Reports Suggest Oregon, Washington Unlikely to Join Big Ten

[Triphibius]

From Jon Wilner, cited IN Duck Territory: 

 

Source: “I’d be stunned if Washington and Oregon go to the Big Ten. The Big Ten will sit back for two years, then try to get Notre Dame” Growing reality is the Ducks and Huskies have to 1) make it work in the #Pac12 or 2) join the Big 12. My guess: 1) is their preference.

 

What are your thoughts? 

 

[Charles Fischer]

Can merging/joining the Big-12 improve our current projected income of 30 million a year?  If so, it should be looked at.  If not, then what?  

 

I don't see how things for the

Pac-10 can continue this way...

[David Marsh]

Working with the ACC seems far more likely at this point. 

 

I like the idea of working with the ACC and grabbing a couple Big-12 teams that are worth our while. 

 

The majority of the Big-12 won't help the PACs situation but a couple teams could especially while working with the ACC. 

[1Ducker1]

We also have to remember that there could be implications within the various states higher education boards.

[The Kamikaze Kid]

I don't think the Pac or Big 12 poaching a few teams from one or the other moves the needle that much. I think a full merger just creates a bloated conference with a lot of dead weight. It seems like the only way forward would be for the two conferences to realign and form two new conferences. If that happens poaching SD St from the Mountain West would also make sense.

 

I have no idea if this kind of realignment is even possible but something major needs to happen or all involved will get left behind.

[kirklandduck]

On 7/6/2022 at 2:59 PM, David Marsh said:

Working with the ACC seems far more likely at this point. 

 

I like the idea of working with the ACC and grabbing a couple Big-12 teams that are worth our while. 

 

The majority of the Big-12 won't help the PACs situation but a couple teams could especially while working with the ACC. 

Saddling up with the ACC would probably work IF George gets things in writing this time.  The whole "gentleman's handshake" thing with the "alliance" was, at best, foolish.

If that were to happen, then perhaps the snapping up Baylor and maybe Houston would make sense given their prime location for Texas recruiting.  After that pick up SDSU and Fresno St. to recover at least some percentage of the Southern Cali media market (forget Boise St, they just can't bring in enough money from Idaho).  Then you have a pretty decent super conference that stretches across to both coasts with enough good teams to create some interesting championship match-ups.  I'd love to see an Oregon/Clemson game some day.

Edited July 6, 2022 by kirklandduck

[David Marsh]

On 7/6/2022 at 3:26 PM, kirklandduck said:

If that were to happen, then perhaps the snapping up Baylor and maybe Houston would make sense given their prime location for Texas recruiting.  After that pick up SDSU and Fresno St. to recover at least some percentage of the Southern Cali media market (forget Boise St, they just can't bring in enough money from Idaho).  Then you have a pretty decent super conference that stretches across to both coasts with enough good teams to create some interesting championship match-ups.  I'd love to see an Oregon/Clemson game some day.

Probably the biggest thing that will have to happen with any sort of expansion or just new media rights is there will need to be a change in how funds are distributed. 

 

If the PAC is to stay together then it is not sustainable or fair for Oregon to have an equal cut with others. It is time Oregon gets the cut it deserves for holding the conference up. 

 

Then lesser partners will get a smaller cut because that is just the way it would have to be. It would be super unpopular across the conference but these days your conference is only as good as the teams that bring in the money and I'm sorry to say it... But Oregon brings a whole lote more money than Oregon state. 

 

Id Fresno state and San Diego state want to join then they get a smaller cut... Which would still be a whole lot bigger than what they get from the mountain west right now. 

[Mudslide]

Scheduling of the B16G West will be problematic, perhaps untenable, with just 2 teams 2,000 miles from any other...media markets be damned.  I think the conference will be quite amenable to taking Oregon (and whoever) unless or until ND green lights joining.

Edited July 6, 2022 by Mudslide

[David Marsh]

On 7/6/2022 at 3:46 PM, Mudslide said:

Scheduling of the B16G West will be problematic, perhaps untenable, with just 2 teams 2,000 miles from any other...media markets be damned.  I think the conference will be quite amenable to taking Oregon (and whoever) unless or until ND green lights joining.

We are all thinking that but I don't think anyone at USC or UCLA cares... Well the players might but they don't count. 

[NJDuck]

On 7/6/2022 at 6:35 PM, David Marsh said:

Id Fresno state and San Diego state want to join then they get a smaller cut... Which would still be a whole lot bigger than what they get from the mountain west right now.

As much as I am not happy with the situation with the conference, if we are looking at MW schools (groan), SJSU.  Student enrollment around 36,000.  The media market is in the San Jose/San Francisco/Oakland area as we all know ranked 6.   Fresno media market is 54.  UNLV, tier 1 research university, media market ranked 40, enrollment of 30,000.

 

Again, not sure what is best, join Big 12 or loosely contract with ACC?  I know we all would prefer the BIG or SEC.  I was so hoping Oregon with Phil Knight's help would be able to pull off Oregon's entry into the BIG, but from what Jon Wilner's sources are saying, it doesn't look like it will be happening.

 

I agree as well, Oregon should get a bigger cut of the pie if we are to keep the conference together.

Edited July 6, 2022 by NJDuck

[TexasDuck]

It may be worth considering that USC and UCLA joined the Big 10 with the understanding, perhaps even stipulation, that Oregon would NOT be invited.  When all of this shakes out I wouldn't be surprised if we learn that this was the case all along.  Too much Oregon success in recruiting big names in SoCal; this cuts the Ducks off at the knees. 

[TexasDuck]

On 7/6/2022 at 6:15 PM, NJDuck said:

As much as I am not happy with the situation with the conference, if we are looking at MW schools (groan), SJSU.  Student enrollment around 36,000.  The media market is in the San Jose/San Francisco/Oakland area as we all know ranked 6.   Fresno media market is 54.  UNLV, tier 1 research university, media market ranked 40, enrollment of 30,000.

 

Again, not sure what is best, join Big 12 or loosely contract with ACC?  I know we all would prefer the BIG or SEC.

 

I agree as well, Oregon should get a bigger cut of the pie if we are to keep the conference together.

The problem with Bay Area media market is that they don't really care about college football. 

[David Marsh]

On 7/6/2022 at 4:20 PM, TexasDuck said:

The problem with Bay Area media market is that they don't really care about college football. 

That goes for a large portion of California regardless. It is a pro sports media market. 

[Annie]

On 7/6/2022 at 4:19 PM, TexasDuck said:

It may be worth considering that USC and UCLA joined the Big 10 with the understanding, perhaps even stipulation, that Oregon would NOT be invited.  When all of this shakes out I wouldn't be surprised if we learn that this was the case all along.  Too much Oregon success in recruiting big names in SoCal; this cuts the Ducks off at the knees. 

Sounds as if, other than the big buck$, usc and ucla are moving to the Big 10 in order to escape having to play Oregon.

[OST8]

On 7/6/2022 at 5:35 PM, David Marsh said:

Probably the biggest thing that will have to happen with any sort of expansion or just new media rights is there will need to be a change in how funds are distributed. 

 

If the PAC is to stay together then it is not sustainable or fair for Oregon to have an equal cut with others. It is time Oregon gets the cut it deserves for holding the conference up. 

 

Then lesser partners will get a smaller cut because that is just the way it would have to be. It would be super unpopular across the conference but these days your conference is only as good as the teams that bring in the money and I'm sorry to say it... But Oregon brings a whole lote more money than Oregon state. 

 

Id Fresno state and San Diego state want to join then they get a smaller cut... Which would still be a whole lot bigger than what they get from the mountain west right now. 

I'm a little surprised at the idea that you guys would rather pick up some big west teams than to be in a league with some of the Big 12 schools that pull equal to or near the TV viewership that the Ducks and Huskies do. How big are the SDSU and SJSU stadiums? 

 

Hell, I don't care what we call the conference. It can stay the PAC. I just think the most financial and competitive benefit would come from some sort of PAC/Big 12 (and eventually ACC) conference.

[GeotechDuck]

On 7/6/2022 at 4:58 PM, OST8 said:

I'm a little surprised at the idea that you guys would rather pick up some big west teams than to be in a league with some of the Big 12 schools that pull equal to or near the TV viewership that the Ducks and Huskies do. How big are the SDSU and SJSU stadiums? 

 

Hell, I don't care what we call the conference. It can stay the PAC. I just think the most financial and competitive benefit would come from some sort of PAC/Big 12 (and eventually ACC) conference.

Not me. I would rather be in the Big-12 than stay in the PAC now.  That being said, I am a basketball first guy and the hoops in that league would be insane…Arizona, Oregon, Kansas, Baylor, Texas Tech, OSU, Houston, etc….

[The Kamikaze Kid]

On 7/6/2022 at 4:58 PM, OST8 said:

I'm a little surprised at the idea that you guys would rather pick up some big west teams than to be in a league with some of the Big 12 schools that pull equal to or near the TV viewership that the Ducks and Huskies do. How big are the SDSU and SJSU stadiums? 

OST8 Howdy.

 

I think must folks here are just shell shocked by the sudden departure news and are just throwing out different options to get a sense of which direction the Ducks should go in. I don't think anyone is disrespecting the Big 12. The appeal of SDSU is more about having a footprint in the So Cal TV market which has been the UO's recruiting hotbed up to this point. Since most feel that USC and UCLA's prime motivation for leaving the Pac was to shut out the Ducks from dominating recruiting in LA, a top priority people are feeling is to figure out how to get back in there while staying nationally relevant.

 

If we become conference mates in the near future, I'm sure the fan base will embrace it. Right now, I think most of us are kind of feeling like we just got dumped on prom night.

[Triphibius]

Thanks for joining us, OST8. I am leaning towards what I would term a merger with the Big 12. 

In addition to revenue, my concerns with this are two: 1) respecting the lives of student-athletes in all sports, which means not imposing travel schedules on them appropriate only for pro athletes; 

2) bringing into the new league or organization our long-time rivals and partners: WSU, Cal and our local OSU. 

 

Some issues I foresee: 
1) What to do with UCF and West Virgina, which are quite distant from Eugene, Oregon; 

2) What to do about the total number, which would be 22 I believe if everyone now or soon to be affiliated with each league remained. 

 

Others no doubt know the revenue numbers better, but that is what I want. 

 

I am very much open to persuasion at this point, not that Messieurs Kliavkoff and Mullen are likely to consult me. 

[fred flintstone]

Being in what amounts to a western conference of the ACC would be a big win. 

The ACC has several big dog football programs and the elite of basketball. 

 

 

If USC can handle the travel so can Oregon and besides.....got to figure a few other pac 12 teams would come along. 

Really a Power 3 conference just as powerful as the others if Oregon, Stanford, WA  and CAL came along.

 

Duke, Florida ST, UNC, Oregon, Stanford and Clemson is a pretty powerful group of schools......and then throw in ND.  

[David Marsh]

On 7/6/2022 at 4:58 PM, OST8 said:

I'm a little surprised at the idea that you guys would rather pick up some big west teams than to be in a league with some of the Big 12 schools that pull equal to or near the TV viewership that the Ducks and Huskies do. How big are the SDSU and SJSU stadiums? 

 

Hell, I don't care what we call the conference. It can stay the PAC. I just think the most financial and competitive benefit would come from some sort of PAC/Big 12 (and eventually ACC) conference.

I'm just not convinced that many Big-12 schools would actually want to join. I'm not opposed to grabbing the big remaining schools left in the big-12 but I'm not sure they'd want to. 

 

Also I'm not sure how us Ducks and the Beavers would feel about being in a league with schools with either similar colors or the same colors as us. Oklahoma State and Oregon State are both black and orange. 

 

And we'll Baylor is dark green and gold .. Oregon is green and yellow (certainly not gold) 

[1Ducker1]

Hmm........... LSU Tigers-Missouri Tigers- in the same conference--this is about TV $$$$

[David Marsh]

On 7/6/2022 at 6:36 PM, 1Ducker1 said:

Hmm........... LSU Tigers-Missouri Tigers- in the same conference--this is about TV $$$$

And Auburn tigers. 

 

They really need to add Clemson and just have a Tigers pod in the SEC. 

[OregonDucks]

On 7/6/2022 at 3:35 PM, David Marsh said:

Probably the biggest thing that will have to happen with any sort of expansion or just new media rights is there will need to be a change in how funds are distributed. 

 

I agree. Especially if you want to prevent the remaining big time programs from joining the B1G and SEC, when they get an opportunity. 
 

Below is one thought on how you could allocate the TV dollars:

 

1) Only sign a TV agreement for the conference games + championship. Split the regular session games evenly among the conference teams.  
 

2) Allow schools to negotiate and keep the TV proceeds from non-conference games. If Oregon wants to play at a “neutral” site game against Georgia or Auburn, why should Washington State or any other conference school share in those proceeds? Perhaps CBS or NBC would pony up the money to cover this game. 

 

3) For conference championship, bowl games and playoff games, allow the participating team to keep 50% of the proceeds and distribute the remaining equally among the remaining conference schools. You could do the same for the NCAA basketball tournament.  Why should Oregon State share equally if Arizona makes a deep run in the basketball tournament or if Utah plays in the college football playoffs? Those teams made the investments in their programs and deserve something extra for their success. 

Edited July 7, 2022 by OregonDucks

[1Ducker1]

On 7/6/2022 at 6:38 PM, David Marsh said:

And Auburn tigers. 

 

They really need to add Clemson and just have a Tigers pod in the SEC. 

I cant believe I forgot Auburn--I am Getting Old!!!

[Duck 1972]

 

It's about recruiting in SoCal and less travel and different climates by selecting SD St and Fresno State. No disrespect to any 1.

 

If the PAC and acc are in TV talks why not do the same with the B12

Helps all 3 traditional amateur CFB against the greedy big money minors of Fox and the B1G; ESPN and SEC.

 

And then market the hell out of the fight to the American people. If they do that I believe we will win or at least not lose.

[GeotechDuck]

If I remember correctly, ESPN has the media rights currently for the PAC and ACC.  Fox has the Big-12, so I think people are just assuming the ACC/PAC partnership would be easier / more likely. 

Edited July 7, 2022 by GeotechDuck

[Quackerbacker]

As mentioned multiple times above if we stay or merge with either the Big 12 or the ACC.  TV dollars need to be split based on revenue generated by the school.  Sorry but giving Oregon State or Colorado the same cut as the Ducks is not acceptable in this marketplace.   

 

Over time sure they can improve their split but you have to prove it first.  That is the only way this makes sense.

 

If we are going to make decisions based off money then we need to make all decisions that way.  

 

 

 

[CalBear95]

Solving the ACC conundrum provides waaaaaay more upside than some combination with the BXII.  It sounds like that is where GK is focusing his efforts while trying to fend of the BXII from poaching. 
 

My guess is a lot of these ‘imminent’ or ‘deep in conversations’ rumors are originating from the BXII to try and panic/peel off 1-2 programs and thereby make some combination with the PAC a fait accompli.  
 

The longer this goes w/out a definite outcome, the more probable the ACC option becomes. 
 

The BigXII is going nowhere.  They are going to turn down tomorrow the 6 teams they would poach today because why exactly?  The truth is, the BXII would crawl over broken glass to have those 6 teams and nobody should doubt that for a second.  So long as the ACC thing is in play, there will be no movement towards the BXII

 

I will bet Oregon and UW are supportive of that if B1G and SEC are not happening. 

[Mudslide]

On 7/6/2022 at 4:11 PM, David Marsh said:

We are all thinking that but I don't think anyone at USC or UCLA cares... Well the players might but they don't count. 

I think it is the B16G teams that care...not USC or UCLA.

[OregonDucks]

On 7/6/2022 at 9:23 PM, CalBear95 said:

I will bet Oregon and UW are supportive of that if B1G and SEC are not happening. 

 

I believe that the Pac-10 / ACC alliance is the next best alternative to the B1G and SEC. 

 

However, the proposed television revenues are a fraction of those other conferences and Oregon may be better off taking a fraction of the B1G TV revenue share for a period of time.

[David Marsh]

On 7/6/2022 at 10:10 PM, Mudslide said:

I think it is the B16G teams that care...not USC or UCLA.

It will be at most one trip to LA in a season and it will be seen as great fun because it will be warm and sunny. 

 

So in that regard ..  they care in a positive way not a negative. 

[Kurt Rambis]

I keep reading about needing to include certain schools (SJSU, SDSU, Houston, etc.) because of the size of the media markets.  Broadcasters don't care about the size of a market - they care about eyeballs on screens.  Long Beach State, UC Irvine, and Loyola Marymount are all right in the middle of Los Angeles just like UCLA is - but they don't pull a fraction of the viewership for MBB that the Bruins do.  So Fox and ESPN don't care about them, or about Cal Baptist, Pepperdine (as much as it hurts me to say that), CSUN, etc.  

 

Notre Dame is in a tiny media market, but they pull eyeballs nationally.  That's what matters.  

 

Even for recruiting, I'm not sure how important it would be to have SDSU so we have a "presence" in the SoCal market.  The Pac 12 has no presence in TX, FL, MD, or anywhere other than CA, UT, WA, OR, and AZ, and yet look at how many high-level recruits we're pulling in from outside of those states.  

 

In today's world, the only thing that matters is what schools can we be in a conference with that will bring the most TV dollars.  That's it.  Nothing else matters - tradition, rivalries, recruiting, weather, sports other than CFB and MBB, uniform colors, travel, or anything else.  Find where we can bring in the most TV dollars, and figure out everything else to make it work. 

 

That's the bottom line, whether we like it or not (and I certainly don't like it).

[David Marsh]

On 7/7/2022 at 1:54 AM, Kurt Rambis said:

I keep reading about needing to include certain schools (SJSU, SDSU, Houston, etc.) because of the size of the media markets.  Broadcasters don't care about the size of a market - they care about eyeballs on screens.

That's only partially true... Because if it was strictly about eyeballs then Oregon would already have a B1G invite because we average the most views of any PAC game over the last decade. 

 

Oregon just lacks a defined media market to pair with those views. 

 

Certainly views is one criteria but it's not the only one. 

[OST8]

On 7/6/2022 at 8:16 PM, David Marsh said:

I'm just not convinced that many Big-12 schools would actually want to join. I'm not opposed to grabbing the big remaining schools left in the big-12 but I'm not sure they'd want to. 

 

Also I'm not sure how us Ducks and the Beavers would feel about being in a league with schools with either similar colors or the same colors as us. Oklahoma State and Oregon State are both black and orange. 

 

And we'll Baylor is dark green and gold .. Oregon is green and yellow (certainly not gold) 

Well, I can't speak for all schools in the Big12 but I can say that most of the Oklahoma State fan base would be excited to be in the same league with Oregon and Washington.  Is that our ideal?  No, but not because of anything against Oregon or Washington.  The ideal was the "old" Big12.  Unfortunately the University of Texas wrecked that ship (and then bailed after seeing what they had done).  That said, the Ducks and Huskies are incredible programs that have carried themselves with class and are very competitive on the field.

 

There are many PAC schools who are great universities and have a TON of potential to be really attractive (the Arizona schools come to mind) but as of right now have really puny viewership numbers and what seems like pretty poor fan support. 

 

 

On 7/6/2022 at 7:11 PM, The Kamikaze Kid said:

OST8 Howdy.

 

I think must folks here are just shell shocked by the sudden departure news and are just throwing out different options to get a sense of which direction the Ducks should go in. I don't think anyone is disrespecting the Big 12. The appeal of SDSU is more about having a footprint in the So Cal TV market which has been the UO's recruiting hotbed up to this point. Since most feel that USC and UCLA's prime motivation for leaving the Pac was to shut out the Ducks from dominating recruiting in LA, a top priority people are feeling is to figure out how to get back in there while staying nationally relevant.

 

If we become conference mates in the near future, I'm sure the fan base will embrace it. Right now, I think most of us are kind of feeling like we just got dumped on prom night.

Hey you are preaching to the proverbial choir on the shell shocked feeling!  Last summer the sky was LITERALLY falling for us.  As the days and weeks went by though it became apparent that one way or another Oklahoma State was going to be alright (thank you Boone Pickens and Mike Gundy!) because of the work done the previous 15 years.  And that's why I can say with a high level of confidence that one way or another Oregon is going to be okay when all the dust settles.

 

You know I had not thought about USC/UCLA adding the prevention of Oregon coming along as a stipulation to joining the BIG10.  That makes some sense in terms of how it would help them in recruiting...and that REALLY sucks.  That's a very...Texas Longhorns thing to do. 

 

 

On 7/6/2022 at 7:26 PM, Triphibius said:

Thanks for joining us, OST8. I am leaning towards what I would term a merger with the Big 12. 

In addition to revenue, my concerns with this are two: 1) respecting the lives of student-athletes in all sports, which means not imposing travel schedules on them appropriate only for pro athletes; 

2) bringing into the new league or organization our long-time rivals and partners: WSU, Cal and our local OSU. 

 

Some issues I foresee: 
1) What to do with UCF and West Virgina, which are quite distant from Eugene, Oregon; 

2) What to do about the total number, which would be 22 I believe if everyone now or soon to be affiliated with each league remained. 

 

Others no doubt know the revenue numbers better, but that is what I want. 

 

I am very much open to persuasion at this point, not that Messieurs Kliavkoff and Mullen are likely to consult me. 

I think those are VERY legit concerns.  Here are my two pennies.

 

1) I have thought many times during all this conference realignment that literally none of these decisions are being made with the student athletes in mind.  It's 100% a money grab/arms race...and it's ugly to be honest.  In fact I'll say that this ENTIRE CONFERENCE REALIGNMENT can be traced back to the greed and power of one school.  But that's a LONG story.  I hate the distant travel that many conferences are facing.

 

2) I think the only team that the Big12 would maybe balk at is Oregon State...only because their numbers are so bad and their stadium is so small.  Honestly both their stadium and TV viewership compare more closely with Big West or Sun Belt conference numbers than they do PAC or Big12 numbers.  That said I truly applaud a fan base that actually cares about their instate rival (even if not on game day ha) enough to want to stand up for them.  Maybe you guys should get on the phone with the Sooners and talk some sense into them!

 

If it were up to me I'd drop two or more of the incoming schools (UCF, BYU, Cincy, Houston) so that we could take Oregon St, WSU, and Cal if that's what it took to get the Ducks and Huskies to come along.

[OST8]

On 7/7/2022 at 10:50 AM, Wrathis said:

I know it wasn't intentional but I take serious offense to you saying the Huskies carry themselves with class and are competitive on the field. If we end up in some sort of merger/alliance, you'll soon learn that neither of those things are true...

 

Haha!  Well I'll say I was speaking more to the university and program...not to the fans themselves haha.  I can say that OU is a good school with a good program...but their fans are in large part GOD AWFUL.

[OST8]

On 7/7/2022 at 12:18 PM, Wrathis said:

I wholeheartedly agree with that! I went to school in Tulsa (Spartan College of Aeronautics) and caught all of the HATE Sooner nation could muster after beating them in large part to two very controversial calls (2006). Of course I still rocked all of my Ducks gear, but I paid for it in snide remarks and scowling sideways glances.  Given the arrogance of their fans, I was grateful for all of it.  I always found it odd though that there was only one OKST bar in Brookside that I remember, I thought you all would have had a bigger footprint in the area...

Ohhh man haha.  They were SO pissed about that.  I heard a bunch of them moaning about that call just last year when you guys played them!  I'll bet they did let you have it.  They are LITERALLY the sorest losers I've ever been around.  I'll say at least one of those calls was pretty bad, but good grief...it happens!  I can tell you this, they've been on the opposite side of that sort of thing way more than most. 

 

For instance we had them all but beat in the 1983 version of Bedlam.  Up 20-18 with two minutes left in the game and the sooners were kicking off to us.  After the game Barry Switzer would admit that he decided to not go for the onside kick.  However there was miscommunication and the kicker thought he was still kicking the onside kick.  So the sooners line up in a normal formation but the kicker mishits the kick which was a line drive knuckle ball that his Oklahoma State player Chris Rockins right in the side of the helmet.  The sooners recovered, marched down the field and kicked the game winning field goal. They don't call it Sooner Magic for nothin!

 

All that to say...they can't complain haha.

 

'83 Bedlam

[Charles Fischer]

While the onside kick was a questionable call...the bottom line is that Oregon still had to execute.  How did Paysinger get 10 yards open on a 20 yard pattern...and so easily?  To preserve the win...Oregon had to BLOCK the OU field goal?

 

Oregon had to earn that victory as well.

 

[TexasDuck]

On 7/6/2022 at 6:49 PM, Annie said:

Sounds as if, other than the big buck$, usc and ucla are moving to the Big 10 in order to escape having to play Oregon.

It's a fun narrative bu t I honestly don't think that's true.  If competition were the primary consideration, I think USC would rather play the Ducks than Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State.  It's about the dollars and the future of college football. 

[1Ducker1]

On 7/18/2022 at 12:52 PM, TexasDuck said:

It's a fun narrative bu t I honestly don't think that's true.  If competition were the primary consideration, I think USC would rather play the Ducks than Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State.  It's about the dollars and the future of college football. 

My guess is that USC will escape for some years a tough B10 schedule- they will be playing Indiana, Illinois, Minnesota, Maryland, Rutgers, Purdue, UCLA, Northwestern with an Iowa and a Michi St thrown in.