Big Ten football could be expanding again, and it could be happening relatively soon as Commissioner Tony Petitti has been authorized to pursue options.
The two teams the search reportedly focuses on should surprise no one. Petitti has reportedly been told to first focus on Oregon and Washington as possible additions to the Big Ten. What happens beyond that is all just speculation.
The Athletic reported on Thursday morning that the Big Ten is basically doing a 180 degree shift from its stance just last week at the conference’s media days. During Petitti’s appearance in Indianapolis, he said that he was not focused on adding new teams and was in fact still working on fully integrating USC and UCLA.