USC and UCLA to join Big Ten ahead of 2024-2025 academic year

Penn State will have some added company in the Big Ten in 2024. USC and UCLA announced they will be leaving the Pac-12 and joining the conference effective Aug. 2, 2024. News of the potential conference realignment was broken Thursday by Jon Wilner of Pac-12 Hotline.

The schools both announced the changes with official statements Thursday night.

UCLA cited the ability to preserve and maintain its 25 athletic teams.

“For our fans, Big Ten membership equates to better television time slots for our road games, but the same number of home games either at the Rose Bowl, in Pauley Pavilion or other UCLA venues,” UCLA athletic director Martin Jarmond said in a statement. “We will make efforts to preserve our traditional regional rivalries and are pleased that our crosstown rival, USC, will also be joining the Big Ten in 2024–25. While we are fierce competitors on the field, we have a rich tradition of collaboration that we look forward to continuing.”

USC athletic director Mike Bohn called the conference “the best home” for the school’s programs.

“Ultimately, the Big Ten is the best home for USC and Trojan athletics as we move into the new world of collegiate sports,” Bohn said. “We are excited that our values align with the league’s member institutions. We also will benefit from the stability and strength of the conference; the athletic caliber of Big Ten institutions; the increased visibility, exposure, and resources the conference will bring our student-athletes and programs; and the ability to expand engagement with our passionate alumni nationwide.”

The addition of the two schools was approved by the Big Ten Thursday night.

Penn State football last faced USC when it fell in a tightly contested Rose Bowl on Jan. 2, 2017, 52-49.

The Nittany Lions last played UCLA in 1968 when they won 21-6.

They’re 2-4 against the Bruins and 4-6 against the Trojans all-time.