The Big Ten’s raid on the Pac-12 continued Friday, with the announcement that Oregon and Washington will join the league beginning with the 2024 football season.

USC and UCLA are already set to leave the Pac-12 for the Big Ten next year. The Ducks and Huskies will become the 17th and 18th members of the conference, making it the largest in major college sports history.

“We are excited to welcome the University of Oregon and the University of Washington to the Big Ten Conference,” Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti said. “We look forward to building long-lasting relationships with the universities, administrators and staff, student-athletes, coaches and fans. Both institutions feature a combination of academic and athletic excellence that will prove a great fit for our future.”

The Pac-12 has been slowly disintegrating over the last several months, with many members dissatisfied with the conference’s proposed broadcast contract that would pay far less than similar deals in the Big Ten, SEC and Big 12. The Pac-12 current grant of rights expires in June 2024, freeing up current members to seek other affiliations.

Oregon and Washington were among four original members of the Pacific Coast Conference, which formed in 1915 and also included Oregon State and California. Washington helped form what was then known as the Athletic Association of Western Universities in 1959, which rebranded itself as the Pac-8 when Oregon and Oregon State joined in 1964.

“Accepting membership into the Big Ten Conference is a transformational opportunity for the University of Oregon to change the short and long-term trajectory of our university and athletics department,” Oregon athletics director Rob Mullens said. “The stability and exposure of joining the Big Ten is of great benefit to the University of Oregon, and we are grateful to the Big Ten presidents and chancellors for accepting our application to join the conference. We look forward to the opportunity for our student-athletes to compete in this conference, which includes many of the best programs in the nation in every sport.”

Said Washington AD Jennifer Cohen: “We have tremendous respect and gratitude for the Pac-12, its treasured history and traditions. At the same time, the college athletics landscape has changed dramatically in recent years. “The Big Ten’s history of athletic and academic success and long-term stability best positions our teams for future success, and we are energized at the opportunity to compete at the highest level against some of the best programs in the country.”

The carnage is expected to continue for the Pac-12, which has already lost Colorado to the Big 12 beginning next year. It was reported this week that Arizona State and Utah are seeking to join the Big 12 as well, and that Arizona is on the verge of a similar move.

That would leave Cal, Stanford, Oregon State and Washington as the four remaining Pac-12 teams. It remains to be seen if the Pac-12 would seek to raid the likes of the Mountain West to replace the defectors, or if the Pac-12 leftovers would try to join the Mountain West.