Not even two months since the Big Ten announced their “Flex Protect Plus” model, which incorporated UCLA and USC into the football schedule for 2024 and beyond, it’s time to go back to the drawing board. The conference grew again yesterday when Oregon and Washington, formerly of the PAC-12, would join the conference starting with the fall 2024 semester. The move further extends the reach of the Big Ten on the West Coast.
On the field, the move gives the Big Ten additional content to sell to their media rights providers and an additional footprint in the west to help cut down on the travel requirements for student athletes. Off the field, the Big Ten Network will get the opportunity to expand into multiple markets in the Pacific Northwest. Meanwhile, the PAC-12, who also lost Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah to the Big 12 this week, looks to be on the verge of collapse, with only four schools remaining as of now for the 2024-2025 school year.
With the 2023 college football season about to start in about a month, the schedule-makers will need to revamp their approach to account for the new schools. Do they simply add Oregon and Washington into the mix? Split the 18 schools into three divisions of six teams each? Two divisions of nine? I imagine we will find out sooner rather than later while waiting for the next pair of dominos to drop.
Alabama enters the tournament under a cloud of scandal, as their star player was recently involved in the murder of a young woman. Because of that, I have second seed Arizona going to the Final Four.
