USC, UCLA Announce Plans To Join Big Ten Conference In 2024

LOS ANGELES, CA — Two of California's most familiar college sporting institutions will leave the Pacific 12 Conference as a way of giving its athletes a bigger platform and more exposure than simply playing on the West Coast.

UCLA and the University of Southern California announced on Thursday that they are joining the Big Ten as early as 2024, in a move that would combine two of the country’s Power 5 conferences, officials announced on Thursday evening.

The move, which was first reported on Thursday by the San Jose Mercury News, would include all sports with the exception of beach volleyball. The move took place after university presidents and athletic directors vote to accept the membership applications of UCLA and USC.

"UCLA Athletics' primary responsibility is to our student-athletes – to supporting them and providing them with the resources and opportunities to have an elite experience while they represent the four letters," UCLA athletic director Martin Jarmond said in a statement Thursday night. "After thoughtful deliberation, we came to the conclusion that the best way to do that amidst the rapidly changing times in collegiate athletics is to join the Big Ten Conference

"From increased exposure and a broader national platform for our student-athletes to enhanced resources for our teams, the move will help preserve the legacy of UCLA Athletics for generations to come."

The statement said UCLA valued its membership in the Pac-12 but said the move to the Big Ten "is the right move for UCLA at the right time."

The Athletic reported that Big Ten school presidents and athletic directors met on Wednesday night to discuss the possibility of USC and UCLA joining the conference. Sports Illustrated has reported that the two schools expressed interest in joining the Big Ten several months ago and that that negotiation began in earnest a few weeks ago.

On Thursday, it became a reality. Both schools said they will officially become Big Ten members on Aug. 2, 2024.

"Ultimately, the Big Ten is the best home for USC and Trojan athletics as we move into the new world of collegiate sports," USC athletic director Mike Bohn said. "We are excited that our values align with the league's member institutions. We also will benefit from the stability and strength of the conference, the athletic caliber of the Big Ten institutions; the increased visibility, exposure, and resources the conference will bring our student-athletes and programs, and the ability to expand our engagement with our passionate alumni nationwide."

In a statement, Pac-12 officials expressed surprise and disappointment by the decision of USC and UCLA but said the conference is confident it will continue to thrive and grow in the future.

"We've long been known as the conference of champions, and we're unwavering in our commitment to extend that title," the Pac-12 said Thursday.

The 2024 proposed moving date for the two schools came about as the media deal for the Pac-12 Network expires at the end of 2023, according to reports. The window before another TV deal is put into place gives both USC and UCLA the opportunity to move to a new league.

The Big Ten’s TV deal with ESPN and Fox also expires at the end of the 2022-23 academic year, Yahoo! Sports reported. The outlet also reported that The Pac-12 Conference distributed $344 million among its members in the 2021 fiscal year. The Big Ten, meanwhile, divided $680 million among its universities.

The addition of USC and UCLA would bring the number of Big Ten schools to 16, which puts the league at the same size as the Southeastern Conference. Various reports indicated that the Big Ten wouldn’t be opposed to adding even more schools in order to form a super conference.

After receiving written applications from the two universities, Big Ten Conference Commissioner Kevin Warren, alongside conference athletics directors and the Council of Presidents and Chancellors, evaluated the applications based on a dynamic model weighting four primary principles with supporting criteria, the Big Ten said in a statement on Thursday.

The principles include academics and culture; student-athlete welfare, competition, and logistics; commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in sports; and financial sustainability. The model allows the conference to analyze criteria in a strategic and effective manner, the league's statement said.

“As the national leader in academics and athletics for over 126 years, the Big Ten Conference has historically evaluated its membership with the collective goal to forward the academic and athletic mission for student-athletes under the umbrella of higher education,” Warren said in a statement.