Ducks, Huskies Headed to the Big Ten Conference
The Oregon Ducks are headed to the Big Ten Conference, marking the end of an era for the Pac-12 Conference where the Ducks have played for more than 108 years.
College sports fans in the Pacific Northwest are in a state of feverish excitement.
News broke Friday morning that the Big Ten Conference will invite the University of Oregon and University of Washington to join the 16 schools in the league. The Ducks and Huskies are likely to accept, and have already notified the presidents of the remaining Pac-12 universities of their intent to leave. The Ducks and Huskies would compete in the Big Ten beginning fall of 2024.
This is a boon for fans, who will be able to watch Ducks and Huskies games on CBS, NBC, and Fox thanks to the $7 billion seven-year media deal the Big Ten signed last year. It's also a windfall for the University of Oregon and University of Washington, who will receive a cut of that deal estimated at $80-100 million per year.
The schools' fan bases are still processing the news.
I hate all of this. I loved my Ducks playing in the P12. Loved the scar tissue w/opponents, shared tradition, etc. However the landscape of college sports has changed and you have to adapt with the times. I trust Oregon’s leadership. Go Ducks https://t.co/tO1mlmV7O3
— Geoff Schwartz (@geoffschwartz) August 4, 2023
Wild to see the end of the PAC-12 Era as a Seattle kid. Weird changes happening. pic.twitter.com/3uZXHgvHtk
— Sami ON Tap (@SamiOnTap) August 4, 2023
Today's defections are the latest development in the saga of the unwinding Pac-12, which began last year when the University of Southern California and the University of California, Los Angeles announced their moves to the Big 10 Conference. Just last week, the University of Colorado, Boulder said sayonara to the Pac-12, in favor of the Big 12.
Both Oregon and Washington were charter members of Pac-12's precursor, the Pacific Coast Conference, dating back to 1915, and so their departures represent deep blows to the "Conference of Champions." The conference's inability to secure a new media deal (including the broadcast rights of football and basketball) has contributed to its decline. Arizona State and University of Arizona are rumored to also be pondering moves to the Big 12, which would all but nail the coffin of the Pac-12. Just four powerful conferences would remain: the Big Ten, Big 12, Southeastern Conference (SEC), and Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
The Big Ten is a super-conference stacked with talented schools across a number of sports, including Midwest football icons like the Ohio State University, the University of Michigan, Pennsylvania State University, and University of Wisconsin-Madison.
The Ducks and Huskies enjoy one of the fiercest rivalries in all of college sports, which likely fueled their decision to exit together. No word yet on the future of Oregon and Washington's other football rivals—the Oregon State Beavers and Washington State Cougars—which will now belong to different conferences. The Ducks and Beavers share the fifth most-played rivalry in all of college football, at 126 total meetings between the two teams. The Huskies and Cougars have played 114 renditions of their rivalry game, The Apple Cup.
PAC12: The Movie. pic.twitter.com/GkRzoGaLEu
— RezDevil (@rez_devil) August 4, 2023
