Big Ten university presidents voted Thursday night to accept the applications of USC and UCLA to join the conference, marking a seismic shift on the collegiate athletics landscape. The Trojans and Bruins will leave the Pac-12 for their new league in 2024 as the Big Ten expands from coast-to-coast with a move that rivals the SEC’s poaching of Oklahoma and Texas from the Big 12 last year.
The upcoming move comes as the Pac-12’s media rights deal is set to expire in 2024 and while the Big Ten is negotiating a new media rights deal that could exceed $1 billion annually. As for the Pac-12, the shift puts the league and its commissioner, George Kliavkoff, in a precarious position. Thursday marked Kliavkoff’s one-year anniversary on the job.
USC and UCLA are two of the Pac-12’s most valuable brands, both in terms of success and visibility. Their entries into the Big Ten will create a second superconference along with the expanding SEC. Both will stand at 16 teams after USC and UCLA move to the Big Ten as Texas and Oklahoma enter the SEC, which is slated to happen in 2025.
As this latest realignment saga plays out, CBS Sports will continue covering this developing story with live updates below.