USC & UCLA to Join BIG 10 Conference
Get ready Rutgers fans to welcome in the USC Trojans and UCLA Bruins to SHI Stadium some time in the no-to-distant future. The two Pac-12 superpowers are planning to leave…
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 20: Keaontay Ingram #28 of the USC Trojans rushes as he is tackled by Mitchell Agude #45 of the UCLA Bruins, losing his helmet, during the first quarter at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on November 20, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
Get ready Rutgers fans to welcome in the USC Trojans and UCLA Bruins to SHI Stadium some time in the no-to-distant future.
The two Pac-12 superpowers are planning to leave their former conference for the Big 10 come 2024, creating a dynamic Big 10 that will stretch its influence from the east coast to the golden coast.
""The unanimous vote today signifies the deep respect and welcoming culture our entire conference has for the University of Southern California, under the leadership of President Carol Folt, and the University of California, Los Angeles, under the leadership of Chancellor Gene Block," Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren said in a statement to ESPN.
The move will undoubtedly shake up the college athletics landscape. For starters, both LA schools made the move because the Pac-12 television contract expires at the end of the 2023 football season. The Pac-12 has tried to get both USC and UCLA to move on a new deal, but they had bigger ideas.
Moreover with the Big 10 expansion, it will be fascinating to see how the Big 12 and ACC try to keep up with the SEC. Remember that Texas is leaving the Big 12 for the SEC in a couple years when Arch Manning will be entering his sophomore year. Oklahoma is also moving to the SEC.
As for Rutgers, fans will one get to see the Trojans and Bruins play the Scarlet Knights regularly in football, basketball, and all sports for that matter.
Of course football and basketball stir the drink of college sports television packages. In case you are wondering, Rutgers football has never faced USC or UCLA.
In fact, Rutgers is really turning the corner as a significant member of the Big 10 with men's basketball having made trips to the NCAA tournament in each of the last two seasons, and women's soccer and men's lacrosse making it all the way to the NCAA Final Four. Baseball made it to the Big 10 Championship Game against Michigan.
The addition of the two west coast powers will only make things more intriguing on the field for the Scarlet Knights.
