Big Ten reportedly expanding to 18 teams with Oregon and Washington
See a report on the start of Ohio State preseason camp in the player above.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — One year before USC and UCLA join the Big Ten, the conference is reportedly expanding again.
Big Ten presidents and chancellors joined an impromptu conference call Friday to discuss the possibility of adding Oregon and Washington to the conference, according to multiple reports. After the call was reported to be taking place, Yahoo and Action reported that the conference will invite both schools to join in 2024 and both schools will accept the invitation.
A Big Ten vote scheduled for later in the day is expected to be unanimous, according to ESPN's Pete Thamel.
Several outlets are reporting the Pac-12 was unable to sign a 'Grant of Rights' deal Friday morning that would have kept the conference in tact. Colorado left the Pac-12 last week for the Big 12 and Arizona is reportedly on the verge of doing the same, which would leave the Pac-12 with six teams in 2024.
Even though the Big Ten has traditionally been considered a Midwest league, expansion in the past 35 years has brought Penn State in 1990, Nebraska in 2011, and Maryland and Rutgers in 2014. Ohio State has been a part of it since 1912.
The current membership consists of:
- Ohio State
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Michigan State
- Minnesota
- Nebraska
- Northwestern
- Penn State
- Purdue
- Rutgers
- Wisconsin
UCLA and USC joining the Big Ten were set in motion after Texas and Oklahoma announced they would leave the Big 12 for the Southeastern Conference in 2025, bringing the SEC to 16 members.
Further expansion came just a few months after the Big Ten signed the most lucrative television rights deal in history with CBS, Fox and NBC. Big Ten schools will receive a minimum of $50 million a year with that number expected to grow annually.
Ohio State has two games confirmed on NBC this fall against Notre Dame and Michigan State and a third game at Wisconsin is reportedly scheduled.
Big Ten on NBC schedule
- Sept. 2 at 12 p.m.: East Carolina vs. Michigan (Peacock)
- Sept. 2 at 7:30 p.m.: West Virginia vs. Penn State
- Sept. 9 at 12 p.m.: Delaware vs. Penn State (Peacock)
- Sept. 9 at 7:30 p.m.: Charlotte vs. Maryland
- Sept. 16 at 5 p.m.: Washington vs. Michigan State (Peacock)
- Sept. 16 at 7:30 p.m.: Syracuse vs. Purdue
- Sept. 23 at 3:30 p.m.: Maryland vs. Michigan State
- Sept. 23 at 7:30 p.m.: Ohio State vs. Notre Dame
- Sept. 30 at 7:30 p.m.: Illinois vs. Purdue
- Oct. 7 at 7:30 p.m.: Purdue vs. Iowa
- Oct. 14 at 3:30 p.m.: Iowa vs. Wisconsin
- Oct. 21 at 3:30 p.m.: Minnesota vs. Iowa
- Oct. 21 at 7:30 p.m.: Michigan vs. Michigan State
- Oct. 28 at 7:30 p.m.: Ohio State vs. Wisconsin
- Nov. 4 at 7:30 p.m.: Purdue vs. Michigan
- Nov. 11 at 3:30 p.m.: Maryland vs. Nebraska
- Nov. 11 at 7:30 p.m.: Michigan State vs. Ohio State
- Nov. 18 at 7:30 p.m.: Nebraska vs. Wisconsin
- Friday, Nov. 24 at 7:30 p.m.: Penn State vs. Michigan State, at Detroit