Here we go again.
The Pac-12 is set to lose a pair of programs to the bright lights and big money of the Big Ten.
Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger and Dan Wetzel report Oregon and Washington have informed the Pac-12 presidents they plan to accept invites from the Big Ten.
According to Wetzel, the “Big Ten is expected to meet shortly to finalize the invitation and terms of the expansion.”
The Big Ten started picking apart the Pac-12 last year when it invited USC and UCLA into the conference.
Both schools are slated to begin play in the Big Ten in 2024.
The updated realignment would leave the Big Ten with 18 schools, putting it on par with the SEC in terms of size and scope.
Friday’s news is really quite simple to understand because all you have to do is follow the money.
Oregon is one of hte latest schools to leave the Pac-12 for the Big Ten. Getty ImagesThanks to its broadcasting and livestream contracts, each Big Ten school could eventually see $65 million per year.
However Yahoo Sports reports Oregon and Washington are “expected to agree to a cut rate — perhaps as low as 50 percent.”
That’s still much better than what’s on the table for the crumbling Pac-12.
The Big Ten now rivals the SEC in size and competition. Icon Sportswire via Getty ImagesApple TV+ reportedly pitched a short-term streaming deal worth approximately $20-25 million per school per year.
Yahoo Sports reports Big Ten presidents are meeting Friday to approve the expansion and deal with the travel and schedule logistics of an 18-team, cross-country conference.
As for the Pac-12, its future remains very much in doubt.
Moving to the Big Ten could mean a financial upgrade for Washington, even if it takes a cut rate of TV money. Icon Sportswire via Getty ImagesJust last month Colorado announced its intention to leave for the Big 12.
According to Yahoo Sports, three more schools — Arizona, Arizona State and Utah — also could be bound for the Big 12, leaving the Pac-12 in ruins.
