USC and UCLA might just be the tip of the iceberg for the Big Ten Conference.
The two soon-to-be former Pac-12 schools will join the Big Ten in 2024, two seasons from now, but the conference isn’t necessarily standing pat. Once USC and UCLA join, the Big Ten will have 16 schools, but the magic number appears to be even larger, according to a report.
Conference commissioner Kevin Warren spoke to HBO’s “Real Sports” and said the Big Ten is considering adding four more unspecified schools ultimately bringing the total number to 20. What’s more, with the new media rights deal, estimated to bring in approximately $7 billion from 2023-30, Warren wants players to be involved in the profit sharing. It marks the first time a commissioner has made such a comment.
Big Ten’s Kevin Warren tells @RealSportsHBO he sees Big Ten having 20 members & paying players. “Those (paying players) are things we have to resolve. We have to. So I want to be part of this conversation & will be part of this conversation of what we can do to make this better”
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) August 19, 2022
First, addressing the idea of profit sharing, Michigan football head coach Jim Harbaugh expressed at Big Ten media days that players should get a cut, especially considering it is their name, image and likenesses that are involved in the conference making money.
“They use their name, image and likeness on the TV broadcasts, they’re the ones signing the mega TV deals,” Harbaugh said. “The new one’s coming in 2024. Why can’t that be TV deal from the Big Ten? Because that’s who’s negotiating the TV deals and that’s where the big money is.”
Harbaugh has always been quite forward-thinking when it comes to such things. He was the first to advocate for eliminating playing moratoriums for transfers and was one of the first to call for expanding the College Football Playoff.
As for the expansion, the Big Ten has tended to add AAU members, which somewhat limits those it could bring in. Reports were the conference has approached Notre Dame — which has decided to remain independent — but Washington and Oregon had inquired about joining and departing the Pac-12. The SEC has maintained it’s standing pat for now, but if the Big Ten continues to try to win the membership arms race, assuredly, we’ll see more movement in the big two intercollegiate athletic conferences.
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