Washington president discusses how Pac-12 deals fell apart, why UW went to Big Ten

UW’s move to the #B1G was followed by revealing remarks from president Ana Mari Cauce on the #Pac12’s woefully bad media deal.

University of Washington President Ana Mari Cauce spoke publicly on Saturday in the wake of her school’s move to the Big Ten Conference. She gave the public what it wanted: details on the inside process connected to the Pac-12’s failure to land a media rights deal.

“In the end, we did not have a deal which was viable in terms of securing our stability and our future. … It was not the deal we had been discussing just days before,” Cauce said.

Cauce also said she and the other Pac-12 schools received one deal, not multiple deals, which was a reference to an Apple TV deal being the only proposal advanced by George Kliavkoff.

Translated: There was a digital (streaming) deal but zero presence on linear TV, meaning ESPN, Turner (TBS/TNT), CW, CBS, NBC, ABC or other primary TV outlets.

Cauce also noted the presence of an opt-out clause after two years as a highly alarming aspect of the Apple proposal, something that did not guarantee stability or inspire confidence.

Reactions flowed in after Washington made its move to the Big Ten, but the big story attached to UW’s exit is just how limited and inadequate the Pac-12 media rights deal was.

Here’s the reaction to UW’s move, plus Cauce’s comments and some weekend reporting as you scroll down:

Realignment calculus changed quickly for Big Ten once Colorado left Pac-12

The #B1G didn’t want Oregon and Washington the same way it wanted USC, but it pounced when UO and UW became available.

Part of the reason we are here, with the Pac-12 just about dead and the Big Ten at 18 schools, is the Pac-12 didn’t think ahead.

More specifically, George Kliavkoff didn’t realize the stakes of Pac-12 survival were not the same for all the member schools.

We wrote:

“Oregon and Washington could legitimately and honestly say they stuck around in the Pac-12 and really did want to make things worse for the conference … but that if Colorado and then the Arizona schools leave, they would not be crushed or crestfallen about the death of the Pac-12.

“’Welp, I guess the Big Ten will just have to scoop us up, since the Big 12 is collecting the Four Corners schools and won’t have room for us.’

“Oregon and Washington administrators and leaders would never say or suggest anything like that in public, but internally and privately, that could have been their thought process all along.

“Would it be that shocking if that was actually true?”

In a similar vein, Big Ten administrators might never have preferred to invite Oregon and Washington (after all, they probably would have done it last year if they really wanted it to happen), but when the Pac-12 crumbled, adding the Ducks and Huskies wasn’t an extreme hardship. It’s a minor inconvenience that will build the Big Ten brand in a few obvious ways.

Let’s look into the Big Ten’s changing calculus a little more:

Twitter reaction to Oregon joining the Big Ten Conference as Pac-12 dies

Oregon is now officially in the #B1G alongside USC. The #Pac12 appears to be dead. Wild times. Twitter went nuts.

Oregon has officially accepted an invitation to the Big Ten Conference. The school’s board of trustees unanimously approved the move. The Big Ten extended the invitation. Done deal.

Speaking of done: The Pac-12 appears to be done as well, given there are hardly any schools left to cobble together a conference. The Pac-12 has been picked clean, down to the bone. It’s very hard to imagine Stanford and Washington State inviting UNLV, Rice, Fresno State, Tulane, New Mexico, and Wyoming to be part of a lower-tier Pac-10 with Cal and Oregon State.

For Oregon, this move is a lot like USC’s move to the Big Ten a year ago. The move was done for money and stability. The Ducks escaped a sinking ship. They didn’t genuinely want to leave the Pac-12, but they had to. USC had to last year. USC got this process started. Oregon joined the Big Ten on the back end and in a more urgent situation, with the Pac-12 about to die. That’s an obvious difference between the two schools. Yet, in the end, both UO and USC realized the Pac-12 was a clown-car conference and had to be left behind.

You can imagine how wild X, formerly known as Twitter, was during all of this. Here is a small sampling of the many memes, jokes, and official statements which flew across social media when the Ducks flew to their Big Ten new home:

Report: Washington is latest school to meet with Big Ten about potential expansion

Washington is the latest school to be linked to the Big Ten in further expansion discussions

Washington is the latest school to be linked to the Big Ten in further expansion discussions.

Brett McMurphy of the Action Network reported on Wednesday that Washington has met with the Big Ten about “joining the conference.” This comes after Oregon also recently met with the league about joining the Big Ten.

Washington and Oregon have long been considered favorites to land in the Big Ten should the league look to expand past 16 teams. Other linked schools according to McMurphy includes Cal, Stanford and Notre Dame.

Click on the tweet below to read the full report from McMurphy:

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Report: Big Ten targeting four west coast schools in expansion efforts

Where will the Big Ten go next for expansion?

Rumors surrounding conference realignment have gone into a tailspin since news of UCLA and USC leaving town for the Big Ten conference broke earlier this month.

There was realistic speculation about the Big Ten looking to continue their addition efforts now that the Trojans and Bruins are on board, and according to a new report from CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd the conference may be heading back to the Pac-12 well.

Dodd mentioned four west coast schools, and a pair of Florida schools in his latest report. Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren shut down the rumors at media day, but did not completely shut down the idea of adding members. “We’re not targeting anyone,” said the Big Ten commissioner on Wednesday at media day. “I really like our 14 current schools and I really like our two new additions that are coming in 2024.”

Which schools did Dodd mention in his latest report as potential additions? Here is a look:

REPORT: Big Ten’s ‘wish list’ for conference expansion includes ND, Oregon, Stanford, UNC

The Big Ten reportedly has its eyes set on four additional teams for expansion

The Big Ten reportedly has its eyes set on four additional teams for expansion — two more from the Pac-12, Notre Dame and a surprising team from the ACC.

Jeff Ermann of 247Sports tweeted on Monday that the Big Ten is still looking to add to the league, with four particular teams on its wish list: Notre Dame, Oregon, Stanford and North Carolina. This, of course, was considered the league’s wish list and doesn’t guarantee they’ll make a move for those programs but at least shows what the Big Ten is thinking for expansion.

Last week, the Big Ten made huge headlines when it added USC and UCLA from the Pac-12 to give it 16 schools. It was quickly reported afterward that the league would be looking to add even more schools, with Oregon, Washington and Notre Dame in a prime spot to join the league. However, it now sounds like Stanford and North Carolina are two more programs to keep a close eye on moving forward.

There is no sign that a move will happen soon but don’t be surprised if the Big Ten makes another big-time move soon.

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan state news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Robert Bondy on Twitter @RobertBondy5.

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12 schools that could end up in the Big Ten

Who are potential Big Ten fits if the conference continues to expand?

Thursday afternoon marked a seismic shift in the landscape of college sports when USC and UCLA announced their decision to join the Big Ten conference.

Questions began to swirl about the dominoes that would come after. Are we on pace for a pair of “superconferences” that dominate college football? Is this just the first of many additions for the Big Ten in the coming months?

The SEC adding Texas and Oklahoma was the proper start of something brewing but with the geographic insanity of two Los Angeles schools joining a midwest conference, it’s clear that anything is possible.

The Big Ten likely isn’t done adding as they look to build into a power that can rival the SEC and bring in astronomical numbers from television money.

Where will the conference go next? What teams are looking to join? Here is a list of 12 schools that could potentially join a Big Ten superconference:

Big Ten reportedly waiting on Notre Dame before adding Washington, Oregon

Could the Big Ten be adding Notre Dame, Oregon and Washington as well? Reports indicate that could be in play

The Big Ten made major news on Thursday with the addition of USC and UCLA, and is apparently interested in adding more schools to the league. However, that, for now, is reportedly being held up on Notre Dame.

Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports reported on Friday that Washington and Oregon have been told the Big Ten is “standing pat for now” and “waiting on a decision by Notre Dame.” The full tweet from Dodd is below:

There was a lot of buzz on Thursday evening that numerous schools — such as Oregon and Washington — had contacted the Big Ten about joining the league after the USC and UCLA news broke. So it doesn’t come as a surprise to hear from Dodd that both the Ducks and Huskies are looking to join the league. It is, however, a bit surprising to hear that their acceptance into the Big Ten is being in some way blocked by Notre Dame.

Things are moving very fast at this point but it sounds like the Big Ten is looking to add Notre Dame and if they do, then my assumption is they’ll also want to add three more schools to form a 20-team super conference. In doing that, Oregon and Washington would be two of the three additional teams. This, of course, is just speculation as we really don’t know what the Big Ten is looking to do right now but this report from Dodd at least shows the conference is still very much active in their expansion pursuit.

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan state news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Robert Bondy on Twitter @RobertBondy5.

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