It’s official: UW announces it’s leaving Pac-12 conference for Big Ten, along with Oregon
In the end — through the chaos of seismic college conference realignment, dying loyalties and tens of millions of dollars in media rights — the University of Washington has to look out for itself.
That is why the Huskies are headed to the Big Ten.
A source with direct knowledge of UW’s plans told The News Tribune Friday morning Washington and Oregon were headed toward announcing they are leaving the diminished, teetering Pac-12 Conference to join the Big Ten for all sports — dependent on the Big Ten officially inviting them.
Then ESPN reported midday Friday the Big Ten officially voted in Washington and Oregon.
UW Athletics Director Jen Cohen made it official with an announcement Friday afternoon:
“We have tremendous respect and gratitude for the Pac-12, its treasured history and traditions,” Cohen said. “At the same time, the college athletics landscape has changed dramatically in recent years. The Big Ten’s history of athletic and academic success and long-term stability best positions our teams for future success, and we are energized at the opportunity to compete at the highest level against some of the best programs in the country.”
The Big Ten also released a statement Friday, officially announcing the arrival of UW and Oregon.
“I’m thrilled that the University of Oregon has the opportunity to join the nation’s preeminent academic-athletic conference,” said University of Oregon President John Karl Scholz. “Our student-athletes will participate at the highest level of collegiate athletic competition, and our alumni, friends, and fans will be able to carry the spirit of Oregon across the country.”
Adding UW and Oregon would create an 18-team Big Ten, with the Southeastern Conference the two behemoth leagues in big-time college sports.
College football insider Brett McMurphy of Action Network HQ was the first to report UW and Oregon had made their decisions to leave.
Sources have told The News Tribune for the last year this is the result top UW leaders have sought since USC and UCLA stunned the Pac-12 in 2022 and agreed to join the Big Ten after the 2023-24 academic year.
USC and UCLA left amid years of mismanagement and incompetence by former Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott, and a fatal lack of foresight by the league’s presidents.
Colorado decided this summer to leave the Pac-12 for the Big 12 Conference.
UW’s and Oregon’s moves show how in today’s college-sports landscape — Texas and Oklahoma are leaving the Big 12 for the mighty SEC next year — it is every school and athletic department for itself. That is at the expense of tradition, relationships, geography and sometimes common sense.
Sure, everyone sees UW football at Ohio State on national television as a win-win. But are you ready for Washington at Rutgers softball in April?
All these moves and money-making leave Washington State and Oregon State on the outside looking in. Arizona and possibly Arizona State are reportedly close to joining the Big 12. The Cougars and Beavers are left to hope perhaps the Big 12 will accept them, or that Mountain West teams form a new Pac-Whatever-the-Number, or the Mountain West adds WSU and OSU as the Pac-12 crumbles around them.
The Apple Cup? That’s in serious jeopardy of ending after the 115th meeting this November 25 in Seattle. Washington and Washington State first met in 1900. Now, they would have to meet in a non-conference game, and work out the logistics of one around UW’s new Big Ten schedule.
Yes, as always, the reason for this chaos is money.
Washington and Oregon reportedly had big concerns with the proposed new media-rights deal the Pac-12 was presenting to its nine remaining members: a streaming-based deal with Apple. It would be heavily reliant on gaining subscribers and perhaps net each Pac-12 school no more than $20-25 million annually beginning with the 2024 college football season.
The Big Ten has a new rights package with traditional television giants NBC, CBS and Fox that is reportedly going to pay each of that league’s schools $50-70 million or more per year.
Washington and Oregon have reportedly been offered entrance to the Big Ten at a share below and perhaps half that through the 2029-30 academic year. That’s when the Big Ten’s upcoming television deal with NBC, CBS and Fox ends. That reduced-share stipulation had both schools exploring the possibility of staying in and saving the Pac-12. Early Friday morning, that appeared a distinct possibility.
Yet McMurphy reported both UW and Oregon will still take in more with a reduced Big Ten share than it would in what the Pac-12 has been offering. It’s believed Washington’s and Oregon’s Big Ten shares will increase each year, to far above what the Pac-12’s Apple deal would give them.
Washington and Oregon don’t have to pay exit fees to leave the Pac-12 because the league’s media-rights deal is expiring next spring.
UW’s board of regents held a special meeting Thursday night but made no announcements coming out of that 90-minute gathering.
Friday morning, the Pac-12’s nine remaining university presidents and leaders held a meeting in hopes of signing a grant of rights to approve the Apple media deal. But the diminished, streaming-based media-rights package is proving to be a risk of lower revenues UW doesn’t want to take on.
The 18-team Big Ten is about to be the largest conference in college sports history.
This story was originally published August 4, 2023 at 10:40 AM with the headline "It’s official: UW announces it’s leaving Pac-12 conference for Big Ten, along with Oregon."
