It’s official: Big Ten adding USC and UCLA

The Big Ten is set to expand its membership once again.

The presidents/chancellors of the current 14 Big Ten schools voted Thursday night to approve the addition of USC and UCLA beginning in 2024. Both are current members of the Pac-12 and have been with that conference in some form since 1922 for USC and 1928 for UCLA.

According to The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman, USC and UCLA approached the Big Ten in recent months. One factor in that decision, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, is the difference in revenue that is delivered by the conferences to their institutions. The Big Ten and SEC far and away bring in more money that any other conferences in the country. The Big Ten is also in the middle of negotiating its new TV deals that are expected to increase the money they bring in significantly.

The move serves as a healthy response to Oklahoma and Texas leaving the Big 12 for the SEC. It is likely not the end of the movement as other marquee programs outside of the Big Ten/SEC — Oregon, Notre Dame, Clemson, Florida State, Miami and others — look to make their own move to avoid being left out of the conferences that are rapidly becoming the only ones that matter.

UCLA and USC leaving also means the likely end of The Alliance after less than a year. Back in August 2021, the ACC, Big Ten and Pac-12 announced a partnership of its 41 member institutions designed to put a check on the growing power of the SEC.

This is the third expansion of the Big Ten in the last 11 years. The conference added Nebraska in 2011, and then Maryland and Rutgers in 2014. It hasn’t actually had 10 teams since before Penn State joined in 1993.