College football expansion: Insider on Oregon, Washington rumors to Big 12

After the Pac-12 lost three teams in the last year of college football realignment, insiders are now looking squarely at Oregon and Washington

Just when everybody thought college football expansion and conference realignment was slowing down, the Big 12 shocked the world by adding Colorado, leaving what's left of the Pac-12 in a position where insiders are predicting more of its remaining teams could be leaving, too.

That includes Oregon and Washington, the two biggest brands left in the conference and already there is plenty of speculation that both could be looking for an escape hatch themselves. Including college football insider Brett McMurphy, who noted that while the Big 12 would love to add both, the schools could be looking elsewhere.

"People are like, 'Why don't the Big 12 go after Oregon and Washington?' I think they'd love to have Oregon and Washington as part of the Big 12, except they realize that whenever Oregon and Washington get that Big Ten invite, they're gone," McMurphy told 365 Sports. 

He added: "So do you really want to bring a team to your conference that the minute they get in, your conference is kind of going to be waiting for the other date to the dance so they can move?"

More from College Football HQ: Which schools could move next?

This isn't the first time that Oregon and Washington have both been connected to the Big Ten in the realignment process, as reps from both schools have reportedly had informal talks with officials from that conference about the expansion landscape and where they might all fit in it. Nothing official came of that meeting, but the fact that it took place is noteworthy.

By potentially adding two more West Coast teams, the Big Ten could seriously ease up its travel schedule after adding USC and UCLA starting next season, would preserve local rivalries, and further increase the league's value by adding the Pacific Northwest media market.

In turn, Oregon and Washington feel they could benefit from a boost in their quality of schedule by joining the Big Ten as compared to the remnants of the Pac-12, an important metric as those schools look to pursue College Football Playoff selection.

All we know now is that with the Pac-12 losing pieces and the Big 12 still looking to add some, the football expansion process isn't over yet, and before all the dominoes fall, we could see some more historic changes to the sport's map.

(365)

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