Late Thursday night, it appeared the Pac-12 was on death's doorstep. By Friday morning, hope emerged.
But by early Friday afternoon on the East Coast and late morning out West, multiple reports indicated Oregon and Washington planned to accept invitations to become the Big Ten's 17th and 18th members. Reporting on both sides of the equation indicated this will indeed happen.
Sources: Big Ten expected to move ahead with formal offer letters for Oregon and Washington. A Big Ten vote is expected to take place later today to formalize their admission, barring any last-minute snags.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) August 4, 2023
Oregon and Washington informed Pac-12 presidents earlier that they plan to accept an invitation from the Big Ten, sources tell me and @DanWetzel. An invitation from the Big Ten is expected soon. https://t.co/KhebqNamPV
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) August 4, 2023
The Big Ten will begin a new TV contract this fall with Fox, CBS and NBC worth more than $1 billion per year. UCLA and USC will join as full-share members upon their July 1, 2024 arrival, meaning each school will earn an expected $70 million per year. Reporting indicated Washington and Oregon will earn around half that, but we'll have to wait and see exactly how the conference and its newest members will make the financials work.
Furthermore, the Big Ten went to considerable lengths to alter its scheduling model to account for the LA schools, and already announced its 2024 and 2025 opponent matchups. That work will now have to be altered. Additionally: in football, each existing Big Ten school would have to make a trip West once per year (in theory), to visit USC and UCLA on a rotating basis. Adding Oregon and Washington will double each school's visits to the Pacific coast.
Since the Pac-12's TV arrangement expires after this coming season, those schools will not have to pay an exit penalty to join the conference in 2024.
With the situation up north now becoming clear, attention now turns south.
Arizona on Thursday moved to the doorstep of becoming the Big 12's 14th member. Arizona State president Michael Crow has been among the Pac-12's staunchest supporters, and reporting indicated he was among those fighting to salvage an 11th-hour agreement to keep the Pac-12 alive. With Oregon and Washington, the new Pac-10's most valuable members, now exiting, the focus heads to Tempe.
If both Arizona schools join the Big 12, Utah is expected to follow. Combined with BYU and Colorado, a 16-team Big 12 would have five schools in the so-called Four Corners states.
This is a developing situation. Stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.
Update: Oregon has formally accepted membership to the Big Ten.
Oregon president John Karl Scholz re: Big Ten's terms: "We are being granted partial shares ... during the first parts of this deal." Says they believe shares are "more generous" than what was available via Pac-12. Oregon will be full share members in next B1G media deals.
— James Crepea (@JamesCrepea) August 4, 2023
Elsewhere, Arizona State and Utah are now on the doorstep of joining Arizona as Big 12-members-to-be.
Sources: Both Utah and Arizona State have applied for formal membership to the Big 12 Conference, and there’s a call tonight with the Big 12's presidents and chancellors to discuss their membership. Arizona applied and was approved yesterday.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) August 4, 2023