When the 2024 college football season gets going in August, college sports conferences are going to look completely different. Conference realignment is bringing big changes, and it gets talked about the most in the realm of college football. However, it is affecting all college sports, and Purdue basketball head coach Matt Painter is excited for the changes. Four new teams are coming to the Big Ten, and they will have some intriguing matchups against Painter and the Boilermakers.

Big changes are coming to the power five. The Pac-12 is gone as every team departed to a new conference besides Oregon State and Washington State, who have a scheduling alliance with the Mountain West. Cal and Stanford are headed to the ACC, and USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington are joining the Big Ten. Everyone else (Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah) is going to the Big 12.

The Big 12 got some of their moves in earlier than everyone else as BYU, Cincinnati, UCF and Houston joined last year. Now, they are adding four new Pac-12 schools, and they are losing Texas and Oklahoma to the SEC.

Matt Painter and the Purdue basketball team will get to square off with the new foes in the Big Ten next season, and Painter is excited for it.

“I think for us just going west one time, it's going to be much harder for the four schools that are coming in,” Painter said during an interview with Rick Pizzo. “They have to come east so much. So that's just gonna be a road trip for us, you know, get excited about it. Hopefully win a couple games. You gotta keep it as a business trip. But it's going to be exciting. I've never been in the four arenas that we're gonna go to, so as a coach, and you've been in it for over 30 years, to come out and be able to play four schools, get to different arenas and see different things is pretty cool.”

Related Purdue Basketball NewsArticle continues below
Ace Bailey talks to the media during the 2025 NBA Draft Combine at Marriott Marquis Chicago.
Rutgers basketball’s Ace Bailey gets 100% real ahead of NBA Draft
Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Ace Bailey (4) celebrates during the second half against the UCLA Bruins at Jersey Mike's Arena.
Ace Bailey sends message to Rutgers ahead of 2025 NBA Draft
Sabrina Ionescu is introduced before the game between the Toyota Antelopes an the New York Liberty Matthew Knight Arena May 12, 2025 in Eugene.
Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu sends powerful message to Oregon after homecoming

Purdue will have more stiff competition in the Big Ten

Purdue Boilermakers head coach Matt Painter talks to his team during a timeout at the Men's NCAA national championship game against the Connecticut Huskies
© Michael Chow/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

Matt Painter is excited for the shakeup, but it could make life more difficult for his Purdue basketball team. UCLA, USC and Oregon have all been solid in basketball in recent years, and the Bruins especially are supposed to be very good next season. The Boilermakers are currently the class of the conference, but the new teams coming from the Pac-12 will be looking to change that.

There are going to be a lot of good matchups in the new conferences next season. It's going to be a fun year of college sports.