Big Ten

The Atlantic Coast Conference presidents have chosen not to vote on whether to add Stanford and California to the league. That's according to two people with knowledge of the situation who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither the ACC nor the schools disclosed their internal discussions publicly. The ACC's inaction keeps the Northern California schools in limbo as they look for an escape from the crumbling Pac-12. The ACC has also been looking at SMU, the Dallas-based school from the American Athletic Conference, as an expansion target.

Atlantic Coast Conference presidents and chancellors held a conference call but took no action on West Coast expansion with California and Stanford. That's from a person with knowledge of the situation who spoke with The Associated Press. Another person with knowledge of the ACC's discussions says conference leaders are also talking about SMU as a possible addition. The Pac-12 is down to four schools committed to the conference beyond the upcoming school year: Cal, Stanford, Oregon State and Washington State.

The Big Ten has cleared the way for Oregon and Washington to apply for membership and join the conference, according to four people familiar with the negotiations. 

Pac-12 leaders are scheduled to meet this week and Commissioner George Kliavkoff is expected to present the members with details of a long-awaited and critical potential media rights deal, a person familiar with the conference’s plans told The Associated Press on Monday.

Luke Fickell and Matt Ruhle already have experience leading major college football programs. Ryan Walters and David Braun are getting their first taste. If all goes well, perhaps the Big Ten West will finally snap its 10-game losing streak in the conference championship game. The conference's four new coaches have followed different paths to the same Big Ten division. Fickell spent one season as Ohio State's interim coach before turning Cincinnati into a national power. Ruhle was a hotshot coaching prospect who failed in the NFL. Walters followed a more traditional path, and Braun was thrust into the job amid a major scandal.

Tony Petitti has been introduced as the Big Ten's seventh commissioner. The longtime Major League Baseball and TV executive was hired a little over two weeks ago to replace Kevin Warren. Petitti will lead a conference that in the past year became the first to expand its footprint from coast to coast. The Big Ten also reaped a huge financial windfall, landing about $7 billion in media rights deals for football and basketball through 2030 with Fox, CBS and NBC. He says his most immediate task is ensuring a smooth transition when Southern California and UCLA arrive next year.

Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh says he came out of spring practice with the best team he's had since taking over in 2015. The two-time defending Big Ten champion Wolverines return 13 starters. There's much less clarity elsewhere in the conference. Ohio State still hasn't determined the successor to C.J. Stroud. Purdue's Ryan Walters is finding his way in his first head coaching job. Wisconsin's move to coordinator Phil Longo's Air Raid offense under Luke Fickell had a bumpy start. Matt Rhule's building project at Nebraska is just beginning. As many as six quarterback competitions will go into the fall.

The Big Ten has announced the hiring of former Major League Baseball executive Tony Petitti as its next commissioner. Petitti succeeds Kevin Warren and begins his new job May 15. Warren is leaving the Big Ten to become president of the Chicago Bears. Petitti continues a trend of recent hires to lead the top conferences coming from outside college sports. Warren worked for the Minnesota Vikings before taking over for Jim Delany and becoming the Big Ten's first Black commissioner in 2019. Petitti has extensive background in television. He has held senior executive roles at CBS Sports and ABC Sports.

The Big Ten is hiring former MLB executive Tony Petitti to be its next commissioner. That's according to a person with knowledge of the decision who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because a deal was still being finalized. An announcement is expected by the conference by the end of the week. Petitti replaces Kevin Warren, who is leaving to become president of the Chicago Bears.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren talked Tuesday about the conference being bold and aggressive as college sports goes through a period of sweeping change, and he left the door open for more expansion after adding Southern California and UCLA in the offseason's biggest move.

The ACC, Big Ten and Pac-12 announced a first-of-its-kind conference alliance Tuesday that commissioners from each league expect will bring stability to an unsteady college sports landscape.

The first day of the new world of college athletics started with a 47-minute press conference that could have been an email.