Two CFB powerhouses next on Tony Petitti’s target as Big Ten expansion gets closer to reality

Big Ten has some of the biggest teams in college football, and now, the Tony Petitti-led conference is welcoming the Washington Huskies and Oregon Ducks for the 2024 season. However, Petitti has also set his sights on two marquee additions to the Big Ten.

According to College Scouting and Recruiting Services Analyst Greg Swaim on X/Twitter, the Big Ten wants to add the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Texas A&M Aggies:

"Why does the #B1G and #NotreDame both want #TAMU as the second team coming in for the future? Because both the B10 and Irish want to get into Texas... it's just that simple!!"

The radio host had previously tweeted:

"Who are the next two teams to join the #B1G and make it the Big 20? Our terrific Chicago source tells us that he's hearing it'll very likely be Notre Dame (who has a perpetual invite) and TAMU, as the B1G wants to get into Texas, and the Aggies are very unhappy with the addition of the Longhorns."

It's important to note that Swaim does not specify precisely when these moves will occur. However, he believes that Notre Dame and Texas A&M will soon join the Big Ten.

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How many teams are in the Big Ten?

At the moment, there are 18 teams in the Big Ten conference. Here's a look a look at the programs:

• Illinois Fighting Illini
• Indiana Hoosiers
• Iowa Hawkeyes
• Maryland Terrapins
• Michigan State Spartans
• Michigan Wolverines
• Minnesota Golden Gophers
• Nebraska Cornhuskers
• Northwestern Wildcats
• Ohio State Buckeyes
• Oregon Ducks
• Penn State Nittany Lions
• Purdue Boilermakers
• Rutgers Scarlet Knights
• UCLA Bruins
• USC Trojans
• Washington Huskies
• Wisconsin Badgers

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What can be expected from Notre Dame and Texas A&M in 2024?

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have a roster with the potential to make the expanded college playoffs in 2024. Expect the program to get over 11 wins in the regular season and put themselves in the playoff picture.

Notre Dame has a host of stellar defensive players, such as Benjamin Morrison, Xavier Watts and Jack Kiser. These players should form the backbone of a stingy defense. The program will also rely on the efforts of starting quarterback Riley Leonard, who is fresh off an impressive season at Duke. In 2024, he'll throw passes to Mitchell Evans and Kris Mitchell.

Texas A&M is in a different position heading into the 2024 college football season. The program is fresh off a 7-6 record in 2023 and lost their bowl game to Oklahoma State. The Aggies have a couple of decent offensive prospects, like Conner Weigman, Noah Thomas and Jahdae Walker. Nic Scourton and Shemar Turner headline their defense.

Expect the Aggies to be around the .500 mark for most of the season. It'll be interesting to see how coach Mike Elko handles the weight of expectations in 2024.