USC and UCLA’s football programs used to dream of having strong seasons so they could win the Pac-12 and meet the Big Ten champion in the Rose Bowl. Check USC and UCLA join Big 10 news below.
However, games between the schools and their rival conference out east will no longer just be relegated to a game in Pasadena on New Year’s Day. USC and UCLA joining the Big 10 in 2024 will have a large shockwave through the college football world.
Texas and Oklahoma Looking for New Conference
Texas and Oklahoma set off the initial panic among schools competing in the major conferences. Now everyone is hurrying to find a new home for themselves before they get left out in the cold.
The question that now lingers among those weighing NCAAF odds for the future is where will all of this movement leave the sport? For USC and UCLA, all of this is a complicated maneuver that will take years to sort out.
Here’s how USC and UCLA’s decision is impacting college football.
USC and UCLA Decision: Economic Aspect
From a logistical standpoint, there is no reason for USC and UCLA join Big 10. The Bruins have been a member of what is now known as the Pac-12 since 1922, while USC joined in 1928.
What the move comes down to is for the schools to make money and be able to compete with the heavyweights in the Big Ten and SEC.
Money Income Increase
With the Pac-12’s current football deal, all the teams will make $19.8 million per season, while teams in the Big Ten pull in $47.8 million.
The Pac-12 has also fallen into a major slump on the football field. Due to high parity in the league, no team from the conference has reached the College Football Playoff since Washington did in 2016.
Despite its well-documented history as a powerhouse, USC hasn’t made it at all. Oregon is the only other school from the conference to have made the playoff.
Notre Dame Maybe Feel the Pressure
The Fighting Irish have a proud history of being independent in football. Notre Dame has a contract with NBC that runs through 2025 and pays the school $15 million per year.
However, with one of the Fighting Irish’s most important rivals, USC, joining the Big 10, there will be less room on the schedule for the Trojans to play Notre Dame.
The Big Ten has long been a suitor for the Fighting Irish. Grabbing one of Notre Dame’s top rivals to fill out a spot in the conference could be used as a sales pitch for the Fighting Irish.
With the Trojans already in the fold, Notre Dame jumping on board could make sense for both sides. The Fighting Irish will be afraid if they can’t grab some of the money being thrown around that, they will fall behind.
No Offers for Oregon and Washington
Reportedly the Big 12 isn’t looking to take on any more times, at this moment anyway, leaving many of the Pac-12 teams stuck looking at an uncertain future.
Oregon and Washington had been rumored also to be a target of the Big Ten but weren’t extended offers. One thing that could help the schools remain in the Big 12 is also in bad shape.
The Big 12 Had Raided
With Texas and Oklahoma departing, the Big 12 had raided other conferences, bringing in UCF, Houston, and Cincinnati from the Amerian Athletic Conference.
The Big 10 is reportedly in talks to add four Pac-12 teams to help make up for the loss of Oklahoma and Texas.
What Is Next for the NCAAF?
College football is now stuck with teams all scrambling to try and find a spot to be more competitive. The ACC may be the next conference torn apart by realignment.
There is a thought process that the SEC may try to snap up some of the southern schools in the ACC To help former a super conference. Having teams switch conferences isn’t anything new to college football.
The Big 12, as it currently stands, wasn’t formed until 1996 as a combination of schools from the old Southwestern Conference and the Big 8.
ACC Group
The ACC raided and ultimately forced the Big East, known as the AAC now, into a group of five states by taking:
- Pittsburgh
- Miami
- Louisville
- Boston College
- Virginia Tech
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