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USC and UCLA officially accepted to Big Ten, report reveals season they join league
By Keith Farner
Published:
USC and UCLA have learned that their move to the Big Ten is officially accepted, and the schools will begin play in their new conference in 2 years.
The move to begin play in 2024 is one year before the expected move of Oklahoma and Texas to officially move to the SEC, which is set for July 2025. This is the latest move in a flurry of conference realignment moves in the last decade and a half. The Big Ten last expanded with Nebraska joining in 2011 and Maryland and Rutgers in 2014.
It’s a seismic shift in college sports, and fans and media have spent much of Thursday speculating about another move coming between the Big Ten, SEC, ACC and Notre Dame. Schools such as Oregon, Washington, Clemson, North Carolina and Florida State have been mentioned as possible candidates to be on the move to a new conference.
Sources: USC and UCLA have been notified that their application to join the Big Ten has been accepted. The schools will begin play in 2024.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) June 30, 2022
In a report explaining the move, ESPN noted that, “the reason this move would be less disruptive than potential moves in the ACC is that USC and UCLA have a grant of rights tied to the current Pac-12 television contract, which expires after the 2023 football season and 2023-24 school year. That’s why the expectation is that both schools can go to the league for the 2024-25 season and not suffer any financial penalty.”
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.
