The Big Ten voted Friday to admit Oregon and Washington to the conference, pushing its eventual membership to 18 universities.
The additions of the two current Pac-12 programs will be effective on Aug. 2, 2024, the Big Ten said in a news release.
“The Big Ten Presidents and Chancellors are pleased to welcome the University of Oregon and the University of Washington to the Big Ten Conference,” Illinois chancellor Robert Jones, the chair of the Big Ten Council of Presidents/Chancellors, said in a release. “When considering the full spectrum of academic, athletic and research excellence, the alignment with our member institutions is extremely clear. We are excited to welcome them and look forward to collaborating and competing with them in the years ahead.”
Oregon and Washington will follow UCLA and Southern California from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten in 2024.
“We look forward to building long-lasting relationships with the universities, administrators and staff, student-athletes, coaches and fans,” new Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti said in the release. “Both institutions feature a combination of academic and athletic excellence that will prove a great fit for our future.”
The latest realignment shockwave occurred after Colorado and Arizona chose to leave the Pac-12 for the Big 12 beginning next year. While the Pac-12 struggles to secure a new media rights deal for football and other sports, reports also emerged Friday night that Arizona State and Utah have applied for membership in the Big 12.
Fellow Pac-12 schools Stanford and Cal could also be part of future Big Ten expansion plans, Yahoo Sports reported earlier this week. The four Pac-12 teams remaining are Stanford, Cal, Oregon State and Washington State.
–Field Level Media
