Breaking: Washington to join BIG TEN.

A whirlwind of a day full of speculation that had the Pac-12 adding teams, the Pac-12 dissolving, finally settled with the Washington Huskies and the Oregon Ducks joining the BIG TEN in the 2024 season.

The speculation surrounding the fate of the Pac-12 has been rampant once USC and UCLA announced their move to the BIG TEN in 2022. When the two Cal schools made the announcement, the remaining members of the  Pac-12 were willing to stand with the expectation that a lucrative television deal was imminent.   The united stand began to unravel when Colorado announced last week that it would join the  Big 12.

When the Big 12  presidents voted to welcome Arizona on Thursday and did the same to Arizona State and Utah the remaining conference institutions were on life support.

SURVIVAL FIRST

That life support for survival went dark during an emergency meeting of the remaining institutions Friday morning. Pac-12 Commissioner George Kliavkoff presented the Presidents with a below-market streaming deal in that meeting.  The revenue for the streaming deal is alleged to be $24 million per year  . Simply put, the Huskies and Duck bailed on the sinking ship and grabbed the lifeline thrown to them by the BIG TEN.

REVENUE BECAME THE ISSUE

According to multiple reports, the Huskies and Ducks will earn a reduced share of $30 million annually.  That number will increase $1 million per year until 2029. That is when the BIG TEN’s current TV deal with  FOX, NBC,  and CBS  ends.

“The Big Ten is a thriving conference with strong athletic and academic traditions, and we are excited and confident about competing at the highest level on a national stage,” UW president Ana Mari Cauce said in a statement. “My top priority must be to do what is best for our student-athletes and our University, and this move will help ensure a strong future for our athletics program.”

With  Washington, Oregon, USC and UCLA, Arizona  State, and Utah all staring at bright economic athletic and academic futures, the question is, what will happen to the PAC-12? A  release from the conference stated a united front for the remaining institutions.

“Today’s news is incredibly disappointing for student-athletes, fans, alumni, and staff of the Pac-12 who cherish the over 100-year history, tradition, and rivalries of the Conference of Champions,” read a Pac-12 statement released Friday evening. “We remain focused on securing the best possible future for each of our member universities.”

If the united front line seems overused and worthless in reality, it is.  The chase of revenue dollars has changed the landscape of college football forever.  It is time for school presidents to do what’s best for their student-athletes.

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