number of auto bids for all four power leagues.

The idea for a field as large as 28 teams was presented to Big Ten athletic directors for the first time last week, one source said.

The Big Ten has floated an idea of expanding the current 12-team College Football Playoff to a 24-28 team playoff. The Big Ten has been trying to secure more au

Despite a 17th-place projected finish in the Big Ten Conference this season, Northwestern football got a boost from Fox Sports national college football analyst RJ Young Thursday. The Wildcats were ranked in the top half of all 136 teams.

The Big Ten placed six teams in the top 25 of both the preseason AP Poll and CBS Sports 136, including Illinois, Indiana and Michigan in the upper tier. Others are lurking, as Iowa, Nebraska and USC could challenge the SEC's depth if they exceed expectations in 2025.

ESPN is reporting that, according to sources, “the Big Ten has considered an idea of a massive expansion of the College Football Playoff that would grow the postseason to 24 or 28 teams.” That would line up with Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz’s suggestion at SEC Media Days to expand the College Football Playoff to 30 teams.

If the Big Ten’s new proposal does indeed take shape but stops at 24 teams, the FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) will also have the same number of teams as the FCS (Football Championship Subdivision) playoff format. In the new format, up to 20 games will take place on campus before advancing to the bowl games in later rounds.