The landscape of college football continues its drastic change.
Oregon and Washington will officially leave the Pac-12 and join the Big Ten Conference starting in 2024, both schools announced on Friday.
The Big Ten Council of presidents/chancellors voted unanimously on Friday to approve Oregon and Washington to the conference effective August 2, 2024.
“We are excited to welcome the University of Oregon and the University of Washington to the Big Ten Conference,” Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti said in a statement. “We look forward to building long-lasting relationships with the universities, administrators and staff, student-athletes, coaches and fans. Both institutions feature a combination of academic and athletic excellence that will prove a great fit for our future.”
There have now been four schools to leave the Pac-12 conference for the Big Ten since last year. The two southern California powerhouses – USC and UCLA – both announced they would join the Big Ten for the start of the 2024-2025 season. Last month, Colorado announced the school would leave the Pac-12 for the Big 12 with rumors of Arizona State, Arizona and Utah soon joining.
“Accepting membership into the Big Ten Conference is a transformational opportunity for the University of Oregon to change the short and long-term trajectory of our university and athletics department,” Oregon athletic director Rob Mullens said in a statement. “The stability and exposure of joining the Big Ten is of great benefit to the University of Oregon, and we are grateful to the Big Ten presidents and chancellors for accepting our application to join the conference. We look forward to the opportunity for our student-athletes to compete in this conference, which includes many of the best programs in the nation in every sport.”
Both schools were charter members of the Pac-12 dating back to 1915.
“We have tremendous respect and gratitude for the Pac-12, its treasured history and traditions. At the same time, the college athletics landscape has changed dramatically in recent years,” Washington athletic director Jennifer Cohen said in a statement. “The Big Ten’s history of athletic and academic success and long-term stability best positions our teams for future success, and we are energized at the opportunity to compete at the highest level against some of the best programs in the country.”
Washington State President Kirk Shultz and Director of Athletics Pat Chun said in a statement, “We are disappointed with the recent decisions by some of our Pac-12 peers.”
Earlier this year, both Texas and Oklahoma announced they would join the Southeastern Conference following the conclusion of the 2023-24 athletic year after reaching an agreement to withdraw from the Big 12.