Inside The Panthers

Pitt Was Considered For Big 10 Expansion

The Pitt Panthers could have been part of an expanding Big 10.

Stephen Thompson

Pitt Was Considered For Big 10 Expansion
Pitt Was Considered For Big 10 Expansion /
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PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers could have been one of the schools to get in on the latest round of conference realignment that has swept college football over the past three years.  

According to a report from Yahoo! Sports' Ross Dellinger, Pitt was one of 12 schools the Big 10 and then-commissioner Kevin Warren considered as candidates to add to the conference, alongside several ACC and Pac-12 schools, plus Notre Dame and Kansas. 

"Conference office administrators created a list of desired programs thought to be attainable, according to multiple sources who have seen the list," Dellinger wrote. "They included Notre Dame, North Carolina, Clemson, Florida State, Pitt, Kansas, Cal, Stanford, Arizona, Virginia and, of course, Oregon and Washington. In fact, outside counsel for UO and UW met with Big Ten administrators twice last year — once in Chicago and another in New York."

The league opted to add Oregon and Washington instead, alongside USC and UCLA. All of them will join the Big 10 next academic year. 

Whether Pitt would have even been able to break free of the ACC's Grant of Rights agreement if they were accepted by the Big 10 is unclear. There would be enormous financial penalties for trying to break free before the 2036 expiration date that has kept the league intact for now. 

The impending additions of Cal, Stanford and SMU could stand to alter that agreement. But for now, the ACC is just expanding to the West Coast and Texas, not retracting. 

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Stephen Thompson
STEPHEN THOMPSON

Stephen Thompson graduated with a bachelor's degree in communications and political science from Pitt in April 2022 after spending four years as a sports writer and editor at The Pitt News, the University of Pittsburgh's independent, student-run newspaper.  He primarily worked the Pitt men's basketball beat, and filled in on coverage of football, volleyball, softball, gymnastics and lacrosse, in addition to other sports as needed. His work at The Pitt News has won awards from the Pennsylvania News Media Association and Associated College Press.  During the spring and summer of 2021, Stephen interned for Pittsburgh Sports Now, covering baseball in western Pennsylvania. Hailing from Washington D.C., family ties have cultivated a love of Boston's professional teams and Pitt athletics, and a fascination with sports in general.  You can reach Stephen by email at stephenethompson00@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter. Read his latest work:

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