Two years after UCLA and USC announced they were leaving the Pac-12 — triggering the collapse of the conference — the Los Angeles powerhouses officially joined the Big Ten on Friday along with Oregon and Washington.
“The day has finally come,” UCLA athletic director Martin Jarmond said. “After two years of planning and preparation, UCLA is proud and excited to join the Big Ten Conference. I am grateful for the energy and effort that has been put into shaping this pivotal move by our hard-working staff members, as well as our coaches and student-athletes. The investments we have made into our programs and student-athletes over the past 24 months have set us up to continue to compete at the elite level that defines UCLA Athletics.”
The University of California Board of Regents ordered the Bruins to pay Cal $30 million over the next three years as a condition of their departure from the Pac-12. Cal is slated to receive just over $20 million in media revenue from the ACC for its first seven years in the conference — about a third of what UCLA is projected to rake in as a member of the Big Ten. However, both schools are expected to spend an additional $10 million annually on travel-related expenses with the Big Ten now stretching from coast to coast.
USC president Carol Folt called the Trojans’ transition “the dawn of a new era for USC Athletics.”
“At this critical moment when there are seismic changes coming across the athletics landscape, it was fortuitous that we made this commitment two years ago,” Folt said. “We are prepared, and we are ready. We are well-positioned to compete with the best student-athletes far into the future.”
The Big Ten dates back to 1895 with seven founding members before growing to 10 schools in 1917. The conference added Penn State in 1990, Nebraska in 2011, and both Maryland and Rutgers in 2014. The Big Ten has now grown to 18 schools, but only half sponsor men’s swimming while 14 support women’s programs. USC sponsors both, UCLA has just women’s swim, and neither Oregon or Washington offer any sort of varsity swimming.
Next season, the ACC will be the most robust NCAA swimming conference with 14 men’s and women’s swim teams. The SEC will have 13 women’s swim teams and 11 men’s swim teams. The Big 12 will include 10 women’s teams and seven men’s teams.
“We are excited today to officially welcome the University of Oregon, UCLA, USC and the University of Washington to the Big Ten Conference,” Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti said. “All four institutions feature a combination of world class academics and athletics that are a great fit for our conference, and we look forward to building long-lasting relationships with the administrators, coaches, student-athletes, alumni and fans.”
Thursday marked the one-year anniversary of former Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff sharing an Apple streaming deal worth $23 million per school that was rejected before the conference ultimately collapsed. Arizona, Arizona State, Utah, and Colorado officially joined the Big 12 on Friday while Washington State and Oregon State remain in the Pac-12 with a two-year grace period to figure out their future. Arizona, Arizona State, Utah, and Colorado arrived in the Big 12 one month after Oklahoma and Texas ditched the conference for the SEC.
“I’m thrilled to officially welcome Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah into the Big 12 family,” Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark said. “I’m incredibly excited about what each school brings to our league both on and off the field – great markets, great fan bases and great brands, in addition to athletic and academic excellence. With this move, we become a national Conference, and there’s no better time than right now to be a part of the Big 12.”