Additions of UCLA, USC would be huge for Big Ten Conference
MADISON – When Big Ten officials proudly announced in 2013 that the league was adding Maryland of the ACC and Rutgers of the Big East, thus expanding to 14 schools, reaction in the Midwest was mixed.
Maryland had a respected men's basketball program but the football program was coming off consecutive dismal seasons and rarely moved the needle nationally.
Rutgers football gained national notoriety under Greg Schiano, but his departure after the 2011 season was the catalyst for the program tumbling into mediocrity. The men's basketball team had suffered seven consecutive losing seasons and hadn't participated in the NCAA Tournament since 1991.
The news that Pacific 12 anchors USC and UCLA hope to join the Big Ten in time for the 2024-25 academic year sent tremors from coast to coast.
A formal announcement by the conference and two schools could come as early as Friday, according to a source.
Adding USC and UCLA would leave the Big Ten at 16 schools, with more schools being targeted according to sources. One prime target remains Notre Dame.
The Big Ten is engaged in a financial arms race with the SEC, which is expected to add current Big 12 members Texas and Oklahoma in 2024. That would leave the SEC with 16 schools.
Adding UCLA and USC would give the Big Ten a presence in six of the top seven TV markets – New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose and Washington, D.C.
What would adding USC and UCLA mean to UW football and men's basketball?
Although Big Ten officials have been mum, the league is expected to abandon football divisions, perhaps as early as after the 2022 season.
The Big Ten has used a divisional format and held a league title game since 2011 – Legends and Leaders from 2011 through 2013 and East/West since 2014.
Might league officials decide to keep the current divisions intact until USC and UCLA join in 2024?
Fans no doubt would love the idea of seeing the Trojans or Bruins visit Camp Randall Stadium, particularly late in the season, with the winds howling and snow falling. And a trip to the Rose Bowl for a regular-season game against UCLA would be tantalizing for UW fans.
What would happen to the Rose Bowl, you ask? To be determined.
The prestigious bowl has been part of the four-team College Football playoff since the 2014 season. Under the current agreement the Rose Bowl is one of the national semifinals every three seasons. In those seasons the game is not part of the College Football Playoff, Rose Bowl officials try to pair a Big Ten team against a Pac 12 team.
That is expected to change if the playoff field expands. However, those talks have been put on hold and the current agreement runs through the 2025 season.
Adding two West Coast programs would result in additional travel for the men's basketball teams but there is a ready-made solution.
The Pacific 12 pairs teams, such as Washington and Washington State, to travel to USC and UCLA for Thursday/ Saturday games.
UW could be paired with a team – Minnesota, Iowa or perhaps Northwestern – to travel to the West Coast. The Badgers could face UCLA on Thursday and USC on Saturday – or vice-versa – and then return home.
USC and UCLA leaving the Pacific 12 would be devastating for that league and would be a boon for the Big Ten.
Nearly a decade ago, the news that Maryland and Rutgers were joining the Big Ten was met with indifference.
The news Thursday that USC and UCLA want in was extraordinary.