If one report is to be believed, the Big Ten is set to expand with two big-name schools. As the SEC prepares to add Texas and Oklahoma, and the Big 12 is set to respond with four Group of Five programs, the Big Ten appears to be making a move on par with the SEC.
And if it comes to fruition, it’ll not only change the dynamic of the conference, it would change the college football landscape entirely — while gutting the Pac-12.
According to Pac-12 Hotline’s Jon Wilner, a source has indicated that the Pac-12’s flagship school, USC, along with UCLA, are poised to move to the Big Ten, greatly expanding the conference’s footprint all the way to the West Coast. While the move hasn’t been finalized, as he mentions, it does appear that discussions are underway.
Source: USC and UCLA are planning to leave for the Big Ten as early as 2024. Move *has not been finalized* at the highest levels of power.
— Jon Wilner (@wilnerhotline) June 30, 2022
This would dramatically change the way that the conference operates, with those Los Angeles-based schools being 2,000 miles away from schools like Michigan. How will the existing Big Ten schools handle such dramatic travel, with time changes up to three hours, depending on the school?
There will be much to discuss as this news develops.
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