$40 million commitment for Oregon and Washington joining Big Ten in the first two years, amount will rise incrementally: Reports
Oregon and Washington joining Big Ten has been a big story of the Pac-12 collapse. After leaving the Pac-12, things are going to be interesting to see as each team is going to have different financial situations. However, the Oregon Ducks and the Washington Huskies hit paydirt here.
According to The Monty Show on Twitter, the two programs are going to be set to make $40 million in their first two years with the Big Ten and will rise every season going forward.
Sources tell me Oregon & Washington will get $40 Million per season, for the first two seasons, from the #BIG10 with escalators each year after.
While that is less than a full share, as the Big Ten distributed $58.8 million in fiscal 2022, that is still a massive jump from what the Pac-12 was giving out. This also makes the reason why Oregon and Washington joining Big Ten happened as quickly as it did.
This is a massive win for the two programs as they are part of a thriving conference that continues to look at expansion. They will be joining the UCLA Bruins and USC Trojans to jump to the Big Ten from the Pac-12 in 2024.
Does Oregon and Washington joining Big Ten show the Pac-12 is done?
Friday, August 4, 2023 is going to be a day that is remembered in college football history. Oregon and Washington joining Big Ten happened but was not the only move on the day. Utah, Arizona and Arizona State joined Colorado in the Big 12, meaning eight of the Pac-12 teams in 2023 will have a new conference in 2024.
The Pac-12 is in extremely rough shape as Pac-12 Commissioner George Kliavkoff is in serious risk of his conference dying out with just four current members in 2024. They can merge with a lesser conference but still, things are looking bleak.
What does this mean for the Big Ten?
This is a massive win for the Big Ten, who is in the midst of a 7-year, $7 billion media rights deal. This agreement with Oregon and Washington joining Big Ten means there is more money for the remainder of the programs as they did not give up a full share to each university. While the deal they have will eventually grow to it, right now, they are keeping more money for themselves.
The Big Ten expansion also adds a hub of now four west coast teams to make travel and scheduling a little easier. This is a home run for the Big Ten as a whole and will likely be the end of their expansion for the time being. It wasn't even a focus for Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti publicly.