The ten votes to add USC and UCLA members starting in 2024

In a stunning, seismic shift in college athletics, the Big Ten voted Thursday as members of the Southern California Conference and UCLA since 2024.

The expansion to 16 teams will take place after the Pac-12 media rights contracts with Fox and ESPN expire, and the Big Ten will be the first conference to extend from the Atlantic to the Pacific.

The announcement that Pac-12 was cautious came nearly a year after Oklahoma and Texas formally accepted invitations to the Southeast Conference in July 2025.

G20 Commissioner Kevin Warren said USC and UCLA, both members of the Pac-12 and its predecessor for nearly a century, have applied for membership, and the league’s board of presidents and chancellors unanimously approved the addition of schools. from Los Angeles.

“Ultimately, the Big Ten is the best home for USC and Trojan athletics as we move into the new world of team sports,” said USC Athletic Director Mike Bonn. “We are happy that our values ​​match the league’s member institutions. We will also benefit from the stability and strength of the conference; The sporting caliber of the Great Ten Institutions; Increased visibility, exposure and resources will bring the conference to our student-athletes and programs; And the opportunity to expand our commitment to our passionate alumni across the country.”

The Big Ten builds on previous expansion into the nation’s biggest media markets, and this move allows the conference to continue the SEC as one of the most powerful topics in college sports.

The Big Dozen will host blue football (USC) and basketball (UCLA) programs and well-known brands, increasing the value of the new package at the Media Rights Conference, which is under negotiation.

The loss of iconic schools like USC and UCLA is a huge blow to Pac-12, who have had a long and friendly relationship with the Big Ten, best reflected in their association with the Rose Bowl.

“While we are very surprised and frustrated by the news from UCLA and USC today, we have a long history of supporting student-athletes in athletics, academy and leadership that we believe will continue to thrive and develop. The future,” Pac-12 said in a statement.

The next step in Pac-12 is unknown, but schools could be added to replace USC and UCLA.

“We look forward to partnering with current and potential members to work together on the future of college athletics,” said Pac-12.

The Big Ten has expanded twice in recent years, with the addition of Nebraska in 2011 and Maryland and Rutgers in 2014.

USC and UCLA are in line with the academic profile of the top ten. Both schools are among the 65 members of the American University Association, which is made up of leading research universities. In addition to Nebraska, the Big Ten schools are members.

“Starting with greater exposure and a broader national platform for our student-athletes, ending with enhanced resources for our teams, this change will help preserve the legacy of UCLA athletics for future generations,” said Martin Jarmond, director of athletics at UCLA. UCLA.

“We deeply value our association with Pac-12 and have great respect for the conference and our partner institutions, but each school has its own challenges and circumstances. We believe this is the right move at the right time for UCLA. ”

USC and UCLA will significantly increase revenue. Pac-12 spent just $19.8 million per school in fiscal 2021, the lowest among Power 5 conferences. Big Ten distribution per school was $46.1 million, second only to the SEC at US$ 54.6 million.

Pac-12 had a hard time shutting down its conference television network, while the Big Ten Network is one of the more established conference networks.

USC and UCLA advance football in terms of visibility and competition.

The “Pac-12 After Dark” television games, which start at midnight in most parts of the country, make it difficult to publicize the conference. The Pac-12 had only two teams in the college football playoffs: Oregon (2014 season) and Washington (2016).

USC President Carol L. Folt said he and university leaders discussed the coast-to-sea trip that will follow the Big Ten competition. Nebraska is the most western school in the conference at the moment, and Lincoln is nearly 2,400 kilometers from Los Angeles. Rutgers, the easternmost Big Ten school, is nearly a 5.5-hour flight from Los Angeles.

“We are fortunate to be able to spend the next two years with the travel and planning conference,” said Folt.

Last August, the Big Ten, Pac-12 and the Atlantic Coast Conference formed an alliance after Oklahoma and Texas joined the SEC. The conferences say 41 members will take a collaborative approach to charting the future of athletics. Three conferences established sports planning activities and common resources to promote athlete well-being.

Less than a year later, Alliance’s future looked bleak as the Big Ten claimed the two biggest marks in Pac-12.

USC and UCLA will end a long relationship at the conference. USC joined California, Oregon, Oregon, Stanford, Washington, and Washington in the Pacific Coast Conference in 1922, followed by UCLA in 1928.

They went together in 1959 for the Western University Sports Association, which became the Pac-8 in 1968, the Pac-10 in 1978 and the Pac-12 in 2011.