Other Pac-12 Schools Now Contacting Big Ten, Sources Say

The news of USC and UCLA leaving Pac-12 to join Big Ten, effective Aug. 2, 2024, reportedly inspired other Pac-12 schools to attempt to follow suit, according to Sports Illustrated’s Ross Dellenger.

No specific schools were named in the report, but sources told Dellenger that several schools have since reached out to the Big Ten about potentially joining the conference, “most of them from the Pac-12.”

The Big Ten will first need to review and study potential options, similar to how the conference handled adding USC and UCLA. This could take a while to do, so any more potential moves to Big Ten aren’t expected for some time, if any end up happening at all.

If other Pac-12 schools are reaching out to Big Ten right now, then they are following how USC reportedly pushed for the move. Typically, conferences will approach the schools about joining, but now expansion seems to be happening both ways.

Additionally, if more schools do decide to leave Pac-12, what will the future of the conference look like? After Thursday’s news, college sports media members and fans mocked and questioned The Alliance, which was formed by Big Ten, ACC and Pac-12 after Oklahoma and Texas announced their move to SEC. The purpose of The Alliance was to stabilize college football, but that might not be the case after the USC/UCLA news. A source told Dellenger that The Alliance “probably ceases to exist now.”

The Pac-12 released a statement on Thursday night regarding the USC/UCLA news, providing a somewhat positive outlook on the future of the conference.

“We look forward to partnering with current and potential members to pioneer the future of college athletics together,” the statement read.