The Big Ten conference has reportedly begun exploratory discussions regarding expanding membership to 18 or even 20 teams, according to Dan Wetzel of Yahoo! Sports. The schools being considered are Oregon and Washington if the Big Ten were to add two schools, and Cal and Stanford are the other two schools if the conference wants to expand to 20, according to Wetzel.

The discussions are in the very early stages, and no decision is imminent, Wetzel said. However, it is not a surprise to see the Big Ten discussing adding more schools, particularly Oregon and Washington.

The Big Ten is adding USC and UCLA in 2024. And Pac-12 member Colorado just decided to leave the conference for the Big 12 in 2024 as well. The Pac-12 is in a precarious situation, and it seems that even more members are potential targets for other conferences.

The reports that the Big Ten is potentially looking at Oregon, Washington, Cal and Stanford just adds to the uncertainty for the Pac-12.

The Pac-12 has been struggling to come up with a satisfactory television contract for its members, with the latest proposed one from Apple being turned down.

On top of Colorado leaving for the Big 12, there is a lot of speculation that the Big 12 is targeting schools like Arizona, Arizona State and Utah as additions as well. The status of the television contract negotiations could drive more members to leave, whether it is for the Big 12 or the Big Ten.

It has long been a thought that Oregon and Washington are holding out for a Big Ten invite, and their hopes might be on the way to becoming true.