Oregon and Washington are officially headed to the Big Ten in 2024. What it means for college football
Early Friday morning, Pac-12 presidents held a meeting in one last-ditch effort to hold their century-old league together as conference realignment reports and rumors flew.
By Friday afternoon, the Conference of Champions was dealt another crushing blow, as the Big Ten officially announced that Oregon and Washington will join the conference in 2024.
Hours later, the Big 12 announced it will add Utah, Arizona and Arizona State.
Combined with USC and UCLA already leaving for the Big Ten next year, as well as Colorado also heading to the Big 12, the Pac-12’s membership is waning.
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This all came about after Pac-12 presidents met Friday morning with the intent of signing a grant of rights, according to numerous national reports, though no deal was signed.
According to Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger, officials from Oregon and Washington informed the rest of the Pac-12 presidents they were accepting imminent invites from the Big Ten during the Pac-12’s call.
“Oregon told us they were out unless their (Apple) figures didn’t increase,” a Pac-12 school source told Dellenger.
“I’m thrilled that the University of Oregon has the opportunity to join the nation’s preeminent academic-athletic conference,” Oregon president John Karl Scholz said in a statement. “Our student-athletes will participate at the highest level of collegiate athletic competition, and our alumni, friends, and fans will be able to carry the spirit of Oregon across the country.”
“The Big Ten is a thriving conference with strong athletic and academic traditions, and we are excited and confident about competing at the highest level on a national stage,” Washington president Ana Mari Cauce said in a statement. “My top priority must be to do what is best for our student-athletes and our university, and this move will help ensure a strong future for our athletics program.”
What it means for Oregon and Washington
For the Ducks and Huskies, the move will ensure they belong in one of college football’s two most powerful conferences.
It will also come up with financial benefits that far exceed what Pac-12 members could have potentially made with the reported media rights offer the conference had from Apple TV.
Yahoo Sports reported that Oregon and Washington will join the league on a reduced rate of the Big Ten’s annual media revenue share from its TV media deal — perhaps as low as 50% of the deal that’s may reach as high as $65 million each year per member.
Even at that reduced rate, it surpasses the Pac-12’s proposed media deal with Apple TV that was estimated to be in the $20-$25 million range, per Yahoo Sports.
What it means for the Big Ten
With the addition of four current Pac-12 members next season, the Big Ten will see its membership increase to 18 teams.
That’s two more than the SEC, which will jump to 16 when Texas and Oklahoma join the league next year.
The Big Ten, though, adds the two most highly sought after remaining institutions from the West in Oregon and Washington, after already raiding the region last summer and getting the coveted Los Angeles market when USC and UCLA agreed to join the Big Ten.
It also allows for the mostly Eastern-based conference to have a Western pod and a bit of easier travel for the new members, though travel costs will still be costly, particularly for Olympic sports.
What it means for the Big 12
Earlier this week, the Big Ten reportedly authorized commissioner Tony Petitti to explore expansion, with a specific focus on Oregon and Washington.
Multiple national college football writers expressed that the Big Ten, though, did not want to seem as if it were the one delivering what is seen as a crushing blow to the Pac-12.
Instead, the prevailing hope was that the Big 12 might be able to make the first move and further reduce of the number of Pac-12 members.
Instead, the Big Ten pounced first, leaving the opportunity for the Big 12 to add valuable schools in Utah, Arizona and Arizona State to increase the league membership to 16 by next season, which they did not long after.
And they are expected to do so without the perception that the Big 12 was the one who dealt the biggest blow to the Pac-12.
It’s a win-win for the Big Ten and Big 12.
What it means for the Pac-12
The teams who are leaving the Pac-12 are able to do so without any exit fee, with the league’s current media deal ending after this season.
With Oregon and Washington’s departure — along with Utah, Arizona and Arizona State going to the Big 12 — that leaves current Pac-12 members Washington State, Oregon State, California and Stanford with questions surrounding what their future will hold.
With the conference try to add Mountain West Conference members, or will those four go their separate ways?
It’s too early to tell.
On Friday, after the departures of all five members became official, the Pac-12 released a statement.
It read: “Today’s news is incredibly disappointing for student-athletes, fans, alumni and staff of the Pac-12 who cherish the over 100-year history, tradition and rivalries of the Conference of Champions. We remain focused on securing the best possible future for each of our member universities.”
