Earlier this summer, Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith told Eleven Warriors that he did not expect the Big Ten to add more teams this year. Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti echoed that belief at Big Ten Media Days in July, saying that conference presidents and athletic directors had instructed him to focus on integrating USC and UCLA next summer.
Just nine days after Petitti’s press conference in Indianapolis, the Big Ten announced the additions of Oregon and Washington, who will join the conference alongside UCLA and USC in the summer of 2024.
What changed?