Pac-12 on verge of collapse with Oregon, Washington joining Big Ten

The Big Ten has finalized the additions of the Oregon Ducks and Washington Huskies to their conference, leaving the Pac-12 with about half of its current teams.

Yahoo! Sports and the Action Network first reported the move was in progress.

Action Network’s Brett McMurphy adds the move will take place in 2024, after this current academic year. With it done, the Huskies and Ducks become the 17th and 18th members of the Big Ten, and the third and fourth on the West Coast, joining USC and UCLA.

For the Arizona Wildcats and Arizona State Sun Devils, a move to the Big 12 seems more likely. Arizona was accepted on Thursday while ASU and Utah applied to join on Friday.

The Pac-12 planned to vote on a grant of rights to bind committed members of the conference together on a meeting Friday morning, but that didn’t happen with the Ducks showing hesitancy about the future of the conference, reports Action Network’s Brett McMurphy and Yahoo!’s Ross Dellenger.

As of Thursday night, it looked like the Pac-12’s meeting could determine the fate of the conference’s survival entirely.

In Arizona, reports of the Wildcats’ interest in moving to the Big 12 gained steam heading into the Arizona Board of Regents meeting on Thursday night. The Big 12 even approved the admittance of Arizona on Thursday, reported Dellenger.

The regents meeting Thursday, however, did not resolve whether the Wildcats jump to Big 12 as they’ve reportedly shown interest in.

Multiple reports indicated the Sun Devils’ reluctance to leave the Pac-12 and the regents’ desire for the rivals in the desert to stay in the same conference could swing one or both schools to remain in the Pac-12. Dellenger and Wetzel went as far as reporting that the Arizona Board of Regents “controls the decision — for both Arizona and ASU.”

Now, Oregon and Washington have made the move to the Big 12 easier for Arizona and ASU.

Follow @AZSports