Big Ten football: Expansion history, budget concerns, suggest a long slog for three West Coast schools
The Big Ten eliminated divisions when the West Coast schools arrived last year, but one has emerged nonetheless — at least unofficially.
Within the new western wing, it’s Oregon and everyone else.
The Ducks were ready to compete for championships the day they set foot in the storied league; Washington, USC and UCLA were not. Predictably, their inaugural season was arduous: All three were under .500 in conference play, with a combined record of 11-16. The Huskies and Trojans finished in a three-team tie for ninth — with Rutgers, no less — while the Bruins ended in a four-team tie for 12th.
Recent history suggests it won’t get easier.
Seven schools have joined the Big Ten in the modern era of conference realignment, starting with Nebraska in 2011, followed by Maryland and Rutgers in 2014 and the West Coast quartet last year.
Collectively, the newcomers have competed for 40 total football seasons and claimed just two first-place finishes. The Cornhuskers won the Legends division in 2013 (then lost in the conference championship), while Oregon steamrollered to the Big Ten title last year.
Otherwise, the expansion schools have merely added girth to the middle of the standings: 33 of those 40 seasons ended in fourth place or lower.
“There’s not a lot of room to win the Big Ten with Ohio State, Penn State and Michigan, and now with Oregon,” said Jake Butt, a Big Ten Network analyst and former All-American offensive lineman for Michigan.
“And when you start from behind, it can be more challenging for a number of years.”
Granted, Rutgers and Maryland entered the conference with low expectations, but their plight is a tad more relevant to Washington, USC and UCLA than it might seem:
— In the decade before they joined the Big Ten, the Scarlet Knights won at least nine games on four occasions while competing in the Big East.
Number of times they have hit that mark since changing leagues: zero.
— In the decade before they joined the Big Ten, the Terrapins won at least nine games twice while competing in the ACC.
Number of times they have hit that mark since changing leagues: zero.
— In the decade leading into its move from the Pac-12 into the Big Ten, Washington won at least nine games five times; USC did it four times; UCLA managed it twice.
That’s not to compare the rich football history of the West Coast schools to that of Rutgers and Maryland — or to suggest the Big East in the 2000s was the equal of the Pac-12 in the late 2010s and early 2020s.
But the Pac-12 from 2014-23 wasn’t comparable to the Big Ten, either
Nebraska’s competitive decline since moving from the Big 12 to the Big Ten should be more concerning to the West Coast schools. The Cornhuskers were college football royalty until their terrain changed. In the final seven seasons of Big Ten divisional play, they finished no better than fifth in the West — the weaker, by far, of the two divisions.
A loss of identity, questionable coaching hires and a disparity in conference revenue distributions all conspired to impact success.
“In modern college football, results are about resources,” Butt said. “Your win total correlates to your resources, which allow you to hire coaches and acquire talent.
“Oregon can spend with the best of them.”
Therein lies the long-haul concern for UCLA and Washington, in particular.
It took six years from their inaugural seasons for Nebraska, Maryland and Rutgers to become fully-vested members of the Big Ten. During that time, they competed against schools with bigger budgets and greater resources.
Oregon and Washington agreed to join the Big Ten as half-share recipients of the media rights revenue for six years. The Ducks can offset the disadvantage thanks to their donor base (hello, Phil Knight), but the situation is more challenging for Washington. In addition to their half-share status, the Huskies are borrowing from the Big Ten ($10 million annually in the initial years) — exactly the same predicament Maryland faced a decade ago.
UCLA’s situation is similarly challenging, albeit for different reasons. The Bruins are a full-share member of the Big Ten’s media rights revenue but must pay $10 million annually to Cal for at least three years as part of their departure agreement with the University of California regents.
Also, the Bruins joined the conference while deep in debt: They reported a $52 million operating deficit in the 2024 fiscal year, their last in the Pac-12. The accumulated shortfall over the past three years? A mere $117 million.
In theory, resources should not be an issue for USC, but the Trojans were behind in the NIL game when they joined the Big Ten. What’s more, they have bolstered coach Lincoln Riley’s support staff to better compete with Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State — and Oregon.
Recently, the university announced an operating shortfall in excess of $200 million for the 2025 fiscal year. It’s not unreasonable to wonder if the situation could, over time, impact the football budget relative to the Big Ten’s behemoths
“If you start from behind, one year of big spending isn’t going to cut it,” Butt said. “You need multiple years of good hires and good recruiting.
“I’m really interested in Washington and USC this year. (The Huskies) needed to improve in the trenches. I think they will take a step forward, but how big remains to be seen.
“For USC, Lincoln Riley got away from the running game way too often last year. In this conference, you have to run the ball well.
“And with UCLA, it’s just an uphill battle.”
That’s true for each team on the second tier of the conference’s western wing.
Membership in the Big Ten has been lucrative financially but a struggle on the field for their expansion predecessors, even one with five national championships.
Starting from behind, with resource concerns, only makes the climb more treacherous.
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