Washington and Oregon made a landscape-shifting decision to move from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten, effectively crippling the Pac-12’s future in the process. Although Oregon seemed to receive more coverage for the move, Washington’s decision likely will be just as impactful.
On Saturday, Washington president Ana Mari Cauce explained the school’s decision, saying it was “not just about dollars and cents” but about exposure and visibility as well.
“When you have a deal that people are saying that one of the best aspects are that you can get out of it in two years, that tells you a lot,” Cauce said, via ESPN’s Paolo Uggetti. “This was about national visibility for our players, being on linear TV so they can be seen, so they could have the national exposure. It was about stability. It was about having a future that we could count on and built towards.”
For months, the Pac-12 had been looking for a new TV home, most recently negotiating with Apple on a media rights deal while it seemed as though none of the major networks had any interest. Meanwhile, the Big Ten will broadcast games on CBS, NBC and Fox every Saturday beginning this season.
However, Cauce maintains that Washington wanted things to work out with the Pac-12.
“I have to say this was heart-wrenching,” Cauce said. “For more than a year, all of us worked really, really hard to find a viable path forward that would keep us together.”
Washington and Oregon join USC and UCLA as Pac-12 teams moving to the Big Ten next year, creating a new world order in college sports.
