The Big Ten may not be done with expansion after all.
Despite new Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti's remarks at Big Ten Media Days last week that expansion wasn't a focus of the conference right now, Dan Wetzel of Yahoo Sports reported Wednesday that preliminary discussions with Pac-12 schools Oregon, Washington, Stanford and Cal have entered early stages.
Per the report, the Big Ten hasn't made any decision on whether or not to stay at 16 teams or expand, and a decision isn't considered imminent.
ESPN's Pete Thamel followed up with a report of his own, saying Petitti has done "due diligence" on Oregon and Washington and that has intensified in recent days. Thamel cautioned the Big Ten doesn't want to be seen as predatory if it makes a move for expansion, though.
Per @DanWetzel report on Big Ten expansion talks. Sources indicated earlier this week that Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti was doing due diligence on Oregon and Washington. Those have intensified in last recent days. But the key remains Big Ten doesnt want to be predatory. https://t.co/6cORIynPda
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) August 2, 2023
The Big Ten issued a statement following the article, which certainly stopped short of any denial.
“The Big Ten Conference is still focused on integration of USC and UCLA but it’s also the commissioner’s job to keep conference chancellors and presidents informed about new developments as they occur," the statement read.
The talk about adding potential new members to the conference comes on the heels of Pac-12 presidents meeting with league commissioner George Kliavkoff on Tuesday to discuss a potential media rights deal, which was reported to be as low as $20 million per school with subscription-based escalators, and primarily a streaming deal via Apple.
Following Colorado's defection to the Big 12, speculation has run rampant nationwide that Arizona could be the next Pac-12 school to bolt for the Big 12, with Arizona State and Utah possibly joining them.
Asked Wednesday about the possibility of further Big Ten expansion, Ryan Day said his focus is on the current season with fall camp opening on Thursday.
"I don't know," Day said Wednesday when asked if he expected the Big Ten to expand further. "You hear different things going on out there and certainly the Big Ten wants to position itself well in the future. By adding USC and UCLA, it's become a national, coast-to-coast conference.
"We want to make sure in a decade or two decades from now we're in a position to be the best conference in America. But that's all I know. You're starting to see conferences become a lot bigger than they ever have. But tomorrow is the first day of practice and football, that's where my focus is right now."
