Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK
Oregon and Washington are going to the Big Ten. The Pac-12 future is in peril.
UPDATE: According to Action Network’s Brett McMurphy, Oregon and Washington have agreed to join the Big Ten in 2024.
Oregon and Washington will be approved by the Big Ten board in the coming hours. Each school is not expected to get a full revenue share from the Big Ten.
The Big Ten is expected to officially approve Oregon and Washington as new members later today, sources tell @TheAthletic.
It’ll be interesting to see what the revenue share ends up looking like. Expectation has been that UO/UW could come in even as low as 50 percent.
— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) August 4, 2023
The Pac-12 might be having its dying breaths as we know it, and the future of college football realignment could be taking another massive step forward.
With the Pac-12’s media deal potentially turning to shambles, the rest of the major schools in the conference are looking for landing spots in case it falls apart. The Pac-12 was already on its last legs after USC and UCLA decided to bolt to the Big Ten in 2024. The media deals weren’t coming in, and other schools such as Arizona, Oregon and Washington were beginning to look elsewhere. Arizona is flirting with the Big 12 and it might not be long before they head to the other conference.
However, the Pac-12 had a final meeting under the assumption that they could get the schools to sign a Grant of Rights deal with the new media plan. A Grant of Rights is when the media rights of each individual school are signed over to the conference. The ACC has a Grant of Rights currently in place, and Florida State is REALLY trying to get out of that.
EXCLUSIVE: Florida State University is working with JPMorgan Chase to explore how the school’s athletic department could raise capital from institutional funds, such as private equity https://t.co/0hg95TUofu
— Sportico (@Sportico) August 4, 2023
Yeah, so a Grant of Rights might not actually be good for the individual schools, especially with a conference without a set TV deal. So that didn’t get done today, and now those deals for Oregon and Washington with the Big Ten and Arizona with the Big 12 might get done. Oregon and Washington would join USC and UCLA in the Big Ten, after the two California schools made the decision to leave last year. Arizona would join Colorado in the Big 12, after Colorado made the jump in July. These moves would take place in 2024.
Well, it doesn’t look great for the Pac-12. That Grant of Rights deal that they wanted everyone in the conference to sign? Yeah that isn’t happening now and the media deal is kinda tanking. So Oregon, Washington and the Arizona schools could still both be on their way out.
Pac-12 unable to get Grant of Rights signed this morning & “nothing has changed” as far as Oregon & Washington joining Big Ten, sources told @ActionNetworkHQ. Ducks & Huskies still expected to be Big Ten bound when finances are worked out, sources said
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) August 4, 2023
If you needed any more indications that the Big Ten is ready to pounce, the presidents have all jumped on a conference call this morning, when there wasn’t one expected.
Can confirm @ralphDrussoAP report that there’s a Big Ten presidents call now scheduled for today. There wasn’t one scheduled early this morning.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) August 4, 2023
It’s all looking like the Pac-12 is going to lose out on Oregon and Washington, once the financials are agreed upon. Arizona is still up in the air, but right now it’s a bit of a Texas standoff. Waiting for someone to move first.
I said this morning on @SportsCenter that the Big 12 is ready to accept Arizona, but it’s not official until Arizona says it is. This could still go either way. Lots weighing on Oregon and Big Ten possibility. Somebody has to make the first move – or maybe nobody moves. https://t.co/SjGMjgcOim
— Heather Dinich (@CFBHeather) August 4, 2023
Remember earlier this week when rumors were that Oregon and Washington were entertaining going to the Big Ten and Arizona was really looking at leaving for the Big 12 and the Pac-12 was on their way to a fiery collapse?
Yeah, a lot can change in 24 hours.
Now, reports are that Oregon, Washington and Arizona are in fact staying in the Pac-12. Oregon is surely staying, after ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported that the Ducks chose to stay in the conference and not move to the Big Ten.
Oregon are expected to stay in the Pac-12, barring an eleventh hour change. That could have the power to keep the league together, as Arizona has not finalized its deal with the Big 12.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) August 4, 2023
This is a huge move for the Pac-12, because Oregon is one of the major breadwinners for the conference, both in football and in other sports. In addition, that Nike money and national brand won’t be going away anytime soon. Washington had a Board of Regents meeting at (/checks notes) midnight on the east coast Thursday, but evidently nothing came of it when it comes to moving to the Big Ten.
This move is also massive because it could persuade Arizona to stay in the Pac-12. Arizona was heavily leaning towards making the jump to the Big 12, but Arizona State wasn’t as enthused. This is a problem because the Board of Regents works for both Arizona and ASU. So if one goes, they both go. Arizona still wants to leave, but the deal with the Big 12 hasn’t been established yet. Action Network’s Brett McMurphy is saying that the Pac-12 might actually get the deal done.
At last minute, Pac-12 may stay together & sign Grant of Rights. After Monday’s media rights offer, P12 held multiple zoom meetings this week. Arizona’s Bobby Robbins appeared fully committed to Pac-12 so much that one participant said: “If Arizona leaves, he should win an Oscar”
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) August 4, 2023
NOT SO FAST, MY FRIEND! According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, the Pac-12 actually might not get the deal done today, and the big schools may in fact leave.
Sources indicating to me and @CFBHeather that the Pac-12 is unlikely to land the plane this morning and get its media rights deal signed on this call today. Multiple variables at play here, including 11th hour Big Ten push for Oregon and Washington. Everything remains fluid. https://t.co/YUm5xStXv7
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) August 4, 2023
Love realignment. Absolutely love it.
