Pac-12 to lose 4 members in the upcoming wave of Big Ten expansion; conference re-alignment takes a wild turn: Report
Within a week of losing Colorado, the Pac-12 faces the devastating possibility of losing 4 more members to the aggressive Big Ten expansion campaign. The Big Ten has already begun discussions to expand conference membership up to almost 20 teams. If they are able to pull through, the decision could spell doom for the Pac-12.
Oregon and Washington, two major powerhouses in the Pac-12, have already been reported to be "vetted and cleared" to join the wave of Big Ten expansion if finances work out. But now, reports suggest that the looming doom of the Pac-12 could see Stanford and UCB heading over to the Big Ten.
A group of Big Ten presidents have started exploratory discussions on expansion in light of Pac 12 uncertainty, @DanWetzel reports. Last August, @ActionNetworkHQ reported B1G “vetted & cleared” Oregon & Washington to join league if it made financial sense. Those discussions… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
The discussions are in the early stages. But the disappointing media package that Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff presented to his members has brought about even more turbulence in a barely floating conference.
USC and UCLA have already left for the Big Ten. As the conference looks to poach four more teams from the Pac-12, the future of one of the oldest FBS conferences looks bleaker by the day.
What are the downsides of the Big Ten expansion process?
Adding another four teams is not as easy as it sounds for the Big Ten. Ballooning the conference to 20 teams would dilute the number of games current members play against each other. This poses a major threat to some of the major regional rivalries within the Big Ten.
Additionally, the idea of a conference that stretches across the country would pose a major logistical problem, especially for the travel of teams, among other issues. If the Big Ten is set on expanding, it needs to figure out these issues before setting out on its expansion conquest.
What about the future of the Pac-12?
The Pac-12 is on the verge of disaster. Over the last year, three teams have already fled the conference, and reports of further dismay among members continue to flood the internet. But after the latest bout of expansion rumors by the Big Ten, the Pac-12 faces an unprecedented crisis about its existence.
With Arizona, Arizona State, and Utah already on the brink of leaving the conference, losing the Ducks and Huskies would be a fatal blow for the Pac-12. The loss of Stanford and the Golden Bears would also lead to the conference losing its grip over the Bay Area. This would be a major blow to any future media rights negotiations, given the massive viewership from the West Coast.
Until the Pac-12 is able to resolve its internal issues, the league is under major threat of not only losing relevance but falling apart as a whole.