Sources: USC/UCLA eyeing move to Big Ten conference

Maize and Blue Review began to hear rumors this morning and is able to confirm through multiple sources the Big Ten is exploring expansion by adding USC and UCLA to the conference by as early as 2024.

Jon Wilner who covers the Pac 12 recently tweeted the news.

It is important to note the move is not finalized, but negotiations have reached critical stages.

USC and UCLA appear to fit the main criteria that the Big Ten has used in previous instances of expansion. Both schools are traditional powers in a major media market the Big Ten would be interested in. Both schools are members of the Association of American Universities, making them one of the top research universities in the world. Adding both programs also brings another historic rivalry to the conference.

The Big Ten and Big Ten football programs recently pulled future conference schedules down from websites amidst rumors the Big Ten would be considering a new scheduling model. One source believes adding two schools from California to the Big Ten West division and then moving Purdue to the East could create more balance, while adding and preserving rivalries.

With the Big Ten's rumored massive new media contract with Fox, a move like this is not shocking, but as we have seen in the past with expansion, nothing is official until it is official.

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