Oh man, this just got interesting.
According to ESPN, Oregon and Washington are finalizing a deal to join the Big Ten, joining USC and UCLA in leaving the Pac-12 for their new conference.
The schools are reportedly going to formally apply for membership today, and a Big Ten vote is expected to be taken this evening.
Although the finances of the move are uncertain, the two schools will receive only a partial share of the conference allotment due to the length of its upcoming television deal, which lasts through the 2029-2030 school year.
This move would increase the number of Big Ten schools to 18, and none of the schools leaving the Pac-12 are required to pay an exit fee due to the conference’s expiring television deal.
Needless to say, this is yet another massive blow to the Pac-12. Colorado has already announced that they’ll be joining the Big 12, and it’s expected that Arizona will be applying to join them there as well. There’s also a good chance Utah and Arizona State could be joining the Big 12 too, though nothing has been officially announced.
These moves would leave only California, Stanford, Oregon State, and Washington State in the Pac-12.
Oregon and Washington’s move will lead to the Big Ten becoming the first major conference to push to 18 teams, and will probably force more “super conferences” in the future, considering Texas and Oklahoma are joining the SEC in 2024, and the Big 12 is already up to 13 teams.
Man, I must say it’s gonna be weird seeing the likes of Washington and Oregon playing in the Big Ten, but with the other conferences realigning, I guess it was only inevitable.
