After the departure of Utah, Arizona and Arizona State to the Big 12, it was announced on Friday that Washington and Oregon would be joining the Big Ten. After the additions of USC and UCLA, the conference now stands at 18 programs and is a true national grouping, spanning from Seattle and Los Angeles to Piscataway and College Park.
The announcement rattled the college sports landscape like a West Coast earthquake, and with a few dominoes still left to fall, it remains to be seen just how widespread the ramifications will be. Ultimately, this move is not the “death of college sports” like some pundits claim, but the situation is complex and, unsurprisingly, motivated by money.