The 2023 USC football spring game is now history. This was and is the last USC football spring game to precede a Pac-12 football season for the Trojans, who will be off to the Big Ten next year.
Since the 2024 USC football spring game will lead into a Big Ten season, a natural, logical assumption will be that either Big Ten Network or Fox Sports (Fox Sports 1, maybe) will carry next year’s spring game from the Los Angeles Coliseum.
However, USC and UCLA won’t officially join the Big Ten until the summer of 2024. This is part of the college sports year and the academic — also fiscal — cycle which regulates college sports. When conference memberships officially change and teams officially join conferences, the transition point is usually at or near July 1. College sports cycles run from July through June, not January through December.
When you look at the Big Ten Network’s statement below regarding USC and UCLA, it would seem that BTN will not carry USC’s spring game next year.
Does this really mean that Pac-12 Network will cover a game — and a team — which leads into a Big Ten football season? Is that really going to happen?
It’s a fascinating question, to be sure.
🔜 to Big Ten Network: @UCLAAthletics & @USC_Athletics pic.twitter.com/nUS9LL1D0p
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) July 1, 2022
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