6/30/2022 football Edit

TKR Thoughts: UCLA, USC to leave PAC-12, join Big Ten in 2024

Chris Nalwasky and Craig Epstein

Rutgers.Rivals.com

Note: This post will be updated if needed.

The Big Ten has gone California Dreamin’.

In the ever-changing landscape of college athletics, reports came out on Thursday that the PAC-12’s prodigal sons, UCLA and USC, were trying to leave and join the Big Ten Conference. The news was first reported by The San Jose Mercury News and confirmed elsewhere.

As of Thursday evening, the move is official.

This is the latest major shift and on par with Texas and Oklahoma leaving the Big 12 for the SEC.

What does it mean for Rutgers? Is the move good or bad? Here are some of TKR's thoughts. We think Rutgers made out OK getting into the Big Ten.

--- There isn’t really too much regarding anything negative from this move. But, scheduling and traveling together is one. Almost 3,000 miles separate Piscataway and Los Angeles. Budgets are already tight as it is, so it’ll be costly for either team on either coast, plus those in the midwest, to make moves back and forth. Will Rutgers stay out west for a longer period of time, or will USC Football play the Scarlet Knights and Maryland in back-to-back weeks for example?

--- Show me the money. Rutgers made $29.6 million from the Big Ten in 2020-21 per the Sports Business Journal. The B1G is currently working on its next TV/media rights deal, and right now those numbers are about $1 billion. Adding LA and California eyes to the mix would only make that grow exponentially. It was just announced on Wednesday that the state is backing Rutgers for $100 for upgrades to Jersey Mike’s Arena and for a new indoor practice facility and football headquarters.

— While the SEC might currently have a larger payout for its teams than the Big Ten when it comes to college football, the Big Ten is poised to make a jump in the coming years and they have the names to do it. Whether it is Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, USC, or UCLA, the Big Ten can now feature matchups that companies will likely jump head over heels for.

--- Recruiting is the lifeblood of the program. With the addition of the two schools out west, Rutgers can also expand the way it recruits. The Scarlet Knights have already been doing that, but now contacts and relationships can further be developed all across the country.

--- There’s an academic side to this as well. Like Rutgers, both USC and UCLA are members of the Association of American Universities (AAU) as is much of the Big Ten. Only Nebraska isn’t, though it was when it joined the B1G. USC’s and UCLA’s prestige academically will help Rutgers, and students will have more access to their digital libraries.

--- Get ready for early start times, LA. It’ll be interesting how noon EST games for football affect the Trojans and Bruins. Now, it’s certainly possible that leagues won’t do that on purpose, but they’ll still be jet lag somewhere for sure. It was weird watching NFL games at 10 a.m. back in December when I went to California, and it’ll potentially be weird watching Rutgers at USC early in the morning as well.

--- What’s next? Nothing is ever finished. What other teams will make the move and join either the Big Ten or another conference? Location certainly isn’t a factor anymore. Remember The Alliance? Well, the Big Ten just scooped the Pac-12’s top two away.

— Perhaps the biggest domino left to fall is where Notre Dame football will go. It appears as though in this current environment it is unsustainable to survive as an independent team so the question becomes where the Fighting Irish will end up. It has been no secret that just about any conference would love to add a program the likes of Notre Dame so will the Big Ten win the Fighting Irish sweepstakes? Well, adding USC and UCLA does not hurt its chances.