Between conference realignment and the integration of name, image, and likeness, college football has been a whirlwind over the last few years. But the Big Ten—which has been in the middle of the ruckus given its addition of four new schools—is finally pumping the brakes on further expansion.

Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti (above) said Tuesday, the first day of the conference’s media days, that he does not intend for the conference to expand beyond its current crop. 

“We’re focused on the 18 right now,” Petitti said. “A lot of work had been done to integrate USC and UCLA and we started that work over when we added Oregon and Washington, so I think we’re really comfortable where we are. You’ve got to get this conference right, and that’s where our focus is.”

Petitti’s stance supports reports that the Big Ten is not an option for Clemson and Florida State, who are embroiled in lawsuits with the ACC. Officials from Clemson have said they do not intend to leave the ACC—assuming the league survives—but FSU is looking at its options. The SEC is also reportedly not an option for FSU, so the Big 12 could end up as its best alternative.

Keeping the Title Game in Indy

Petitti also told reporters that despite the addition of several West Coast teams, the Big Ten conference championship game will continue to be held at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis until 2028.

The game has been played in Indianapolis since its inception in 2011.

“We’re really comfortable with the decision to stay with football here in Indianapolis in the next four seasons,” Petitti told reporters. “We think it’s the right thing to do.” However, he immediately followed up by referencing the benefits of moving the championship game down the line.

“Having said that, I think you’ll begin to see us expand,” Petitti said. “I think it’s important to make sure that markets around the country get to experience Big Ten championships. It’s a really good way to connect the conference. I think over time you’ll start to see the geographic footprint expand.”

Given the addition of the new teams, it appears Petitti does not want to rock the boat even further by moving the title game. But four more years in Indianapolis gives him the leeway to integrate the new West Coast teams and appease the incumbents before moving the game.

A Rosy Future

The Rose Bowl is another major event that seemed to be in flux given conference realignment and the expanded College Football Playoff—but the bowl’s officials say it looks as though the game will be able to keep its place on New Year’s Day, according to ESPN.

Rose Bowl management committee chair Laura Farber also spoke on the first day of Big Ten media days and said it’s “imperative” they keep the Jan. 1 date for the game and ideally even the 5 p.m. ET kickoff time.

“We don’t know when there will be a long-form agreement,” Farber said. “We’re hopeful it will be sooner than later, but that depends on when the CFP has everything ready to go.”

The Rose Bowl has evolved from a matchup between the winners of the Big Ten and Pac-12 into a CFP semifinal game, and it will be a CFP quarterfinal game for the next two years. It’s unclear what the format of the game will be starting in 2026.

Even in an Olympics hosting decision thought to be entirely without drama, there were still complications. 

The International Olympic Committee selected Salt Lake City early Wednesday to host the 2034 Winter Olympics, confirming a decision that has been many months in the making, and one without any rival bid. The selection also amplifies Utah’s status as a fast-rising sports market, one recently burnished by the intense fan reaction to the NHL’s Utah Hockey Club and a deal to remake the Delta Center and the area around it. Salt Lake City last hosted the Olympics in 2002, and it has since boosted its regional sports facilities in an effort to become a more permanent part of the host city rotation for the Games. 

But the IOC amended its host contract with the Salt Lake City bid committee to mandate that the “supreme authority” of the World Anti-Doping Agency is upheld, and that the IOC has the ability to “terminate” the 2034 hosting award if that requirement isn’t met. 

The clause was added just minutes before an 83–6 vote by the IOC to confirm the 2034 award to Salt Lake City.

Inside Politics

The doping debate stems from several interrelated issues. The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency has been highly critical of a prior case involving 23 Chinese swimmers who tested positive for a banned heart medication before the 2021 Tokyo Games. WADA accepted Chinese explanations that the test results were affected by contaminated food. Thirteen of the athletes went on to compete in Tokyo and won multiple medals, including three golds, and some are set to return for the Paris Olympics.

But U.S. officials are still investigating the matter, and they have the further weight of the Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act, a law passed in 2021 that permits the FBI and other federal agencies to prosecute international doping conspiracies and gives those authorities wide jurisdiction over enforcement. 

The awarding of the 2034 Olympics to Salt Lake City, thus, involves bid officials and local organizers pledging to lobby Congress and the White House to shut down the federal probe. 

Means to an End

Utah officials acknowledged and accepted the altered terms of their hosting award.

“We agree that if the United States does not support or violates the World Anti-Doping [Agency’s] rules, that they can withdraw the Games from us and from the United States,” Gov. Spencer Cox said. “That was the only way that we could guarantee that we would get the Games.”

But that stance, and more specifically the pressure from the IOC, has prompted further vitriol from USADA.

“It is shocking to see the IOC itself stooping to threats in an apparent effort to silence those seeking answers to what are now known as facts,” said USADA CEO Travis Tygart in a statement. “It seems more apparent than ever that WADA violated the rules and needs accountability and reform to truly be the global watchdog that clean athletes need. Today’s demonstration further showed that as it stands today, WADA is just a sport lapdog.”