You could feel it the moment Tony Petitti stepped up in Vegas. This wasn’t your typical Big Ten Media Days. The conference commissioner wasn’t just dreaming up tweaks. He’s aiming at a full-blown college football metamorphosis. NFL-style playoffs, guaranteed berths, and a postseason where an 8-4 team can still punch its ticket to the promised land. “If you are 6-3 in the Big Ten, I would argue that’s a great record,” he said during his media speech. “If you stumbled in a nonconference game, I don’t know why that disqualifies you.” That was the backdrop when Bruce Feldman hit us with a verdict that turned heads. 

In an episode on The Audible with Stew & Bruce podcast with Stewart Mandel, Bruce Feldman made the same call for both Sherrone Moore and Lincoln Riley. Not quite a buy, not quite a sell, just a hard hold on both Michigan and USC. That translates into we’re not convinced yet. For the Wolverines, it’s a strange place to be. They finished 8-5 last year but had high points that screamed something bigger when they took down Ohio State and Alabama. “I don’t think they’re going to be a playoff team and I think they’re going to be around what they are,” Feldman said. Still, there’s just enough fire to keep fans leaning forward. 

Bruce Feldman feels Michigan could improve on the offense. This season, Sherrone Moore boasts the top QB who’s also the No. 1 overall player in 2025 in Bryce Underwood. But he’s unproven. “It could be wrong, but I’m not feeling like they’re going to take a big step forward,” the analyst added. A few years ago, this team ruled the Big Ten with three back-to-back conference titles from 2021-23. But throw in the Connor Stalions mess and Jim Harbaugh’s NFL departure, things feel less stable. ESPN’s FPI has them at No. 17. And that’s not very optimistic. Now, let’s shift to USC. 

Year 4 under Lincoln Riley feels more like year one after a rebuild. The Trojans went 7-6, flopping to 4-5 in the conference and losing a string of winnable games. USC’s new QB, Jayden Maiava, is raw. A few flash plays last season weren’t enough to convince Bruce Feldman. “I’m going to hold,” he said, noting poor offensive line play and a defense still under construction. “Maybe they win eight, but I still feel like they’re probably a 7-5 kind of team because I don’t know how good they’re going to be on the offensive line.” So what do these two bluebloods have in common? A seat at the playoff table if Tony Petitti gets his way.

A playoff model built for mulligans

Tony Petitti’s grand plan includes four auto-bids for both the Big Ten and SEC. Play-in games, conference standings as playoff deciders, and enough safety nets to make a 6-3 Big Ten record more valuable than a non-con win over Texas. It’s like watching the NFC East of old. His playoff pitch was met with open arms by coaches like Wisconsin’s Luke Fickell who said, “I am in 100 percent agreement with what Tony is saying.” And why not? 

A guaranteed bid means you can lose to Iowa State, drop another clunker to a 5-7 team, and still sneak in as the sixth seed. “If there are seven, eight, nine, ten Big Ten teams alive in November that can have a chance to be in the playoffs, that’s going to do a world of good for our college football team,” said Illinois’ Bret Bielema. Riley, for his part, is all-in too. And it might help Michigan and USC more than they deserve.

There’s no data suggesting the Big Ten grinds through a tougher schedule than the SEC. In fact, outside of Wisconsin (who’s taking on Alabama, Oregon, Michigan, and Ohio State), the strength of schedule debates still tilt southern. Yet Tony Petitti’s model would shield his schools from those debates entirely. So when Bruce Feldman says “hold,” it might not mean stagnation. It might mean survival until the system changes.