As one of the historic programs in the country, UCLA and USC’s historic move to the Big Ten shocked the sports world. Not even top coach Lincoln Riley knew this was in the works.
“President Folt, Mike Bohn and Brandon Sosna have been completely aligned with the vision of what our athletic department can be, while always putting our student-athletes first,” said Riley.
“This move to the Big Ten Conference positions all of our teams for long-term success. It provides our student-athletes with more exposure, new resources and challenges them with elite competition. USC Football is excited to compete in the Big Ten.”
Lincoln Riley knows the benefits of the move
He might not have known initially of the move, but he sees the benefits of joining a conference with as many resources and potential as the Big Ten.
The PAC-12 has struggled with finances off the field and production on the field. It’s the weakest of the “Power Five” conferences.
It’s not an exaggeration to say the PAC-12 has historic programs. Washington matters, Oregon has history, Stanford has had many all-time great players.
The problem lies in their overall state. Oregon and Washington have new head coaches and Stanford has been in a slump the past three seasons. While Utah has been super consistent the past 20 years, their success is still a recent phenomenon.
When a program leaves a “weak” conference for a “strong” one, the standard of excellence rises. When the new conference has programs like Michigan, Ohio State, Wisconsin and Penn State in it, there’s no comparison.
Also with the increase in the amount of matchups between historic teams, the exposure of the USC brand grows exponentially. Who doesn’t want to see USC versus any of the opponents I list above?
A microcosm of the issues, which caused USC’s move, is summed up with the conference’s 0-5 record during last year’s bowl season. The conference has also only made the College Football Playoff twice.
Oregon back during the 2014-2015 season won their Semi-Final game against Florida State, but ultimately fell to Ohio State in the national championship. While during the 2016-2017 season Washington lost their Semi-Final to Alabama.
