News of UCLA and USC planning to join the Big Ten by 2024 has taken the college football world by storm. This is obviously massive news for not only the Big Ten but, the overall landscape of college football.

The big question: What does this mean for football in the Big Ten conference?

Competition: 

UCLA and USC will join the likes of Maryland, Rutgers, Nebraska, and Penn State as schools to join the conference since 1990. While neither team is currently playing football at an elite level, both schools have deep seeded success within their programs. UCLA as a program has an all-time winning record of .571, a National Championship, and 17 conference titles. USC has an all-time winning record of .704, 11 National Titles, ad 39 conference titles. This immense success alongside their tenacious head-to-head rivalry makes them a perfect addition to this conference.

Both teams are led by well-known coaches looking to return teams to their former glory, which will soon feature a path through the Big Ten. Chip Kelly signed a four-year extension with the Bruins in January after leading the team to their best season since 2014. Lincoln Riley signed a historic contract with the Trojans in November after leaving Oklahoma to try and right the ship for a team that missed bowl eligibility at 4-8.

By 2024, both programs could easily be looking like the teams of old when they pack up and head to the Big Ten. 

Exposure:

This addition of two West-coast schools would allow the conference to boast football from literally coast to coast. This would be a massive marketing tool for not only the schools like Ohio State who already recruit the country well, but for teams like Minnesota, Rutgers, and Maryland whose reach to the West and South may not be as successful. Football players in the Big Ten would be able to play for a team in any region of the country and still have the potential to get friends and family to a game each year. This exposure would also mean more opportunities for fans in all regions of the country to see games on TV and in person.

Revenue: 

The money factor will probably be the most significant impact of the addition of these two schools to the conference. All parties will benefit from adding two programs that boast significant monetary value. Couple this with a valuable media rights deal soon to be unveiled this summer and the picture paints itself. Due to the conference having teams in nearly every time zone, it is possible that the Big Ten could fill every major TV time slot with a game on Saturdays. This is a factor I’m sure the conference and schools will take advantage of and find to be very lucrative. The impact on NIL will also be extensive.  Both USC and Ohio State are top schools in the country in facilitating deals for their athletes. Placing them in the same conference and adding the West coast money certainly makes things more enticing. Ultimately, when these two schools officially join, it is certain a flood wall will break unleashing an influx of revenue into the conference and its schools.

Outcome: 

Ultimately, this is an incredibly smart move for the conference. It allows them to compete with the SEC’s future addition of Texas and Oklahoma. Any potential negatives will be irrelevant as the increases in exposure, competition, and revenue will be so great. This move will be excellent for each member school’s athletic teams and departments. 

Featured image via:  Matthew Emmons- USA TODAY SPORTS