UCLA, USC in talks to join Big Ten, would leave Pac-12 by 2024 - Chicago News Weekly

Thursday, June 30, 2022

UCLA, USC in talks to join Big Ten, would leave Pac-12 by 2024

Southern California and UCLA are in talks to leave the Pac-12 and join the Big Ten.

Southern California and UCLA are in talks to leave the Pac-12 and join the Big Ten.

Mark J. Terrill/AP

Southern California and UCLA are in negotiations to leave the Pac-12 for the Big Ten, multiple people with knowledge of the deliberations told USA TODAY Sports.

The two schools reached out to the Big Ten and were not pursued. The move would occur for the 2024 season. The Big Ten may not be done expanding.

The people were granted anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the ongoing negotiations.

USC and UCLA are the two dominant brands in the Pac-12 and the largest and most successful athletics departments on the West Coast.

Losing the two schools to the Big Ten would be devastating for the Pac-12 and could lead to another round of conference realignment impacting every league in the Power Five.

Adding the two schools would bring the Big Ten membership to 16, equaling the number of schools set to be in the SEC once Texas and Oklahoma join the conference from the Big 12 in 2025.

The addition would expand the league’s footprint well beyond its traditional Midwest roots and create the first Football Bowl Subdivision “super conference” constructed largely without regard for geography.

The Big Ten is currently negotiating a new television rights deal that is expected to be the most lucrative in NCAA history.

Read more at usatoday.com



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