Pac-12 may be safe from Big Ten expansion, for now
Even when we don't hear a lot about the Big Ten's plans to further expand, there is an underlying expectation that one day when we wake up a handful of Pac-12 schools will be announced as future Big Ten members.
Those fears, mostly felt by Pac-12 fans, can rest for now. There have been indications that members of the conference such as Ohio State and Iowa were not in full support of expansion, and now based off the comments by Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren it won't happen. At least not within the new few years, as Warren explained to Sporting News' Michael DeCourcy the conference is not aggressively pursing expansion saying:
Because of the landscape we live in, college athletics right now, just being a prudent businesswoman or businessman, you have to be mindful of potential conference realignment or expansion. But this is not something we’re aggressively doing right now.
He did explain that expansion won't happen now, but further down the line is always a possibility saying:
When people ask me right now: Do I think certain conferences may grow through a natural evolution to 18 or 20 schools? I do believe that. Now, over what time period is the critical question. I don’t know if that’s within a year, or five years, or seven years. I just think there’s been kind of like that … kind of like the Big Ten grew in the past. I just think there’s going to be some natural growth.
He continued saying:
But I made it very clear: Some of my can’t-miss priorities, the things that I have to make sure we execute flawlessly are: 1. Integrating our new television media partners. Because we were with Fox, ESPN, BTN for years. When you have those long-term relationships, you can have a recap meeting at the end of the year, make a few adjustments and come back. Now we’re talking about, in addition to Fox, FS1 and BTN, having two brand-new network partners in CBS and NBC starting next summer, and then with Peacock. So we’re going to have to be very intentional to make sure we integrate those relationships. The other thing is, we have to flawlessly integrate USC and UCLA. Because any further expansion – if we don’t handle USC and UCLA properly, then any further expansion becomes much more complicated than it should be.
With the Big Ten out of the poaching the Pac-12 business, this provides a clear path for the Pac-12 itself to focus on securing their media rights deal and even make an expansion move themselves. Some might say that there is still a need to look out for the Big 12 coming for the Arizonas, Utah, and Colorado but based on all reports that move only seemed plausible if the Big Ten came knocking first. This may be the best and most concrete news that the Pac-12 has received about another conference's expansion this whole year.
