Joel Klatt hints Big Ten-SEC scheduling agreement will be revealed after 24-team playoff becomes official

The anticipated move to a 24-team College Football Playoff could come with some immediate movement from power conference teams on the scheduling front. On Wednesday, FOX Sports analyst Joel Klatt hinted that the Big Ten and the SEC could already have an agreement in the works. Non-conference scheduling has been a key point of emphasis in the talks to expand the playoff. While some have argued there will not be any additional incentive to add quality power-conference matchups, the Big Ten and others have noted beefed-up scheduling should be a byproduct of an expanded field. [ $19.99 gets you a FULL year of On3 | Rivals national coverage ] And it appears things may play out that way, if Joel Klatt is correct. He opened up on the topic Wednesday on KTCK-FM 96.7 in Dallas — at least strongly hinting there are are already plans in place. “There are scheduling agreements that are in place once this thing expands officially,” Klatt said. “The next thing that will happen almost immediately is we’re going to get scheduling agreements between the SEC and the Big Ten — top-end matchups, mid-tier matchups, low-end matchups — and we’re going to be expanding the valuable matchups in the non-conference, far surpassing what we have now.” Time will tell, but the idea that the two leagues may be working toward a scheduling agreement should come as welcome news to fans in both leagues. On3’s Brett McMurphy followed up with a Big Ten source, who tapped the brakes a touch and said talk of immediate announcements “seems extreme.” McMurphy, citing the Big Ten source, noted there are “lots of logistics, current entanglements to be worked out. Maybe some games (in 2027), but anything holistic seems to have a longer path.” Big Ten has been vocal about stronger schedules The Big Ten has been vocal for quite some time that it plans to strengthen its schedules in the future in the event a 24-team playoff is adopted. That was one of its selling points to the SEC when discussions remained ongoing about a push to expand the field to 24. “If you get to 24, we’re going to put our money where our mouth is,” commissioner Tony Petitti said. “We’re going to do what we said, which is we’re going to improve our schedules. I’m totally comfortable doing that as a commitment.” Yahoo! Sports’ Ross Dellenger had previously reported that one of the SEC’s concerns with a 24-team field was ensuring that teams had balanced enough schedules that it’d be possible to evenly evaluate them against each other. It was reportedly one of the factors that could have swayed the SEC to come around on the 24-team playoff. The SEC and commissioner Greg Sankey have pushed for teams to play 10 games against power conference opponents as part of any expanded playoff arrangement, something that could help level the playing field and make it easier to get a gauge on where teams actually stand. Petitti seemed on board with that from the Big Ten side. “I think Greg is right,” Petitti said. “His position is about doing things that strengthen the game. If you’re saying 24 unlocks this, then what’s the commitment to actually do it? I think as a league we’re ready to have that conversation and try to make those commitments. To me, it would be a great result if we had more access to the playoff and at the same time we’re talking about playing the games that you want to see these first couple weeks of the season.”