Just when you thought the conference landscape was somewhat settled, two West Coast schools have dropped a bombshell.
Reports surfaced Thursday that UCLA and USC will join the Big Ten by the 2024-25 academic year, leaving the Pac-12 behind. That means USC, a program that has been a consistent Pac-12 threat in women’s lacrosse, will join an already stacked Big Ten that includes national powerhouses Maryland and Northwestern, an emerging power in Rutgers and other consistently strong teams like Johns Hopkins, Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State.
Nicole Auerbach of The Athletic tweeted Thursday afternoon that the move is all but finalized.
USC and UCLA's move to the Big Ten is all but wrapped up, sources tell @TheAthletic.
— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) June 30, 2022
Could be an announcement today.
That leaves the Pac-12, at least in terms of lacrosse, with Arizona State, Cal, Colorado, Oregon and Stanford. UC Davis and San Diego State have also joined the conference as affiliate members, which will begin no later than the 2023-24 season.
What this move means long-term for college sports remains to be seen, but the landscape could certainly be further altered. A source told Auerbach that conferences as we know them could be completely changed.
Just got off the phone with someone who believes this eventually leads to two megaconferences — the Big Ten and SEC — with 20 or more members apiece.
— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) June 30, 2022