The landscape of college sports has changed with the emergence of NIL. The ability for student athletes to make money off their name, image and likeness has altered the balance of powers and changed college football forever.
Not even a year after Texas and Oklahoma have announced their intentions to leave the BIG12 and join the SEC, it appears USC and UCLA are looking to leave the PAC-12 for the BIG Ten.
While a move has not been finalized according to reports, the two schools were eyeing a potential start date in 2024.
The power-five conferences — Big Ten, Big 12, ACC, SEC and Pac-12 — have seen major shakeups since the beginning of the NIL deals. The Big Ten and SEC have since come out as the two dominant powers in college sports, particularly in football.
With UCLA and USC expected to jettison from the PAC-12 the future of the conference will most likely be determined on the decision of Oregon if they choose to leave as well.
USC’s program changed this past off-season with the hiring of former Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley. Riley also brought with him high touted quarterback Caleb Williams from the Sooners as well. The Trojans have not won a bowl game since 2016.
UCLA on the other hand is in the fourth year of the Chip Kelly era and has not made a bowl appearance yet. Their last bowl victory was an Alamo Bowl contest with Jim Mora as the head coach.
With college sports revenues continuing to grow thanks to new tv contracts with major cable programs, as well as NIL deals, UCLA and USC are just the latest schools to be looking to maximize their own revenue.
They won’t be the last.
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