An announcement on the USC and UCLA intentions is expected on Thursday afternoon, say sources close to the situation in Dodd. USC and UCLA must first notify Pac-12 of their decision to leave the conference before applying to the Big Ten. At that point, the Big Ten can vote on whether to expand their league, a development that could take place as early as Thursday afternoon. “Everything is on the table,” a Pac-12 source told Norlander, who also said the Big Ten presidents and athletic directors met Wednesday night to discuss the addition of USC and UCLA to the conference. The USC and UCLA move to the Big Ten would be similar to the one that shocked college sports last summer when Texas and Oklahoma chose to leave the Big 12 for the SEC, a move that is set to happen before the season. of 2025. This started an alignment in which the Big 12, American and other conferences saw the teams enter and leave their members. A similar situation is likely to occur here if USC and UCLA formalize their intentions to leave Pac-12. The move would also be a striking departure in direction for UCLA and Cal, partners at the University of California’s system. With the acquisition of the Trojans and Bruins, the Big Ten will be transformed from a largely midwestern conference to one extending from New Jersey to California. It would be a significant change in the college sports landscape at the Power Five level, which has largely been identified with teams that belong mainly to leagues in their geographical area. “At the end of the day, it’s all about the SC: the SC’s willingness to move and then they need an accomplice in the crime,” a Pac-12 source told Dodd. “It’s because of the USC football value that drives it and the Los Angeles market.” The USC and UCLA will bring the Big Ten to a total of 16 teams, the same number as the SEC once Texas and Oklahoma formally join. The ACC has 14 teams, while the Big 12 will be formed at 12 with BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF on the fold after the departure of UT and OU. The takeover would be a major coup for the fourth Big Ten commissioner, Kevin Warren, the first Power Five boss to cancel the 2020 season amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The news comes less than a year after the Big Ten and Pac-12 – along with the ACC – announced a strategic alliance following the SEC’s additions to Texas and Oklahoma. This alliance was light for effective action from the start, and the poaching of the Big Ten two Pac-12 forces further undermines the idea that the leagues will work together to combat the SEC’s growing power in college sports. With the Pac-12 media rights deal ending in 2024 and the Big Ten in the midst of negotiations for a new media rights deal that could only start next season and reportedly go beyond $ 1 billion a year, time is of the essence for such discussions. The expiration of this Pac-12 deal will leave USC and UCLA with little financial burden if they eventually choose to leave for the Big Ten. San Jose Mercury-News’ Jon Wilner initially reported that the USC and UCLA were planning to abandon the Pac-12 for the Big Ten.
