When did the last Big Ten expansion happen? Listing teams that joined the conference in 2014
The Big Ten expansion has been a constant topic within the college football media space for more than a year now. It was announced in July 2022 that UCLA and USC would become members of the Big Ten. Since then, many have become more interested in the history of the conference's expansion.
Founded in 1896, the Big Ten is one of the oldest and most prestigious athletic conferences in the U.S. It also has a rich history of expansion. Its most recent expansion before the ongoing conference realignment happened in 2014, when the conference welcomed two important new members: Rutgers and Maryland.
When it was established in 1896 as the Western Conference, the Big Ten started with just seven members. They were Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Chicago, Purdue and Northwestern. As the years rolled by, the conference expanded and admitted new members, while some old ones left.
2014 Big Ten expansion
What culminated in the 2014 Big Ten expansion started on Nov. 19, 2012. The Board of Regents of the University of Maryland voted to leave the Atlantic Coast Conference and join the Big Ten. The move was approved on the same day by the Big Ten’s Council of Presidents. The following day, Rutgers accepted the Big Ten’s offer for membership, thus ending its affiliation with the Big East.
Maryland and Rutgers became the 13th and 14th schools to become members of the Big Ten, respectively. The move was scheduled to take effect on Jul.1, 2014. The 2014 Big Ten expansion was significant for the conference, being its first expansion beyond its traditional Midwestern footprint.
The desire to increase the national reach of the Big Ten was one of the motivations behind the expansion. Furthermore, it was a strategic move for the conference to tap into the lucrative East Coast media markets.
The Big Ten appears to not be done with its expansionist ambitions. After the Southeastern Conference set off a new conference realignment cycle in 2021 with the admission of Texas and Oklahoma, the Big Ten followed suit in 2022. USC and UCLA are set to start competing in the Big Ten in Jul. 2014.
Given the recent developments in the Pac-12 after Colorado’s exit, the Big Ten is set to add more schools from the Pac-12 to its ranks. Washington and Oregon appear to have gotten the green light from the Big Ten to join the conference, as the two schools informed the Pac-12 on Friday that they were leaving, according to Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports.
Oregon and Washington informed Pac-12 presidents earlier that they plan to accept an invitation from the Big Ten, sources tell me and @DanWetzel. An invitation from the Big Ten is expected soon.
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