MINNEAPOLIS — The Big Ten Conference announced Friday it will accept Oregon and Washington as new members next August, dealing another crushing blow to the Pac-12 and adding competition for the University of Minnesota's Gophers.
The Big Ten earlier in the day cleared the way for the Pacific Northwest rivals to join the league next year, and the Ducks were first to make it official with a brief video call that ended in a unanimous vote by its 13 trustees. The Big Ten a short time later said its presidents' council had voted to accept the Ducks along with Washington.
"I am excited to welcome Oregon and Washington to the Big Ten. These are two universities that prioritize academic excellence and broad-based athletic success. They will bring tremendous visibility, as well as passionate fan and alumni bases to the league. Their addition strengthens the Big Ten and further solidifies it as the premier national conference in college athletics. As a Big Ten charter member, we look forward to competing against the Ducks and the Huskies," said University of Minnesota Director of Athletics Mark Coyle in a statement.
A little more than a year after the Big Ten poached Southern California and UCLA away from the Pac-12, it swiped away two more high-profile athletic programs from the storied West Coast conference.
"Throughout its history, the Big Ten has been an amazing collection of universities and the University of Minnesota is proud to be one of the original members of this conference," said U of M interim president Jeff Ettinger in a statement. "Big Ten universities are America's leading research universities, with alumni that live not only in every corner of the country, but across the globe. Washington and Oregon will fit the unrivaled tradition of academic excellence, discovery and innovation that's synonymous with the Big Ten. We are excited for Washington and Oregon to join that tradition and add to the Big Ten's future legacy."
Oregon and Washington are expected to enter the conference with a reduced payout compared to USC and UCLA, who are projected to receive more than $60 million each in media rights revenue from the league, starting next year. The framework of a deal that would pay the Ducks and Huskies about $40 million and possibly draw on future earnings when they first enter the Big Ten has been discussed, two people familiar with the negotiations said.
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