Are we witnessing the real-time disintegration of the Pac-12? It looks like we might be after John Willner dropped a bombshell this morning, reporting that the USC Trojans and UCLA Bruins “plan to leave” the Pac-12 and move to the Big Ten, possibly as early as 2024.
Source: USC and UCLA plan to leave the Big Ten as early as 2024. The move is *not finalized* at the highest levels of power.
— John Wilner (@wilnerhotline) June 30, 2022
After Willner’s tweet, CFB reporters went wild, and as word trickled out over the next hour, both ESPN.com’s Pete Thamel and The Athletic’s Nicole Auerbach reported that it was done and the announcement was imminent:
USC and UCLA’s move to the Big Ten is almost complete, sources tell @TheAthletic .
There may be an announcement today.
— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) June 30, 2022
I spoke with several sources who called the move of USC and UCLA to the Big Ten a formality, with a news conference expected in the next 24 hours. Maybe tonight. That’s basically done.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) June 30, 2022
UPDATE: This is final.
This is obviously terrible news for WSU, as long as the Cougars want to continue to stay relevant at the highest level of college athletics — and continue to reap the financial benefits of this deal. The next Pac-12 media rights deal is just around the corner, and the conference’s negotiating position is significantly weakened without the two Los Angeles schools in the television footprint.
We’ll update this story when we have more information — and I think I’ll have some thoughts that are a little more coherent at some point today — but for now, have at it in the comments. What is happening to us? What’s going on with the Pac-12?
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