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Washington was one of the 10 schools to leave the Pac-12 and they claim it was due to the Pac-12 being on life support.
Washington will be joining the Big Ten in 2024 as they will be joining the conference with USC, UCLA, and Oregon. Although when Washington and Oregon joined the Big Ten, the Pac-12 still had plenty of schools left. However, President Ana Mari Cauce asserts that the conference was on life support.
Many fans thought when Oregon and Washington left, it was one of the final straws for the Pac-12. But, Cauce says that isn't true as before the move to the Big Ten, the conference was already going to fold.
“Change is always difficult but I’ll be honest," said Cauce. "Some of our biggest, biggest supporters said, ‘thank you so much.’ It’s been generally very positive. I understand tradition. I understand loyalty."
"But I also understand the need for change," Cauce added. "We did not leave the Pac-12 that people are grieving. We left the Pac-12 that was, at best, on life support. And it was fairly toxic, because there was no trust. There was constant gossip & leaks. That last year was really tough on everybody.”
As Cauce says, she does understand loyalty, which was a complaint by Washington State and Oregon State which took aim at the schools for leaving the Pac-12 stranded.
Washington off to a good start in 2023
Although the Washington Huskies will be joining the Big Ten in 2024, the school remains in the Pac-12 for the 2023 season.
In their season opener, the Huskies cruised to a 56-19 win over Boise State. In the win, Michael Penix Jr. went 29-for-40 for 450 yards and five touchdowns. It was an incredible performance from Penix Jr. who now has the third-best odds to win the Heisman.
The Washington Huskies will now host Tulsa on Saturday and won't have its first ranked-on-ranked game until Oct. 14 when they host Oregon. As well, Washington is currently second in odds to win the Pac-12 only trailing USC.
