The Big Ten has begun exploratory discussions about expanding membership to 18 or even 20 teams, industry sources have told Yahoo Sports. The schools being considered are Oregon and Washington if the league adds two schools, and Cal and Stanford if it wants to move to 20. All four institutions are currently members of the Pac-12.
The discussions are in the very early stages, sources caution. No decision, including on whether to expand or stay put at 16 teams, has been made or is considered imminent.
A group of four Big Ten university presidents began the preliminary process on Wednesday. The day prior, Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff presented a media rights package to his membership that was reportedly heavy on games appearing on an Apple Plus subscription streaming service. Revenue estimates were as low as $20 million per year per school.
With the Pac-12 at risk of splintering, Oregon, Washington, Cal and Stanford renewed their push to the Big Ten, seeking a safe, and far richer harbor, for its athletic programs starting in 2024. The Big Ten’s thinking is that if the Pac-12 is going to be decimated anyway with the departure of Arizona, Arizona State and Utah, and 20-team national conferences are the future, then why not act now when the conference is already in transition? It could just add Oregon and Washington, but at that point, why not bring along Cal and Stanford?
Oregon and Washington have fielded strong football programs in the past and have excellent fan bases and markets in Portland and Seattle. One source tossed out the possibility of playing the Big Ten championship game some years in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, rather than Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Also a possibility is a more regional based setup for so-called Olympic sport travel.
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