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The college sports world was turned on its head Thursday when news surfaced that USC and UCLA would be leaving the Pac-12 for the Big Ten.
Just hours after the news was first reported, it was confirmed that the applications from the two schools had been approved and the Trojans and Bruins will begin competing in the Big Ten in 2024.
As you would expect, the Pac-12 was disappointed with the development and released a statement on the pending departures of two of the conference’s flagship schools.
“While we are extremely surprised and disappointed by the news coming out of UCLA and USC today, we have a long and storied history in athletics, academics, and leadership in supporting student-athletes that we’re confident will continue to thrive and grow into the future,” the statement read. “The Pac-12 is home to many of the world’s best universities, athletic programs and alumni, representing one of the most dynamic regions in the United States.
— Pac-12 Conference (@pac12) July 1, 2022
“We’ve long been known as the Conference of Champions, and we’re unwavering in our commitment to extend that title. We will continue to develop new and innovative programs that directly benefit our member institutions, and we look forward to partnering with current and potential members to pioneer the future of college athletics together.”
The moves from USC and UCLA will certainly shake up the landscape of college sports, and it will be interesting to see what happens moving forward. Rumors are already starting that the Big Ten is not done adding schools yet, and the SEC will likely want to scoop up additional programs as well after most recently adding Oklahoma and Texas.
One thing is for sure: more changes are coming. We just have to find out where.
