UPDATE (6:34 p.m.) — According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, USC and UCLA’s application to join the Big Ten has been accepted after a vote Thursday by the conference presidents.
The schools are expected to begin playing in 2024.
PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — In the latest shakeup of college conference realignments, USC and UCLA are reportedly looking to leave the Pac-12 and join the Big 10 as early as 2024, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel.
The ESPN report stated the move is expected to be made, and a press conference could be held on Friday to formalize the move.
The departure of both standout schools for the Pac-12 is similar to when Texas and Oklahoma decided last year to bolt for the SEC from the Big 12.
It also dramatically changes the geography of the Big Ten. The conference will now be the first to stretch from the Atlantic to the Pacific. The last expansion for the conference had been in 2014 when it added Maryland and Rutgers.
With football season weeks away, USC and UCLA would benefit in upcoming years by going to the Big Ten in terms of strength of schedule.
A Pac-12 team has not made the College Football Playoff since Washington in 2016. The Big Ten has made six total appearances, third behind only the ACC (8) and SEC (10).
Four appearances in the CFP from the Big Ten were made by Ohio State, while the others were Michigan and Michigan State, respectively.
