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Paul Finebaum explains why USC, Oregon should join the B1G
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Paul Finebaum believes he sees two interesting additions for the Big Ten out west.
On Monday, he suggested that USC and Oregon should jump ship from the Pac-12 and join the Big Ten.
“That would make the Big Ten as powerful as the SEC or the ACC with Notre Dame, but other than that, there aren’t that many cards,” Finebaum said on ESPN’s Keyshawn, JWill and Zubin.
For Oregon and USC, it would give them security in being apart of a stronger conference moving forward.
The Big Ten, Pac-12 and ACC are expected to soon finalize an “alliance” that would theoretically give those schools a voting majority over the SEC on issues such as College Football Playoff expansion.
The College Football Playoff is expected to expand to 12 teams, but the exact format and timing of that change is still being debated.
This is all in response to the SEC’s recent addition of Texas and Oklahoma, which will happen by 2025 at the latest.
“This is really about power and leverage and television,” Finebaum said of the proposed alliance.
Oregon and USC would move the Big Ten to 16 teams, which would equal that of the SEC with with the Longhorns and the Sooners.
As for what’s left of the Big 12, Finebaum didn’t express much optimism.
“The Big 12 is on an island and it is sinking by the hour,” Finebaum said on Monday.
The Big Ten opens its 2021 season on Saturday as Illinois hosts Nebraska.
Spenser is the news manager at Saturday Road and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.