Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren Sees League Having 20 Members, Paying Players

In the wake of the Big Ten signing a historic media rights agreement, conference commissioner Kevin Warren is ready to make more big moves.

Appearing on HBO's Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel (h/t Brett McMurphy of The Action Network), Warren said the Big Ten envisions the league eventually having 20 members and paying players.

"Those (paying players) are things we have to resolve," Warren said. "We have to. So I want to be part of this conversation and will be part of this conversation of what we can do to make this better."

The Big Ten announced a seven-year distribution agreement with CBS, Fox, NBC and NBCUniversal's Peacock, as well as returning partners Big Ten Network and FS1, beginning on July 1, 2023, and running through the 2029-30 season.

McMurphy reported the deal is worth $7-8 billion, but that figure could go up to nearly $10 billion with escalators if the conference's membership increases.

The Big Ten will have 16 teams starting in 2024, when USC and UCLA officially join the conference.

It's been an open secret that the Big Ten is looking to add more teams after landing USC and UCLA. Since its new media rights contract significantly incentivizes expansion, it seems like a safe bet that Warren could be aggressive in bringing in new programs.

Given the uncertain future of the Pac-12, schools currently in the conference could be looking to make a move. CBS Sports' Dennis Dodd reported in July the Big Ten was "evaluating the worthiness" of possibly adding Cal, Oregon, Stanford and Washington.

There has been some discussion that UCLA's move to the Big Ten could be in danger, however.

Pac-12 reporter Jon Wilner noted the school's recent meeting with the University of California Board of Regents over travel and academic concerns did decrease the certainty the Bruins will leave their current conference.

Wilner did put the likelihood of the move not happening as "very low," but it's "not 0 percent" at this point. He did add the Big Ten could just pivot and take Stanford, which is a private school like USC, if UCLA decides not to leave the Pac-12.

After word of the Big Ten's future financial windfall came out, Rodger Sherman of The Ringer noted the conference could pay 110 football players, 15 men's and women's basketball players $200,000 per year at all 16 schools and still make $600 million before factoring in revenue from ticket sales, NCAA payouts, merchandise sales, etc.

Under current NCAA rules, athletes can earn money through name, image and likeness deals. FBS schools are allowed to provide academic bonus payments to student-athletes to reward them for performance in the classroom, but ESPN's Dan Murphy noted in April only 22 of 130 programs have established plans to do so.