The college football headlines have been dominated by news of teams electing to change conferences. At the top of this list has been USC and UCLA who made the announcement they would be moving from the Pac 12 to the Big Ten earlier this offseason. This historic move sets an interesting precedent as schools are no longer under geographical restrictions as has been the case in the past. The two California schools are moving from the West Coast-based Pac 12 to the primarily Midwest-based Big Ten.
One guy who has been eerily quiet about the issue has been Kevin Warren. The Big Ten commissioner broke his silence and gave some thoughts on the move at the Big Ten Media Day.
Kevin Warren acknowledged the addition of USC and UCLA for the first time, noting they give the conference a footprint in the nation’s three largest media markets and "allow us to be even bolder in terms of corporate partnership and activation."
— Joey Kaufman (@joeyrkaufman) July 26, 2022
Warren made it clear that both schools would receive a full share of the league's new media rights deal immediately. This is interesting because the last three schools to join the Big Ten (Nebraska, Rutgers, and Maryland) did not receive a full cut. The commissioner also said he hopes the new TV deal can be announced sooner rather than later and that the conference would be open to expanding down the line as well.
It is important to note that these moves won't actually take place until 2024. Regardless, it is evident the Big Ten is doing its best to create the highest level of competition in college football. The landscape of college football is under massive construction and it will be interesting to see how it plays out. USC and UCLA are two of the most reputable colleges from an academic and athletic perspective. Their move to the conference is likely a sign of more to come.
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