One School Pushed for UCLA, USC Move to Big Ten, per Report
As USC and UCLA appear to be preparing a move to the Big Ten, it looks like one school was the driving force behind the decision: the Trojans.
USC was the impetus behind the shift in conferences, according to Ryan Kartje of the Los Angeles Times. The move, when finalized, is reportedly for all sports with the exception of beach volleyball.
The two schools are gearing up for a move to the Big Ten that would take place in 2024, per SI’s Ross Dellenger. News of the potential move was originally reported by Jon Wilner of The Mercury News.
The schools first expressed interest in changing conferences several months ago, with talks ramping up in recent weeks. The move could be official as soon as Thursday, per Dellenger. The two schools approached the Big Ten expressing their intent to leave the Pac-12, asking if the conference wanted to take them in or not.
“You have to be a moron to not think about it,” a Big Ten source told Dellenger. “They would have gone somewhere else if we said ’no.’”
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The Pac-12 last expanded in 2011, when the league added Colorado and Utah. The Big Ten added Nebraska at that time and later added Maryland and Rutgers in 2014.
Earlier this month, James Crepea of The Oregonian asked Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff if he was concerned about schools leaving the league for the Big Ten.
“Absolutely not,” Kliavkoff said. “I have no concern about our schools. We had the opportunity when conference realignment was going on last summer to canvas our president and chancellors and it is clear to me that everyone who’s in the Pac-12 is committed to the Pac-12. I’m not worried about that. We’re not looking to expand; we had lots of opportunities to expand. We’re really happy at 12.”
More CFB News:
- Sources: USC, UCLA Planning to Leave For Big Ten
- Former USC Star Matt Leinart Reacts to Big Ten Report
- Pac-12 Commissioner’s Old Comment On Big Ten Is Going Viral
- All Trojans: Report Reveals Why Amon-Ra St. Brown Fantasy Value is ‘Excellent’
For more USC coverage, go to All Trojans.
