UW, U of O Leaving PAC

Oct 01, 2023

According to numerous reports nationally and from Seattle, the University of Washington and the Oregon Ducks are leaving the PAC-12 and joining the Big Ten Conference, and the formal announcement to the league could come before the weekend is over. This would make the PAC-12 the "PAC-7."

According to MyNorthwest, com, the root of the problem is TV deals:

"A big issue with the Pac-12’s future was the lack of a media rights deal. With other power-five conferences like the SEC and Big 12 locking down media deals, the Pac-12 has been left behind."

Other conferences such as the SEC (Southeastern Conference) and the Big Ten have locked up long-term lucrative TV money broadcast deals soon worth perhaps over a billion dollars. USC and UCLA have already announced they're leaving for the Big Ten, and Colorado is leaving to rejoin the Big 12 (they were in the league when it was the Big 8).

That leaves Arizona and Arizona State, who are both said to be looking at the Big 12 as well, and Utah is strongly rumored to be heading out too. Stanford is also said to be looking to bolt, especially to wherever Notre Dame lands because of their long-running rivalry. However, the Fighting Irish in July announced they were staying as an independent.

If all the dominos fall as strong rumors predict, the only PAC-12 schools left without a home, or another conference seeking their membership, would be WSU, Oregon State, and the University of California-Berkely.