USC, UCLA move could solve college football’s ‘big game problem’

Reactions proceed to pour in over the most recent bombshell news that USC and UCLA — the 2 greatest college manufacturers on the West Coast — are leaving the Pac-12 for the Big Ten in 2024.

The expansion has left many pondering that college soccer is headed toward a pro model with two mega-conferences. It’s a win for different faculties within the Big Ten that really feel USC and UCLA will help “carry some weight,” whereas it is a blow for a Pac-12 Conference that hasn’t despatched a crew to the College Football Playoff since 2016.

On Monday’s “The Herd,” Colin Cowherd broke down what USC and UCLA’s move to the Big Ten means for college soccer and why it does not come as a shock, contemplating current strikes from different faculties.

“I used to be not stunned [that] USC joined the Big Ten — I used to be stunned UCLA went for it,” Cowherd mentioned. “USC has been sad for years. The Pac-12 doesn’t create the income they want. When they acquired Lincoln Riley, they offered him on, ‘Big things are happening.’ … They’ve considered going impartial. … They felt they had been handled no higher than Washington State … and USC and UCLA are virtually half the TV income for the convention.”

What USC and UCLA’s move to Big Ten means for college soccer

Colin Cowherd reacts to the choice and discusses how this convention alignment impacts the way forward for college soccer.

USC is coming off a 4-8 season below the brand new rent of head coach Riley, whereas UCLA completed 8-4 final season.

The Pac-12 introduced in simply $341 million in income final yr and distributed solely $19.8 million per college within the fiscal 2021 yr, which was by far the least amongst Power 5 conferences (a fleeting concept lately). The Big Ten divvied up $680 million to its member faculties in the identical fiscal yr. 

“Here [are] 5 questions I hear,” Cowherd continued. “‘What about the Pac-12?’ Well, it was lifeless 5 years in the past. That’s any person else’s drawback. … ‘What about all the travel?’ Well, it is unhealthy for Olympic sports activities, however it’s fairly simple for soccer. USC and UCLA will play their out-of-conference video games to start out the season in September at house, after which they’re going to have their 10 convention video games — 5 on the highway, perhaps an occasional back-to-back.

“Folks, as soon as Texas [and] Oklahoma determined to go to the SEC, what’re you gonna sit round and do when you’re the Big Ten or USC? … College soccer has a big-game drawback. … College soccer is a litany of ugly, unwatchable, blowout, uneven video games. USC and UCLA to the Big Ten solves quite a lot of that drawback. What’s it gonna seem like in 10 years? Who is aware of and who cares?”

With the additions of USC and UCLA, the Big Ten will increase its membership to 16 groups. The SEC will even enhance its membership to 16 by 2025 after voting final yr to permit Oklahoma and Texas to affix.