When do Washington, Oregon move to Big Ten? Week 7 top-10 matchup will be last in Pac-12.
On Saturday, the collective gaze of the college football world will be fixed on Seattle.
There, ESPN’s “College GameDay” will be stationed to preview No. 6 Washington vs. No. 8 Oregon. The matchup could have a sizable impact on who may ultimately win the Heisman Trophy, make the College Football Playoff and compete for a national championship.
There’s a final piece of significance to the game between the heated rivals from bordering states. Saturday will mark the last time the Huskies and Ducks square off as members of the Pac-12.
In early August, Oregon and Washington announced they were leaving the Pac-12 for the Big Ten, the latest and most seismic move in the most recent round of conference realignment. Their joint departure — paired with Colorado, Utah, Arizona and Arizona State bolting for the Big 12 — effectively marked the death of the Pac-12, a league of which the Huskies and Ducks had been a part since 1915.
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Even two months after it occurred, it’s an undeniably jarring move. The Big Ten, a conference that doesn’t currently sport a member west of eastern Nebraska, will soon feature four West Coast teams. Saturday’s backdrop of the Space Needle and Mount Rainier is about to become part of Big Ten country, joining a conference that for generations was proudly and quintessentially Midwestern.
But as Saturday’s game is likely to show, there are reasons the two schools from the Pacific Northwest are being added to the Big Ten, beyond whatever they provide for the conference’s financial bottom line. The league is about to get two really strong, competitive football programs to add to a membership that already features three of the top five teams in the most recent US LBM Coaches Poll.
So, just how soon will this marriage begin?
When do Washington, Oregon move to the Big Ten?
Washington and Oregon will officially join the Big Ten on Aug. 2, 2024 and will begin playing football in the conference in the 2024 season.
They’ll join the Big Ten alongside longtime Pac-12 mates USC and UCLA, which announced they were leaving their longtime home in July 2022 for the Big Ten (and, in the process, igniting the Pac-12’s rapid disintegration).
“Accepting membership into the Big Ten Conference is a transformational opportunity for the University of Oregon to change the short and long-term trajectory of our university and athletics department,” Oregon athletic director Rob Mullens said in an August statement announcing the school’s move. “The stability and exposure of joining the Big Ten is of great benefit to the University of Oregon, and we are grateful to the Big Ten presidents and chancellors for accepting our application to join the conference. We look forward to the opportunity for our student-athletes to compete in this conference, which includes many of the best programs in the nation in every sport.”
“We have tremendous respect and gratitude for the Pac-12, its treasured history and traditions. At the same time, the college athletics landscape has changed dramatically in recent years,” Washington athletic director Jen Cohen said in a statement in August (Cohen has since been named the athletic director at USC). “The Big Ten’s history of athletic and academic success and long-term stability best positions our teams for future success, and we are energized at the opportunity to compete at the highest level against some of the best programs in the country.”
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Washington and Oregon’s future Big Ten schedules
With the arrival of the four Pac-12 schools in 2024, the Big Ten’s membership will swell to 18 teams, making it the largest conference at the FBS level.
Given that growth, the Big Ten revealed last week its football opponents for each school from 2024-28. Washington-Oregon is one of the 12 guaranteed annual protected matchups in the league’s “Flex Protect XVIII” scheduling model, meaning the two programs will continue to play every season. The Huskies lead the all-time series between the schools 61-48-5, though Oregon has won 15 of the past 18 matchups.
Here's a look at what Washington and Oregon’s Pac-12 schedules will look like the next five seasons:
Washington future Big Ten schedules
2024: Michigan, Northwestern, UCLA, USC, at Indiana, at Iowa, at Oregon, at Penn State, at Rutgers
2025: Illinois, Ohio State, Oregon, Purdue, Rutgers, at Maryland, at Michigan, at UCLA, at Wisconsin
2026: Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Penn State, at Michigan State, at Nebraska, at Oregon, at Purdue, at USC
2027: Maryland, Michigan State, Nebraska, Oregon, USC, at Minnesota, at Northwestern, at Penn State, at Rutgers
2028: Michigan, Northwestern, UCLA, Wisconsin, at Illinois, at Indiana, at Maryland, at Ohio State, at Oregon
Oregon future Big Ten schedules
2024: Illinois, Maryland, Michigan State, Ohio State, Washington, at Michigan, at Purdue, at UCLA, at Wisconsin
2025: Indiana, Minnesota, USC, Wisconsin, at Iowa, at Northwestern, at Penn State, at Rutgers, at Washington
2026: Michigan, Nebraska, Northwestern, UCLA, Washington, at Illinois, at Michigan State, at Ohio State, at USC
2027: Iowa, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, at Maryland, at Michigan State, at Nebraska, at UCLA, at Washington
2028: Illinois, Michigan State, Rutgers, USC, Washington, at Indiana, at Minnesota, at Penn State, at Wisconsin
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: When do Pac-12 teams Washington, Oregon move to Big Ten?
