Pac-12 commish: USC, UCLA moving to Big Ten isn't popular

Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff. Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff: USC and UCLA going to Big Ten isn't a popular move

By Andrew Kulha | Last updated 10/26/22

It's going to happen whether people like it or not. USC and UCLA are moving to the Big Ten in 2024. It may not be a popular move amongst supporters of either school. That's the case, at least according to Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff, but really ... what is he supposed to say?

Kliavkoff is obviously biased toward his conference. Losing USC and UCLA is absolutely devastating to the cause of the Pac-12 and it's probably the realignment move that's going to ultimately spell the end for the conference.

So of course, when talking to supporters of both USC and UCLA, Kliavkoff has found answers that seem to support the idea that leaving the Pac-12 is not a favorable move for either school.

That's what Kliavkoff told the media at Pac-12 basketball media days this Wednesday. He certainly hasn't talked to everyone, but the people he has talked to — a hundred or so — aren't fans of USC and UCLA moving to the Big Ten.

"I think saying hundreds would be an exaggeration — dozens, more than a hundred. And I have yet to talk to anyone in the UCLA and USC community who's in favor of the move," Kliavkoff said, via ESPN. "I will say that I probably hear from folks who are not in favor, not surprisingly."

This is the latest statement from Kliavkoff in what appears to be a concerted effort to try to save his conference. According to ESPN, Kliavkoff recently sent a letter to the University of California system regents saying that UCLA's move to the Big Ten will actually be a financial burden rather than a financial gain.

"We believe that between the travel and coaches' salaries and some of the other expenses that you incur when you join the Big Ten, that the small delta in the [Big Ten] media rights deal will be more than offset and we stand by those numbers," Kliavkoff wrote, per ESPN.

Again, this is all spin and perhaps a last-ditch effort to keep the Pac-12 together. If USC and UCLA go — which they more than likely will — what's to stop the likes of Oregon, Stanford, and Washington from bolting to the Big 12, which is a nice option that could provide those schools and programs a home in the ever re-arranging world of power five conferences?

Kliavkoff is doing his best, but will the opinion of a few hundred fans really stop the Big Ten from getting what it wants?

That's doubtful.

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