The College Football Playoff semifinals are shaping up to be a major rematch, as the No. 5 Oregon Ducks face the No. 1 Indiana Hoosiers in the Peach Bowl this Friday. These two teams previously clashed in a tightly contested top-10 matchup on October 11, where the Hoosiers came out on top with a score of 30-20. This victory was pivotal for the Big Ten, propelling Indiana into a showdown with Ohio State, while it also hindered Oregon State’s chance to defend its title.
It’s a little confusing, though—Oregon State in the Big Ten? Some of you might feel a bit lost here. With everything changing so rapidly in college athletics lately, it’s understandable! The dissolution of the old Pac-12 has led to an unusual situation where the Ducks now find themselves in the Midwest conference.
So, how did we get here? Well, everything kicked off when Oklahoma and Texas decided to join the SEC, a move that undoubtedly reinforced that already dominant league. The resulting surge in revenue and standing has placed pressure on other conferences, especially the Pac-12, which struggled to secure decent media contracts over the years. The shockwaves from USC and UCLA’s summer 2022 decision to join the Big Ten sent ripples across the college sports landscape. As a consequence, the Pac-12 began to lose its grip, leaving Commissioner George Kliavkoff in a tough spot when it came to negotiating new media rights.
By June 2023, the Big 12 had managed to strike a deal with FOX and ESPN, making matters even more complicated for the Pac-12. In August, an enticing offer from Apple prompted some schools, seeking better options, to explore exits. This chain reaction led to Oregon and Washington shifting to the Big Ten, while a group that included Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah moved to the Big 12. Even the University of California and Stanford found new homes in the ACC.
This transformation has left the new Pac-12 scrambling for stability, with changes expected to take shape next season. So yes, that’s why Oregon is now in the Big Ten and will be squaring off against teams like Indiana and Wisconsin instead of familiar foes like Arizona and California in October. It’s a bit of a disappointment, really, seeing the once-great West Coast conference fade away, but that’s just the reality of college sports today.
