Now official:
USC and UCLA will begin Big Ten play in 2024.
Oklahoma and Texas will begin SEC play in 2024.
AND the College Football Playoff will begin its 12-team format in 2024.
— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) February 9, 2023
Other news:
- The PAC-12 appears to be seriously flirting with San Diego State and SMU. Fresno State’s name has also been thrown around. The question is which comes first: a new media rights deal with Amazon and late night games on ESPN or expansion?
- The Washington state legislature was considering a bill that would have given lawmakers approval authority over conference realignment decisions involving Washington and Washington State. SB 5206 was sponsored by three state senators who didn’t want WSU to get left behind should Washington decide to leave for the Big Ten or another conference. The bill won’t be pushed forward, suggesting that between CFP expansion, a new media deal and the apparent lack of B1G interest in adding UW, the PAC-12 will manage to hold itself together. Or will it?
- With four new teams starting conference play in 2023 and UT and OU gone after 2023, there are rumors circulating that Big XII commissioner Brett Yormark intends to aggressively pursue adding more members. The PAC-12 has to be a prime target. What happens to UW and Oregon—arguably the PAC-12’s two most powerful remaining brands—if Arizona, ASU, Colorado and/or Utah bolt and the B1G doesn’t want any of the others?
- There are rumors that Oregon and Washington are balking at signing a new PAC-12 grant of rights in order to keep their options open. Some people who follow this stuff think they have become so skittish that the PAC-12 is going to sign a shitty media deal or even fall apart, the B1G could get them at a huge discount. Even a partial payout as a B1G member plus the upside could be better than a full payout staying in the PAC-12.
- A little more than a week ago, the B1G retained sports, entertainment and media recruiting firm TurnkeyZRG to lead the search for its new commissioner.
- B1G officials will meet in Chicago on February 20-21. What is likely to be on the agenda: 2024 scheduling, division realignment, possibly more expansion (what’s ND thinking)?
