The Big Ten might be welcoming two pretty big West Coast programs. Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen via Imagn Content Services, LLC

Report: USC, UCLA plotting huge move to Big Ten

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Grey Papke | Last updated 6/30/22

USC and UCLA are both stalwarts of the Pac-12, but a new report claims both have their eyes on leaving within the next two years.

Both schools are reportedly planning to move to the Big Ten as early as 2024, according to Jon Wilner of Pac-12 Hotline. The move has not been finalized, but the wheels are in motion.

Source: USC and UCLA are planning to leave for the Big Ten as early as 2024. Move *has not been finalized* at the highest levels of power.

— Jon Wilner (@wilnerhotline) June 30, 2022

This comes out of nowhere and is a huge shock. College football realignment, at least as far as conferences go, seemed to have settled a bit since Texas and Oklahoma’s own bombshell moves. Ultimately, the power in college football is increasingly centered around the SEC and Big Ten, and elite teams want to get into those leagues. That is true even if it does not make much geographic sense, as Nebraska, Iowa, and Minnesota are currently the only three Big Ten teams west of the Mississippi River.

One thing that is indisputable is that any proposed move like this would be devastating for the Pac-12. Expect them to do anything they can to put a stop to it.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: