Can the Big Ten lure Oregon, Washington, Clemson, or FSU? B1G expansion strategy to recruit Pac-12 or ACC teams keeps SEC in fray
The Big Ten has been one of the biggest college football conferences in the nation and they continue to try to acquire talent. The conference has already added the USC Trojans and the UCLA Bruins from the Pac-12 beginning in the 2024 season, but that may not be it.
There are a lot of programs potentially looking to move conferences and the Big Ten could be a commitment away from having at least one more team join the fray. Let's dive into the conference's strategy and if they will recruit any more teams.
Will the Big Ten be luring any potential Pac-12 or ACC programs?
The Big Ten has been trying to get to the level of the Southeastern Conference as they have been adding programs to make the level of competition better. There have been some theories thrown about. Some of this is seen as an attempt to try and get some more money when their newest media rights deal comes up.
When they add the USC Trojans and the UCLA Bruins, the conference will have 16 teams. This feels like the largest the conference can balloon to. So, if they are going to add one of these 'free agent-esque' programs, they might decide to drop a lesser program at the conference.
The Big Ten feels like they are trying to establish as much name power throughout their conference as possible. The media rights deal ends at the conclusion of the 2029-30 college football season, so getting programs added could drive up the price.
One example would be the Clemson Tigers. Since the 2015 season, they are the only non-SEC program to win a national championship. Luring them to the conference is critical to success at building the best college football conference possible.
In terms of the Oregon Ducks and Washington Huskies, that adds more credibility as they continue to expand to the west coast of the United States. It feels like the conference would target the Miami Hurricanes over the Florida State Seminoles if they were to attack the state of Florida, due to the history.
Their expansion strategy is to continue making their conference elite and become more of a national aspect instead of being landlocked in the northern portion of the middle United States.
There is no doubt that the Big Ten is going to have some strategic expansion plans in order to continue improving the quality of the conference and making it feel equal to the SEC.