Roughly 13 months after UCLA and USC swapped the Pac-12 for the Big Ten, another pair of Pac-12 programs chose to follow them. Washington and Oregon are set to join the conference in 2024 to form an 18-team Big Ten, the conference announced Friday.
Arizona, Arizona State and Utah all left the Pac-12 to join the Big 12 later on Friday. The moves come as conference realignment and expansion redefines the structure of collegiate sports. The trio followed Colorado to the Big 12, leaving the Pac-12 with just four remaining teams.
Last year, The Diamondback’s sports desk analyzed what UCLA and USC would bring to matchups with each of Maryland’s Big Ten teams. Here’s what the conference’s newest additions could bring against the Terps.
Football
College football and its television rights served as a force for conference realignment in recent years. With the Pac-12 crumbling, the Big Ten jumped to add Oregon and Washington to the mix — two programs that have shown the capability to compete near the top of the conference.
After losing coach Mario Cristobal to Miami at the end of the 2021 season, Oregon tabbed Georgia defensive coordinator Dan Lanning as its new head coach. Lanning led Oregon to a 10-3 record and a bowl win in his first season on the job.
The Ducks contended for Pac-12 titles over the course of the last decade and grew into one of college football’s larger brands with their success and Nike uniform collaborations.
Washington struggled in 2020 and 2021 after coach Chris Petersen retired. Petersen led the Huskies to three double-digit win seasons. Kalen DeBoer stepped in last year to lead Washington to an 11-2 record and a victory over Texas in the Valero Alamo Bowl. He was named Pac-12 co-coach of the year, went 3-0 against ranked teams and recorded the most wins of any first-year head coach in Huskies history.
Washington boasts two national championships and Oregon never won a national title. The Ducks have come close in recent years, but fell to Auburn in the BCS national championship in 2011 and lost to Ohio State in the inaugural CFP national championship game in 2015.
– Nicky Wolcott
[UCLA, USC joining Big Ten: How it impacts each Maryland program]
Men’s Basketball
Oregon’s addition brings another competitive program to a conference that secured eight NCAA men’s basketball tournament bids last season — tied with the SEC for the most of any conference.
The Ducks’ only national championship came in the inaugural NCAA tournament in 1939, but the team reached the Final Four in 2017. Only two current Big Ten teams have reached the Final Four since — Michigan in 2018 and Michigan State in 2019.
Oregon reached the Sweet 16 five times in the last decade, all under current head coach Dana Altman. Altman recorded the 28th most wins of any Division 1 men’s basketball coach and won at least 20 games in each season at Oregon.
Washington, on the other hand, struggled. It made the NCAA tournament seven times since the turn of the century and only once since 2011. The Huskies made back-to-back postseason appearances under current coach Mike Hopkins after he was hired in 2017 but notched a winning record just once since.
– Nicky Wolcott
Women’s Basketball
The Pac-12 saw great success as a league last season, tying a conference record by sending seven teams to the NCAA tournament. However, Oregon and Washington didn’t take part in postseason festivities as both teams finished with a 7-11 record in conference play.
Despite each program’s struggles over the past few seasons, both featured a No. 1 overall WNBA draft pick in the last decade.
Kelsey Plum led the Huskies to the program’s only Final Four appearance in 2016 and became the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer in women’s basketball.
Now a New York Liberty star, Sabrina Ionescu helped the Ducks to their first Final Four appearance in 2019.
Each program will face an uphill climb in an already-loaded Big Ten, but if either can find their next superstar, they could make some noise in the expanding conference.
– Sam Jane
Men’s Soccer
The Huskies are a program that consistently sees the postseason and could make an instant impact in the Big Ten under coach Jamie Clark.
Clark’s squad made appearances in 10 of the last 11 NCAA tournaments and finished as national finalists in 2021. Washington won three Pac-12 championships since 2000 and consistently finished near the top of the conference in recent years.
The Terps split their only two meetings with the Huskies, defeating them 1-0 in 2015 and falling 2-0 in 2018.
Oregon does not sponsor a men’s soccer team.
– Nicky Wolcott
[Maryland football is vying for its first Big Ten title. ‘Anything short is unsuccessful.’]
Women’s Soccer
Oregon and Washington will join the Big Ten in search of success, something that eluded both programs in the Pac-12.
The Ducks posted their best ever season in 2006, finishing second in the Pac-12 with a conference record of 6-2-1 and an overall record of 12-6-2. Since then, Oregon hasn’t finished above seventh place in the conference and is still in search of its first appearance in the NCAA tournament.
The Huskies captured their only Pac-12 crown in 2000, and have five other top-three conference finishes. Washington made the NCAA tournament 13 times and progressed past the first round 11 times.
The Huskies made the NCAA tournament quarterfinals on two separate occasions, most recently in 2010. Washington beat Maryland 1-0 en route to its other quarterfinal appearance in 2004.
– Matthew Neus
Gymnastics
The Big Ten — which saw nine of its ten women’s gymnastics teams make the NCAA tournament last season — adds another solid program to the conference in Washington.
The Huskies finished the year ranked No. 16 nationally under second-year coach Jen Llewellyn. Washington earned a first-round bye and advanced past the second round before falling in the regional final.
Llewellyn led the Huskies to a No. 21 finish in 2022, her first season as Washington’s head coach. The Huskies earned a spot in the national tournament, where they posted their highest NCAA regionals score in program history.
Oregon does not sponsor a gymnastics program.
– Eli Cohen
Volleyball
Washington and Oregon will fit right into a prestigious Big Ten volleyball conference that’s crowned five of the last 10 national champions.
Washington’s 20-11 finish in 2022, which culminated in a loss to TCU in the NCAA tournament’s first round, was a down year given the program’s established success.
The Huskies have qualified for 21 straight NCAA tournaments, reaching five Final Fours and claiming the 2005 national championship. Leslie Gabriel will aim to continue Washington’s winning tradition in her first season as coach.
Oregon proved it can tussle with the Big Ten’s best when it ousted Nebraska in the Sweet 16 during last season’s NCAA tournament.
The Ducks lost to Louisville in the Elite Eight, but their 26-6 finish was the program’s best under coach Matt Ulmer, who’s guided Oregon to five tournaments since taking the helm in 2017.
– Tanner Malinowski
[Maryland softball coach Mark Montgomery announces resignation]
Field Hockey
Oregon and Washington do not sponsor field hockey programs.
– Nicky Wolcott
Wrestling
Like fellow newcomers USC and UCLA, neither Oregon or Washington have a wrestling team. All 14 current members of the Big Ten sponsor wrestling.
– Nicky Wolcott
Women’s Lacrosse
Oregon women’s lacrosse didn’t find much success in recent years. The Ducks had losing records in each of the last five seasons and posted a 17-55 record during that time.
In June, the program announced Jessica Drummond would take over as head coach. Drummond played at Oregon from 2009-12.
The Ducks have had a women’s lacrosse program since 2005 but have never made the NCAA tournament.
Washington does not sponsor a women’s lacrosse program. The Big Ten will have nine women’s lacrosse teams after Oregon and USC join.
– Eli Cohen
Men’s Lacrosse
Oregon and Washington do not sponsor men’s lacrosse programs. None of the Big Ten’s additions from the Pac-12 will add to the conference’s six men’s lacrosse teams.
– Nicky Wolcott
Baseball
Maryland rose to the top of Big Ten baseball in recent seasons, but now they’ll have to compete against stiffer conference competition from the Ducks and Huskies in a conference known for its baseball prowess.
Washington is coming off an NCAA regional appearance, while Oregon reached the super regional last year.
The Huskies and Ducks have each been near the top of the Pac-12 in recent seasons. Since 2018, the programs have combined for five NCAA tournament appearances, including Washington’s run to the College World Series in 2018.
Each team is instantly a contender in the Big Ten conference, which only sent three teams to this season’s NCAA tournament.
– Sam Jane
Softball
Oregon and Washington will each bring premier talent and rich history to Big Ten softball.
The Ducks have 22 NCAA regional appearances to their name. They have advanced out of those regionals nine times and reached the College World Series six times, most recently in 2018.
Washington also boasts a long history of postseason appearances. The Huskies have reached an NCAA regional every year since 1994 and have appeared in the College World Series 14 times during that stretch. Washington was the national champion in 2009, and finished runners-up in 1996, 1999 and 2018.
– Matthew Neus
[Matt Swope has quickly replenished a depleted Maryland baseball roster with transfers]
Women’s Golf
No Big Ten team made the top ten of the last women’s collegiate golf rankings in 2023. That will likely change with Oregon’s arrival to the conference.
The Ducks finished No. 8 in the country last year, amassing 327 points. Oregon finished as a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament Westfield region.
Washington had a less stand-out season, but still produced one of the most talented golfers in the country in rising senior Camille Boyd. Boyd tied for fourth place in her individual NCAA regional and will compete for the Huskies again next season.
– Sam Jane
Men’s Golf
Oregon and Washington will join the rest of the Big Ten in a collective effort to halt Illinois’ dominant run of eight consecutive Big Ten men’s golf championships.
Ousting the Fighting Illini isn’t a foreign idea for the Ducks, who defeated Illinois in the semifinals at the 2016 NCAA Championships en route to the program’s only national title to date. Oregon narrowly missed out on a second straight championship in 2017.
The Ducks missed the cut in each of their last three appearances at the NCAA Championships.
Washington earned the program’s seventh Pac-12 crown in 2022. The Huskies tied for fifth with Oregon in last season’s conference championships and narrowly missed out on their first NCAA Championship appearance since 2015, finishing sixth at the NCAA Auburn Regional.
– Tanner Malinowski
Tennis
Washington has yet to post a losing record during Robin Stephenson’s nine seasons as head coach, highlighted by a 21-5 finish in 2019 that earned her Pac-12 Coach of the Year. The Huskies churned out 18 wins in 2022 and reached the second round of the NCAA tournament.
Oregon finished 11-10 in 2023 to notch its fourth consecutive winning season under coach Courtney Nagle. The Ducks posted at least four Pac-12 wins each year since an 0-10 conference campaign in Nagle’s first season in 2019.
The Huskies and Ducks will continue battling old Pac-12 foes UCLA and USC. The Bruins and Trojans each won a Pac-12 regular-season title in the last decade.
– Tanner Malinowski
[Maryland men’s basketball’s trip to Italy will give the Terps a valuable ‘jump-start’]
Cross Country
Oregon and Washington were both successful in women’s cross country and should have smooth transitions into the Big Ten.
The Ducks won four team titles, most recently in 2016, and placed second four times. Oregon posted an average time of 20 minutes, 50 seconds, for seven runners at the 2022 NCAA championships, good for a 14th place finish.
The Huskies have both a team championship and team runner-up, with their only triumph coming in 2008. The average time for seven Washington runners at last season’s NCAA championships was 20 minutes, 48 seconds.
– Matthew Neus
Women’s indoor and outdoor track and field
The Big Ten lands one of the top women’s track and field programs in the nation with Oregon’s addition to the conference. The Ducks’ seven indoor championships gives them the second-highest tally in NCAA history, and they are tied for the fourth-most outdoor championships with three.
Led by 10th-year head coach Robert Johnson, Oregon finished 2023 ranked No. 11 in indoor and No. 4 in outdoor track and field.
Maurica Powell — who previously served as an assistant coach on Johnson’s staff at Oregon — joined the Huskies in summer 2018 as the track and field director and women’s head coach after a successful stint with the Ducks.
The Huskies women’s indoor squad finished 2023 tied for No. 24, while the outdoor squad tied for No. 29. Their third-place finish in the Pac 12 championship was a program best.
The Big Ten struggles in track and field on the national stage, but should get a boost thanks to Oregon and Washington.
– Eli Cohen
Men’s outdoor track and field
The last time a current Big Ten program won a national men’s track and field title was in 1948. A program with historic pedigree like Oregon and a Washington program that’s on the rise means the conference’s competition will get shaken up.
Oregon won seven men’s outdoor track and field NCAA championships, including back-to-back titles in 2014 and 2015. The Ducks also finished as national runners-up in 2021.
Washington finished in ninth place in this season’s NCAA championships, the Huskies’ first top-10 finish since 1979. Washington also placed above Wisconsin, the best-performing current Big Ten program, at nationals.
– Nicky Wolcott
