NCAA
USC’s and UCLA’s move to Big Ten shakes up NCAA
USC’s and UCLA’s move to Big Ten shakes up NCAA
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SportsWriters
Jon Wilner of The Mercury News dropped a nuclear bomb on college football. USC and UCLA are planning to leave the Pac-12 for the Big Ten as early as 2024, according to his source. This move isn’t official and requires approval at the highest levels of power at both schools.
There will be major ramifications for the Pac-12 after USC football and UCLA basketball, which serve as he conference’s faces in their respective sports, leave.
Armegeddon for Pac 12
The Pac-12’s existing TV deals are about to expire, and this is a potential death blow for the conference. Losing both UCLA and USC would be devastating, since both are among the country’s most successful schools in football and men’s basketball, two of its most important sports. It would also cut off the conference from the entire Southern California market, not just Los Angeles. A lack of local teams will have a negative impact on both the Pac-12’s standing and its revenue – LA cable and satellite providers will be less likely to pay increased carriage fees for the Pac-12 Networks.
Smart for the Big 12 and kudos for trying to stay relevant. This would be another death blow for the PAC 12. https://t.co/ymOyxeZgWv
— Playbook Gamer (@playbook__gamer) July 5, 2022
Big Ten wins big
The geographically absurd move makes a lot of sense for the Big Ten in terms of expanding its presence. On Saturdays in the fall, the conference could easily run four game windows (noon, 3:30 PM, primetime, 10 PM ET) most weeks, further enhancing its schedule. It also increases the inventory of games for networks, further allowing for the possibility that the package could be carved up between three, rather than two, partners for football.
USC and UCLA showing up to the Big Ten pic.twitter.com/xtZcBZOYa1
— The Volume (@TheVolumeSports) June 30, 2022
TV market gets huge
By including USC and UCLA, the Big Ten dramatically improved its already-impressive TV coverage thanks to adding the lucrative Los Angeles market. That’s in addition to the entire Midwest, the New York area (Rutgers), the Washington area (Maryland), and Philadelphia (Penn State).
Sounds like it’ll be those four.
Four pods
West
Ucla
Usc
Oregon
Washington
StanfordCentral
Nebraska
Iowa
Minnesota
Wisconsin
NorthwesternMidwest
Illinois
Notre Dame
Purdue
Michigan
Michigan StEast
Ohio State
Penn State
Indiana
Maryland
Rutgers— Matt Todd (@toddsinator15) July 1, 2022
“We are excited about the opportunity this new partnership represents for The Ohio State University and for our student-athletes to compete with their peers from two storied athletics programs,” OSU President Kristina M. Johnson and athletic director Gene Smith said in a co-signed statement. “USC and UCLA are leading research universities that will enhance the Big Ten Conference in the classroom and on the field of competition. “More than 25,000 alumni of Buckeye Nation call the state of California home."
- Gene Smith - Ohio State AD
Social comments
UCLA & USC’s rumored move to the Big Ten would have a titanic effect on the college football world and its TV deals http://dlvr.it/ST7t3s
UCLA & USC’s rumored move to the Big Ten would have a titanic effect on the college football world and its TV deals http://dlvr.it/ST81hl
What’s next for the devastated Pac-12: Survival scenarios in a world without USC and UCLA
What’s next for the devastated Pac-12: Survival scenarios in a world without USC and UCLA
What’s next for the devastated Pac-12: Survival scenarios in a world without USC and UCLA