Big Ten takes Ducks and Huskies; Big 12 set to add 3 more from struggling Pac-12

The Big Ten has accepted Oregon and Washington as new members, while the Big 12 is set to raid the Pac-12 further.

In a major blow to the Pac-12 conference, the Big Ten has announced its acceptance of Oregon and Washington as new members, with their official entry set for August next year. The Big Ten had previously paved the way for these Pacific Northwest rivals to join the league, and the Ducks were the first to confirm their acceptance through a unanimous vote by the school's trustees. The Big Ten's presidents' council later voted to accept both the Ducks and Washington. Oregon President John Karl Scholz expressed excitement about the opportunity for their student-athletes to compete at the highest level and for the Oregon spirit to spread across the country.

Simultaneously, the Big 12 is also targeting three more Pac-12 schools, following their successful recruitment of Colorado last week. According to a source with direct knowledge of the situation, Arizona's application to join the Big 12 was approved, and Arizona State and Utah have also expressed their desire to join the conference. The Big 12 presidents were expected to vote on the inclusion of Arizona State and Utah, with the intention of expanding the conference to 16 teams next year. Utah's board of trustees has already authorized the university president to approve the move to the Big 12, while the Arizona board of regents does not need to give final approval for the Wildcats and Sun Devils to switch conferences.

With the addition of Oregon and Washington to the Big Ten and the potential inclusion of Arizona State and Utah in the Big 12, the Pac-12 will be left with only four members beyond this year: Stanford, California, Oregon State, and Washington State. The Big Ten's expansion comes just over a year after it successfully recruited Southern California and UCLA, giving the conference a total of 18 member schools, including four on the West Coast. This move solidifies the Big Ten's position as the largest conference in major college sports, spanning 15 states from New Jersey to Washington.

The decision to pursue Oregon and Washington was influenced by former Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren, who had encouraged member schools to consider these additions after the conference successfully recruited the two Los Angeles schools last summer. This move has dealt a significant blow to the Pac-12, which has been struggling for over a year since losing USC and UCLA to the Big Ten. Colorado's upcoming move to the Big 12 in 2024 further compounds the challenges faced by the Pac-12, leaving the conference on the brink of extinction.

The Pac-12 leaders held a meeting early Friday to discuss whether their remaining schools, including Oregon and Washington at the time, would accept a potential media rights deal with Apple. However, the details of this meeting remain private. Initially, there were indications that the Ducks were leaning towards staying in the Pac-12, which could have influenced other schools to follow suit. However, Oregon officials notified the Pac-12 on Friday that they were still uncomfortable with the Apple deal and would be re-engaging with the Big Ten. The Pac-12 Commissioner George Kilavkoff and the conference have not made any public statements since Colorado's announcement of their move to the Big 12.

The departure of Oregon and Washington from the Pac-12 means that the conference's two remaining prominent brands and perennial football powers will be joining a new home. The University of Nebraska, the closest conference neighbor, will now be over a 1,600-mile drive away. As for Oregon and Washington, they will receive a reduced payout compared to current Big Ten members, USC, and UCLA. While USC and UCLA are projected to receive over $60 million each in media rights revenue from the Big Ten starting next year, the Ducks and Huskies will receive approximately $30 million per year for the first six years, with potential escalators and future payments.

Washington has been a member of the Pacific Coast Conference since 1916, which later became the Pac-8, then 10, and eventually 12. Oregon joined the Athletic Association of Western Universities in 1964. USC and UCLA have a long history in the Pac-12, dating back to 1922 and 1928, respectively. The Pac-12's decline began with the departure of USC and UCLA, and it was further exacerbated by the Big 12's early extension of its media rights deals with ESPN and Fox last fall, leaving the Pac-12 with limited options. The conference ended up with a streaming-heavy proposal with Apple, which would have left its schools trailing behind other Power Five conferences in terms of revenue.

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