Report: USC, UCLA Plan To Leave Pac-12 For Big Ten As Early As 2024
Jun 30, 2022, 11:38 AM | Updated: 2:31 pm
General view of the game between the Utah Utes and the USC Trojans at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on September 10, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – The Pac-12 will reportedly lose two of their prominent members as USC and UCLA are heading to the Big Ten Conference as early as 2024.
This is a massive shakeup in the college athletics landscape with USC and UCLA being two storied programs in the Pac-12 but will reportedly bolt to the Big Ten.
Pac-12 Insider Jon Wilner reported the news of USC and UCLA planning to join the Big Ten and could be as early as 2024. The move hasn’t been finalized “at the highest levels of power.”
Source: USC and UCLA are planning to leave for the Big Ten as early as 2024. Move *has not been finalized* at the highest levels of power.
— Jon Wilner (@wilnerhotline) June 30, 2022
The Big 12 has already seen a shakeup in their conference with Texas and Oklahoma set to leave for the SEC in 2024. They have added BYU, Cincinnati, UCF and Houston to their conference.
The Big Ten is considered to be one of the best college football conferences in the country, next to the SEC. They have blue blood programs including Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State and Wisconsin as their headliners. The Big Ten also has Maryland, Rutgers, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Purdue, Illinois, Nebraska and Northwestern.
Also, the Big Ten is in negotiations with their new media rights deal that is expected to reach $1 billion. Adding USC and UCLA to their stacked conference will enhance that number.
In football, USC has only been in one other conference since its existence. They were an independent from 1888-1921 before joining the PCC from 1922-1958. They have won 39 conference titles in their history, including 11 national championships.
UCLA’s football history is similar to their rival as an independent in 1919. They joined the SCIAC from 1920-27 before they went to the PCC from 1928-58. In their history, the Bruins have won 17 conference titles and one national championship in 1954.
UCLA is one of the best basketball programs ever, winning 11 national championships, two runner-up finishes and 19 Final Four appearances.
USC is improving in men’s basketball in recent years. They have won seven conference regular season titles, one conference tournament championship in 2009 and reached the Final Four twice. This past tournament, they made it to the Round of 32.
