ESPN expert reacts to Big Ten additions, assesses what's next for major conferences

The conference realignment dominoes continue to fall as USC and UCLA leave the Pac-12 for the Big Ten. After the news broke, an ESPN insider explained what could be next for the other power leagues.

ESPN reporter Pete Thamel joined The Paul Finebaum Show on Thursday and talked about changes that might be coming down the pipeline. He compared the seismic moves to those of Texas and Oklahoma last July when they announced they’re leaving the Big 12 for the SEC down the road.

But now, the other Power 5 conferences have to find a way to respond to the Big Ten and the SEC, whom Thamel said are now pulling ahead of the other leagues.

“A transformative day in the history of college athletics similar to the day a year ago when Oklahoma and Texas left for the SEC,” Thamel said. “There are countless parallels between those two moves and it ultimately comes down to something I’ve said on your show in the past and have written a lot on ESPN and really believe. We’re not looking at a breakaway in college athletics, Paul. We’re looking at a pull up. And these two leagues are now officially racing each other to be ahead in college athletics and the other three so-called Power 5 leagues are eons behind.

“The best properties not named Notre Dame have been taken off the board essentially by the Big Ten and the SEC within a calendar year. We are in a time of seismic and transformative change and it’s only going to continue. Other schools are going to be scurrying to join the other side. Today is the day the moat was cut, Paul, and the sides are as distinct as ever. The SEC and the Big Ten are ahead and everyone else not named Notre Dame is behind.”

Report: Big Ten tells Oregon, Washington it’s ‘standing pat,’ awaits decision on Notre Dame

The Big Ten has made its decision. Oregon and Washington are not joining the league — yet.

The league has informed both programs it’s “standing pat,” according to CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd. However, the Big Ten is also awaiting a decision from Notre Dame, which has also been discussed after the latest conference realignment dominoes fell.

USC and UCLA shocked the college sports world on Thursday when they decided to leave the Pac-12 to join the Big Ten starting with the 2024 season. That led to questions about what was next for the other conferences and Notre Dame, which has long been independent.

The Pac-12 released a statement Thursday after the official announcements, saying it’s “disappointed” by the decisions by USC and UCLA to leave the conference.