Report: Oregon, Washington to the Big Ten loses momentum as Pac-12 rallies ahead of Friday meeting

Momentum for Oregon and Washington to move to the Big Ten from the Pac-12 appears to be slowing down, according to a report by Nicole Auerbach.

This comes as rumors swirl about a possible move and a night after Washington held a late-night board of regents meeting. However, the Pac-12 has a meeting scheduled for Friday that has renewed optimism about the future of the conference.

This seems to run contradictory to an earlier report by James Crepea, which said that if Oregon were offered to go to the Big Ten, the school would accept.

“With the future of the Pac-12 in peril, the University of Oregon is prepared to accept an invitation from the Big Ten, should the conference ultimately choose to expand, according to a source with knowledge of the matter,” wrote Crepea. “Multiple sources with knowledge of UO’s thinking, who spoke to The Oregonian/OregonLive on the condition of anonymity because they’re not authorized to speak publicly, conveyed a quiet confidence that the process of conference realignment will play out with the Ducks ultimately being invited to the Big Ten and accepting the opportunity.”

One key reason why the potential move to the Big Ten has lost momentum, according to Ross Dellenger, is that schools are reluctant to kill or take the blame for killing the Pac-12, which has existed for more than 100 years and is steeped in tradition. On top of that, the powerhouse programs in the Big Ten have pushed back against some of these additions. Their concern is that not enough is to be gained by adding new schools.

In the meeting that is going to be held on Friday, a Grant of Rights is reportedly going to be discussed. That would keep the conference tied together legally and is something that the conference is cautiously optimistic about, according to Dan Wetzel.

Another key topic of conversation that will be on the table is the Pac-12 media deal, which still needs to be finalized. The proposed deal would stream through Apple.

Big Ten reportedly offered Oregon and Washington $35-40 million

If Washington and Oregon leave the Pac-12 for the Big Ten, they will see an increase in media revenue. However, they won’t receive a full Big Ten share. Instead, according to Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger, they would receive in the range of $35-40 million.

“Big Ten’s offer to Washington & Oregon is expected to be $35-40 million annually per team – a figure that, with the additional cross-country travel, could create some hesitancy, sources tell Yahoo Sports,” Dellenger wrote on Twitter. “However, exits from the Four Corner schools could sway UW and UO to leave.”