Ducks Digest

Oregon Ducks are Big Ten’s Biggest Winner in Conference Realignment

After the Oregon Ducks beat the Ohio State Buckeyes in front of 10.4 million viewers on TV, Oregon is playing Purdue in another prime time game on Friday night. The Ducks are receiving a partial share of revenue from the Big Ten Conference for the next six years, despite the strength of the school's brand.

Charlie Viehl

Fans pack the barricades during ESPN’s “College GameDay” Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024 on the campus of the University of Oregon in Eugene, Ore.
Fans pack the barricades during ESPN’s “College GameDay” Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024 on the campus of the University of Oregon in Eugene, Ore. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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The Oregon Ducks defeated the Ohio State Buckeyes 32-31 on Saturday, Oct. 12, and an average of 10.4 million people watched the primetime game on NBC while 2.3 million viewers tuned into ESPN's College GameDay in the morning. The 10.4 million viewers for Ohio State and Oregon makes it the second-most watched game of the college football season behind Georgia and Alabama's instant classic on Sept. 28.

In Oregon's first year as a member the Big Ten Conference, they played the highest-rated regular season conference game for NBC in primetime in 16 years. Not only did the Ducks participate, but they came away with the win.

Despite proving its value to the new conference on the football field, Oregon is receiving a partial revenue share from the Big Ten for the next six years until a new media deal is signed.

In the last wave of conference realignment, Big Ten's initial move was inviting USC and UCLA alone. The remaining schools of the Pac-12 could not put together a good enough deal, so Oregon and Washington decided to take the Big Ten's offer of a partial share. In less than one season, it looks like the Ducks' are the biggest bargain of the group.

With all eyes on Autzen Stadium and Eugene, the Ducks showed off the Oregon brand, reporting over 36 million impressions on official social media accounts @GoDucks and @OregonFootball.

When talking to the media after the game, Oregon coach Dan Lanning recognized the importance of the moment against the Buckeyes.

After the win, Lanning said, "How awesome is Oregon? How awesome is getting to coach at this place? Our fans, our players, those guys work so dang hard to get moments like this. And again, you might not believe me, but regardless of result, I was going to be so proud of our guys and how they competed tonight, because I know how hard they work, right? And I asked them before the game to leave it all in the field. Give me everything you got, and they did that tonight.”

Fans pack the barricades during ESPN’s “College GameDay” before University of Oregon Ducks vs. Ohio State Buckeyes
Fans pack the barricades during ESPN’s “College GameDay” Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024 on the campus of the University of Oregon in Eugene, Ore. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

A week later, the Ducks will have the national television audience on once again as they face the Purdue Boilermakers on Friday night. In addition to the record-setting tilt with Ohio State on NBC, Ducks have played three games on FOX, and they are slated for CBS 12:30 p.m. PT slot for Illinois on Oct. 26.

While the Oregon Ducks are certainly earning their partial share from the Big Ten, the school's athletic department has finished towards the top in annual revenue across the country. In addition to relationships with Nike and other donors, the decision to take the Big Ten deal was still a no-brainer.

Oregon vs. Purdue will kick off on FOX at 5 p.m. PT as the Ducks look to stay undefeated in its first year as a Big Ten member.

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Charlie Viehl
CHARLIE VIEHL

Charlie Viehl is a 23-year old Boston College graduate and is an Oregon Ducks and USC Trojans beat reporter for On SI. A native of Pasadena, California, he covered sports across Los Angeles while at Loyola High School and edited the Gabelli Presidential Scholars Program’s magazine at BC. While pursuing a career in sports journalism, he is also a lifelong musician. He is excited to bring his passion for storytelling and sports to fans of college athletics.

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