Reports: Oregon and Washington Heading to the Big Ten

What was it that Ferris Bueller said? “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” Yeah, yeah, that’s it. Today is one of those days that if you don’t stop and look around, you’ll miss it. What is it? Well, according to reports from both Pete Thamel at ESPN and Brett McMurphy of the Action Network the Big Ten is expanding once again. That’s right folks, all of the smoke from the past week has become as overwhelming as the smoke from the recent Canadian wildfires. The Big Ten will be adding Oregon and Washington in the coming years.

No details on a timetable were announced but given the paltry media rights deal that the Pac-12 seems to be stumbling their way through combined with the utter implosion of the conference my guess is that these two want to get out of there while the getting is good.

Various reports, with various reliability, have indicated that these two school would not come in with immediate full revenue shares like USC and UCLA will. Rather, according to reports, these schools will be closer to the Maryland and Rutgers plan where it takes them multiple years to reach a full share and become, in essence, an equity partner in the conference.

There are plenty of questions still outstanding, and signed contracts to be worked out, but all reports indicate that this is a done deal. The conference will vote later today and a unanimous vote is expected. This will mean the Big Ten will move to 18 teams (Date TBD) making them the largest, and most lucrative, conference. The money and prestige of the conference will continue to grow and what started as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives, later known as the Western Conference, has truly fulfilled its destiny by having four conference members in the west.

There will be much more to come here and we’ll be sure to keep you abreast of all we know.