Arizona State and Utah have been unanimously voted into the Big 12 to increase the conference’s tally to 16 teams, with only four universities left in the depleting Pac-12.
Both schools were introduced along with Arizona, which was granted membership on Thursday. The additions will take effect beginning in the 2024-25 academic year.
‘We are thrilled to welcome Arizona, Arizona State and Utah to the Big 12,’ said Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark in a statement on Friday. ‘The Conference is gaining three premier institutions both academically and athletically, and the entire Big 12 looks forward to working alongside their presidents, athletic directors, student-athletes and administrators.’
Both Utah and Arizona State were approved after applying for membership earlier this year and before this week’s vote, according to ESPN. Applying for membership is a necessary first step for schools to be authorized to switch leagues.
The shift in hierarchy in U.S. college sports comes after two schools in the Pac-12 — Oregon and Washington — left for the Big Ten.
Utah, Arizona & Arizona State will receive about $30M per year for its first six years in Big 12
Arizona & Arizona State will keep their rivalry alive in Big 12 when the 2024-25 season starts
A person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press that the Ducks and Huskies will receive about $30million per year for its first six years in the conference, with annual escalators and the ability to draw on future payments.
The Pac-12 is now down to four members beyond this year: Stanford, California, Oregon State and Washington State.
The Big Ten’s latest grab from its Rose Bowl partner conference comes a little more than a year after it landed the University of Southern California and UCLA. The moves give the sprawling Big Ten 18 member schools, including four on the West Coast.
As a result, The Big Ten has become the largest conference in major college sports, spanning 15 states from New Jersey to Washington.
‘The Big Ten is a thriving conference with strong athletic and academic traditions, and we are excited and confident about competing at the highest level on a national stage,’ Washington President Ana Mari Cauce said.
Colorado will also join the Big 12 in 2024.
Pac-12 Commiss. George Kilavkoff will need to recruit new schools to keep the league alive
It has all left the storied Conference of Champions that dates back more than a century on the brink of extinction.
Pac-12 leaders met early on Friday to determine if its remaining schools, which at the time included Oregon and Washington, would accept the potential media rights deal with Apple that Commissioner George Kilavkoff presented earlier this week.
‘Today’s news is incredibly disappointing for student-athletes, fans, alumni and staff of the Pac-12 who cherish the over 100-year history, tradition and rivalries of the Conference of Champions,’ said a statement from the conference’s leaders.
‘We remain focused on securing the best possible future for each of our member universities,’ it added.
Other Pac-12 schools like Stanford and Cal could also soon be part of the future Big Ten’s expansion plans, Yahoo Sports reported earlier this week.
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