The ever-changing landscape in college football over the years will likely mean the end of the Big Ten championship game in the near future.
While the Big Ten Championship Game has remained part of the postseason through both the College Football Playoff's four-team era (2014-23) and its current 12-team format, that may not be the case for much longer.
With the CFP expected to expand again – this time to 24 teams – the Big Ten is likely to eliminate its conference championship game as part of that transition.
"I think it's pretty much we won't be playing a championship game if we go to 24. That's been pretty settled," Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti said at Big Ten Media Days on Tuesday.
"In terms of when we make decisions as a league, are we going to support 24? That's where you start the conversations – are you willing to give up your championship game to have the expanded playoff? There's discussion about it now, when you talk to the coaches who have played in the game as they get ready for the postseason. There are a lot of conflicting incentives – it's still very powerful to win a Big Ten championship, and teams play hard; they want to win that game. But you're talking about a pretty tough journey to go all the way through. And where you're playing next, and what happens if they lose that game, they don't get a bye, and they have to go play relatively quickly.
"So, we've just gotten past that, and overall, if we can expand the playoff and have the access we need, we'd be willing to make that trade. As great as our championship game is, it's been wildly successful, and we've had incredible games the last couple of seasons. But I still think we're willing to do that because we believe that access is still the most important thing."
For some context on how the Big Ten championship game has affected seeding: The No. 1-ranked Buckeyes lost to No. 2 Indiana in the 2025 Big Ten championship game, which allowed the Hoosiers to jump Ohio State and become the top seed in the CFP.
The Big Ten Championship Game debuted in 2011 after the conference expanded to 12 teams and adopted divisional play. Ohio State has been the game's most successful program, making a record seven appearances and winning a record five conference titles. However, the Buckeyes have not won the Big Ten championship since 2020 after claiming five titles in seven years from 2014-20.
