As the Big Ten football conference prepares for expansion to include USC and UCLA, there’s a new report coming out suggesting that further expansion could be in the cards.
According to Nicole Auerbach of The Athletic, a number of Big Ten presidents have started discussions about expanding by two or four teams. The report mentions Oregon, Washington, the University of California-Berkeley and Stanford.
There’s a lot to look at here. As the Big Ten and SEC grow, it sure looks like any further movement from the Pac-12 could be the death knell for the conference. In addition to USC and UCLA moving out of conference, it was just note that the University of Colorado was accepted into the Big 12.
It was reported back in July that the Big 12 was looking to poach Arizona, Arizona State and Utah away from the Pac-12. According to Auerbach’s report, the Big Ten might want to see how thing work out regarding the Big 12 before moving forward in the process. The question is whether it wants to be the one to deal the Pac-12 that final blow.
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“Big Ten Conference is still focused on integration of USC and UCLA but it’s also commissioner’s job to keep conference chancellors and presidents informed about new developments as they occur,” the conference said in a statement on Wednesday.
All of this comes at a time when the SEC will welcome in Texas and Oklahoma to the conference in time for the 2024 college football season.
Things are changing drastically when it comes to the layout of the college football world. This includes UCLA’s and USC’s departure potentially costing the Pac-12 $200 million in a new media rights deal.
All the while, the SEC is about to see its new 10-year, $3 billion media rights deal with ESPN and its family of networks go into effect in time for the 2024 season.