ESPN's Greg McElroy says he knew '2 months ago' about Southern California going to Big Ten

Erik Hall, The Tuscaloosa News
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On their Friday morning "McElroy and Cubelic In The Morning" radio show, Greg McElroy and Cole Cubelic discussed the news from Thursday about Southern California and UCLA joining the Big Ten Conference.

USC and UCLA are slated to join the Big Ten in 2024. Both schools are currently members of the Pac-12 Conference.

Most of the college football world seemed shocked by Thursday's news, but McElroy revealed it wasn't news to him.

"It was hinted to me over a dinner about two months ago," McElroy said of the USC and UCLA news. "The timeline, however, was left out of the discussion, but it was hinted to me that — keep an eye on SC, keep an eye on SC. They're a linchpin in this operation, and they could be on the move at some point. I read that to be SC is going to join the Big Ten, but when. I didn't think it was going to be within a month and then they'll be in the league officially in 2024."

Jul 19, 2021; Hoover, Alabama, USA; SEC Network personality Greg McElroy visits Radio Row during SEC Media Days at Hyatt Regency Birmingham. Mandatory Credit: Vasha Hunt-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 19, 2021; Hoover, Alabama, USA; SEC Network personality Greg McElroy visits Radio Row during SEC Media Days at Hyatt Regency Birmingham. Mandatory Credit: Vasha Hunt-USA TODAY Sports

All sports for USC and UCLA will begin competing in the Big Ten Conference starting with the 2024-25 season, according to a statement from the Big Ten Conference.

McElroy speculated that this move by USC and UCLA could expedite Oklahoma and Texas moving to the Southeastern Conference. Oklahoma and Texas are currently slated to join the SEC in 2025.

"What I'm most excited about right now, does it accelerate Texas and Oklahoma to the SEC," McElroy said. "I don't know if it has any impact whatsoever, but I'm just cautiously optimistic they arrive in '24 now as opposed to '25, which was the original timeline."

Here's more USC, UCLA to Big Ten news:

McElroy was born in Los Angeles. He played quarterback at Alabama from 2007-10.

Erik Hall is the lead digital producer for sports with the USA Today Network. You can find him on Twitter @HallErik.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: ESPN's Greg McElroy knew '2 months ago' about USC leaving for Big Ten