Former Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert is eager for his alma mater’s move to the Big Ten in 2024. The Los Angeles Chargers star is about to enter Year 4 in the NFL and he might not even recognize college football today.
But, Oregon will join the Big Ten, along with Washington, USC and UCLA next fall. There’s still some west coast presence but those schools will play the likes of Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State.
But high quality brands and high quality matchups equals some good football according to Herbert.
“Yeah, it’s gonna take some time to get adjusted to that,” Herbert said on The Herd. “But I’m excited … It’s a great opportunity for them to go play some football against some really good football teams.
“Growing up a fan of the Pac-10, it’s going to be tough kind of moving on from that, but it’s a great opportunity for those guys to branch out, do something special. So I’m rooting for Oregon. I’m rooting on all those teams and looking forward to watching some pretty good college football this year.”
Oregon makes move to Big Ten, Dan Lanning approves
It’ll certainly be a new era in the Big Ten with Oregon, Washington, USC and UCLA. The 18-team conference is currently the biggest one in the Power Five.
Oregon head coach Dan Lanning was excited for the opportunity after the 2023 season.
“First off, our players are really excited about that,” Lanning said, via ScoopDuck. “I think it’s an exciting opportunity for us. We talk about, ‘What are we looking for at this university?’ And the way that we recruit on a national level, multiple time zones, playing against the best of the best. That’s something our guys are really, really excited about. Obviously, it’s not our focus right now. We’ve got an entire season to play — this is about the 2023 season. That’s what we wanna attack.
“But I think this creates a unique student-athlete experience for our guys moving forward and it certainly sets us up. I really appreciate the job (athletic director Rob Mullens) and the people at the top did looking out for the future of Oregon. I think it really protects us.”
USC and UCLA joined last season, two years out. But amid the Pac-12’s uncertainty, conferences pounced at the opportunity to add more. Thus, more west coast presence for the Big Ten.
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