Ohio State Football: Big Ten gives numbers to Oregon, Washington

It seems that the conference realignment talks are happening even faster now. Yesterday, we heard the news that Arizona is about to bolt for the Big 12. Now, the Ohio State football program might have two new foes to face if an offer is expected by two schools in the Pac-12.

Oregon and Washington have been talked to about potentially joining the Big Ten. They were given a figure between $35-$40 million, which is significantly less than what the rest of the conference gets, including new members USC and UCLA. No decision has been made yet.

Why was the offer so low? Because these two schools don’t have anywhere else to go. The Big Ten doesn’t need them. Oregon has a nice national brand because of Nike, but neither school significantly raises the profile of an already very powerful conference.

No decisions have been made yet by either school. I would expect them to try to negotiate for $50 million a piece though. If they can get to that number, I expect both schools to happily join the Big Ten. The Pac-12 is not long for this world. It’s falling to pieces right in front of our eyes.

They might even take the offer that is currently presented to them. Otherwise, they’re stuck looking at an Apple TV deal that is worth less than the offer the Big Ten is giving them now. Both schools are stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Ohio State football fans are already bracing themselves for trips to southern California in the coming years. They might have to also be ready to make trips to the Pacific Northwest. I think it’s only a matter of time before the Big Ten adds both of these schools. After that, who knows what other schools they’d take from the imploding Pac-12?