Posted on 06/30/2022 11:52:04 AM PDT by NohSpinZone
Is more realignment coming in college athletics?
USC and UCLA are planning to leave the Pac-12 for the Big Ten, Jon Wilner of the San Jose Mercury News is reporting. According to Wilner, arguably the most plugged-in reporter on the Pac-12, the move could come to fruition as early as 2024 but “has not been finalized at the highest levels of power.”
Minutes after the news from Wilner dropped, several other outlets reported that USC and UCLA are in negotiations to join the Big Ten. Big Ten presidents and athletic directors met Wednesday night to discuss adding USC and UCLA to the league, according to The Athletic. On top of that, Sports Illustrated is reporting that the Big Ten is prepared to announce the news.
The reported move for the two Los Angeles-based universities would come on the heels of Texas and Oklahoma leaving the Big 12 for the SEC.
It would be the latest shakeup in the world of college athletics, which has been undergoing a massive transformation in the past few years. Texas and Oklahoma will officially join the SEC no later than 2025. The departures of Texas and Oklahoma spurred the Big 12 to add BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF. Those schools will officially become Big 12 members in July 2023.
(Excerpt) Read more at sports.yahoo.com ...
Unless the Pac 12 goes for nonregional schools or BYU, they would have to bite the bullet and choose between San Diego State, Fresno State, or Boise State. That is something that the Pac 12 would have laughed at 10 years ago.
The speculation to me seems to weigh on OU and Texas remaining Big 12 through the 2024 athletic season. This would allow them to avoid the hefty breakup fees to the conference and be the last year of the existing TV contract.
Speculation…. Fasten seat belts and hang on for the ride. Power 5 Conference realignment is likely to get wild! Imagine a world where the 2 weakest conferences, PAC 12 and ACC disappear. As this OP describes, USC and UCLA to Big 10. Utah and the strongest of the two Arizona universities, maybe Colorado to the Big 12. Clemson, Miami and Florida State to the SEC. Will Notre Dame finally join a conference? Will this new Power 3 conference structure of the SEC, Big 10 and Big 12 leave the NCAA and establish their own governance?
“There are a lot of eyeballs and TV set in the LA area and that value will not longer belong to the PAC 12.”
And there are a lot of kids who would normally want to play in the PAC-12 who will now go “What the hell?” when they’re playing in Bloomington during an ice storm in November, and their parents can’t afford to go to any of their away games.
The first coast-to-coast conference.
I suspect the Pac 12 recruits a couple of WAC teams adn maybe a Big Twelve team or two.
What will be weird is when either USC or UCLA wins the Big Ten championship and becomes the visiting team in the Rose Bowl.
My late wife suggested they expand to 20 and call themselves the Big Tens.
10 + 2 = 10
12 + 2 = 10
The Big Ten’s next move will be south. They’re trying to pick off as many big TV markets for the Big Ten Network as they can. That was the whole point of going after Maryland and Rutgers.
My alma mater is Division II, in a new conference we helped form just a few years ago, and we’re pretty good. We’ve had playoff teams the last two or three years.
Not to mention all the betting that is done on fantasy leagues where stats are more important than wins and losses.
Yes, but Northwestern already gives them the Chicago market. Of course, it could be a good rivalry, but still...
BYU, UNLV, San Diego State, and maybe one other Western school.
If you look at the players when was the last time that was true? When was a Minnesota team mostly Minnesota farm boys who may not have been very fast, but were tough and could make holes big enough for their slowpoke running backs to hobble through?
Most of the top players come from a few states like California, Texas, and Florida which have well developed farm leagues in their high school systems.
As Jerry Seinfeld once said, the only thing that doesn't change much about teams is their uniforms, so basically we're all just cheering for laundry.
Or, perhaps, the Big Tent!
Not true at all- the ACC is a better conference than the PAC 12 and were it not for Utah going on a late season run and beating Oregon twice, they (Oregon) get into the college FB playoffs. And Clemson has been much, much more relevant than Oregon or any other PAC 12 team in recent years.
USC/UCLA leaving the PAC 12 does nothing to hurt Clemson. What’s hurt the ACC is bad coaching decisions.
Good movie probably more money more competition more chance to compete for national
If you can get past the SEC
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