The SEC formally introduced Texas and Oklahoma as conference members on July 1. The Big Ten has yet to introduce USC, UCLA, Oregon, and Washington, and here’s why.
On Monday, the SEC held a press conference to introduce Texas and Oklahoma to the conference. An SEC Network media blitz ensued, during which the Sooners’ AD took a shot at Lincoln Riley. Nevertheless, some USC fans are likely wondering where the pomp and circumstance is regarding the Big Ten’s new schools.
USC officially joins the Big Ten on August 2.
Trojans fans will wait another 29 days for the Big Ten Conference’s ribbon-cutting. Indeed, USC, UCLA, Oregon, and Washington officially join the Big Ten on Friday, August 2. We assume the Big Ten will hold an introductory press conference and interviews with school ADs and football head coaches afterward.
Many college football fans assumed conference realignment was completed when the Pac 12 Network went off the air on June 30. ESPN, Yahoo!, CBS, and Fox Sports updating their websites to reflect conference realignment have also misdirected fans.
August 2 will be a big day for college football media. Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah will formally join the Big 12 Conference that day. Moreover, Cal, Stanford, and SMU will join the ACC. Regardless, we expect the Big Ten to garner most of the attention on August 2.
Of course, the SEC had a full day of uninterrupted college football media coverage when it welcomed the Longhorns and Sooners to kick off July.
What’s left of the Pac 12
Only Oregon State and Washington State remain in USC’s former conference. It’s sad to see the conference widdled down to two teams, considering the Trojans called the Pac 12 ‘home’ for 94 years. But we are thrilled the Beavers and Cougars refused to allow the conference to fold.
Oregon State and Washington State aligned with the Mountain West Conference this offseason. Both schools will play six MWC opponents in 2024 and seek Pac 12 expansion for 2025. We assume the Pac 12 will seek current MWC programs willing to move.
The current Clemson and Florida State lawsuit potentially jeopardizes the ACC’s future. Either way, college football feels like it is inevitably headed toward a complete divorce from the NCAA. We imagine a future in which the College Football Playoff Committee is the governing body of a landscape consisting of regionally aligned divisions void of conferences.
