The dominoes are in place for the Big Ten.
One week after Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti announced that expansion was not imminent for the conference, ESPN's Pete Thamel reported Thursday that Big Ten presidents authorized Petitti to explore expansion and obtain information about Oregon and Washington as potential additions to the league. However, no offers have been made yet.
Sources: The Big Tens presidents met early Thursday morning and authorized Commissioner Tony Petitti to explore expansion and bring them back more information on Oregon and Washington as potential Big Ten members. No offers have been made,
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) August 3, 2023
Around the time of Thamel's tweet, several Pac-12 media members reported that Washington's Board of Regents added a special meeting to its schedule at 9 p.m. PT on Thursday, where the board is expected to address a potential move for the Huskies out of the Pac-12 and into another conference.
FYI: UWs Board of Regents have scheduled a special meeting for tonight at 9 pm. The meeting will include an executive session, though Im told no action will be taken.
— Mike Vorel (@mikevorel) August 3, 2023
Link: https://t.co/GejlyA1WLq
The results of Washington's Board of Regents meeting – which could come Thursday or at a later date – may determine the fate of the Pac-12. Jon Wilner, the reporter who broke the news that USC and UCLA accepted an offer to become Big Ten schools last summer, tweeted that he expects the future of the conference to be determined before Friday ends.
I expect the future of the #Pac12 to be determined in the next 24-36 hours
— Jon Wilner (@wilnerhotline) August 3, 2023
Talks of Big Ten expansion have increased rapidly since Wednesday when Dan Wetzel of Yahoo Sports reported the conference conducted preliminary discussions about the possibility of adding Oregon, Washington, Stanford and Cal to the conference. Wetzel reported Thursday that the Big Ten is now focused on adding only Oregon and Washington, not Cal and Stanford.
The Big Ten will wait to see what happens with the Pac 12 (all eyes on Arizona). However, if the Big Ten chooses to expand, the focus is now on adding just two teams: Oregon and Washington, industry sources tell Yahoo Sports. https://t.co/HHnT2XcZjS
— Dan Wetzel (@DanWetzel) August 3, 2023
In response to Wetzel's initial report, the Big Ten released a statement that claimed its primary focus remained on ensuring a smooth transition for USC and UCLA into the conference but did not rule out the possibility of further expansion.
“The Big Ten Conference is still focused on the 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.
Given Thursday's events, it’s now apparent that the Big Ten is giving real consideration to the possibility of expansion, especially with Colorado leaving the Pac-12 for the Big 12 and Arizona, Arizona State and Utah as possible schools who could follow suit.
Asked Wednesday about the possibility of further Big Ten expansion, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said his focus was 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."
