Breaking: Big Ten To Add Oregon And Washington, Conference To Expand To 18 Schools

The Big Ten will expand to 18 schools in the near future with the additions for Washington and Oregon.

USC and UCLA will make their Big Ten debuts in 2024. They might not be alone as the "west coast contenders" heading to the conference. 

According to reports, the Big Ten is in the final stages of adding Washington and Oregon, bringing the conference to 18 schools for the 2024 season. The conference presidents will vote Friday, with the decision expected to be unanimous, barring any last-second hesitation. 

The move will bring substantial westward expansion to the conference after USC and UCLA agreed to join the Big Ten last summer. The conference last expanded in 2014 when adding Maryland and Rutgers, bringing the total number of programs to 14. 

Conversations heated up earlier this week after Pac-12 Commissioner George Kliavkoff presented a new media rights deal to the remaining schools for the impending season. The proposed agreement, a contract with Apple TV's streaming service, would only provide an annual revenue reaching between a projected $20-$25 million. 

The Big Ten, which enters its new media rights deal beginning in 2024, is expected to bring schools an average revenue of up to $65 million a season. According to Yahoo Sports, Oregon and Washington could agree to a lesser deal — potentially as low as 50 percent — but still would bring in annual revenue more than the proposed Pac-12's payout with Apple TV+. 

On Thursday, Big Ten presidents and chancellors authorized commissioner Tony Petitti to begin "exploring avenues" to add the Ducks and Huskies as conference members. It was initially reported that the conference was also monitoring the status of Stanford and Cal, but talks honed in on Washington and Oregon being the primary targets. 

The Pac-12's future is now in significant doubt as the seven remaining programs must ponder their next move. On Thursday, it was reported that Arizona would begin the final steps in joining the Big 12, with an announcement expected to become official. 

Last week, Colorado announced its return to the Big 12 after a 13-year hiatus. Both Arizona State and Utah could follow suit and join the Big 12, bringing the conference total to 16 teams beginning in 2024. 

The four remaining schools — Cal, Stanford, Oregon State and Washington State — must decide on their status with the conference. Multiple reports suggest the league could enter a partnership with the ACC, or look to expand with schools from the Mountain West and American Athletic Conference. 

Notre Dame, which has been an Independent since its inception, is not expected to join a conference despite the recent realignment news. 

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