Report: USC and UCLA plotting huge move to rival conference

Apr 23, 2022; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Southern California Trojans coach Lincoln Riley during the spring game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

USC and UCLA are both stalwarts of the Pac-12, but a new report claims both have their eyes on leaving within the next two years.

Both schools are reportedly planning to move to the Big Ten as early as 2024, according to Jon Wilner of Pac-12 Hotline. The move has not been finalized, but the wheels are in motion.

This comes out of nowhere and is a huge shock. College football realignment, at least as far as conferences go, seemed to have settled a bit since Texas and Oklahoma’s own bombshell moves. Ultimately, the power in college football is increasingly centered around the SEC and Big Ten, and elite teams want to get into those leagues. That is true even if it does not make much geographic sense, as Nebraska, Iowa, and Minnesota are currently the only three Big Ten teams west of the Mississippi River.

One thing that is indisputable is that any proposed move like this would be devastating for the Pac-12. Expect them to do anything they can to put a stop to it.