I brought this up to my friend over Easter (He's highly involved in a major Big Ten school's AD) and he had some thoughts:
- He said USC and UCLA may want this but he doesn't think the market will allow for expansion up to 20.
- There's a growing consensus that more western teams are needed because nobody wants a permanent rival with a west coast school. If the Big Ten can add UO/UW without decreasing anyone else's payout, it's very likely to happen. However, there are still a couple of schools that prefer to stay at 16.
- If the market allows the Big Ten to get to 20, he wouldn't assume that Stanford and Cal are 19 and 20. He said there's a lot more interest in Utah than what's being reported/rumored. Unlikely to happen this summer but if they do go to 20, watch for this.
He's not connected with the Big 12 and PAC 12 but he did say to watch for a couple of things:
- PAC isn't seriously negotiating with anyone. PAC is in a holding patter until they know what members they actually have in the fold. They won't get clarity until after the Big Ten makes their decision, which is why the industry is reporting the PAC won't sign a deal until the summer. They can't sign a deal until they know who's going to be in the PAC.
- Colorado and Zona talks to the Big 12 are heating up. He's unsure if they're going to wait for UO or UW to make a decision but said he does think they will make a jump to the Big 12 if they get tipped off that UO/UW are leaving. He strongly believes those are the two schools with the most interest in the Big 12. However, Zona and ASU may prefer to make the move together and ASU seems more committed to the PAC at the moment.
