Folks, seeing two PAC 12 teams that are all the way in sunny, southern California join a conference that is the Midwest and Rust Belt was not on my 2022 bingo card. With that being said, it appears as if USC and UCLA are joining the Big Ten which is INSANE!
I have mixed feelings about this move. For starters, I feel like one of the fun appeals of college football was the regional rivalries between states that are in close proximity to one another so that you can have bragging rights against your neighbor.
At the same time, from a football standpoint this is awesome. I’ve said for years that the PAC 12 is not a real football conference. USC is set to become a wagon again with Lincoln Riley in charge. There could very well be a world where there’s an Ohio State/Michigan vs USC championship game year in and year out which would be incredible.
The storylines of a warm weather, southern California team like USC or UCLA having to go play a November game in Minnesota will also be fun. I’m excited to see how the divisions look if they end up keeping divisions.
Stay tuned for more information, folks, because college football is getting a lot more interesting.