The Big Ten has it pretty great already. In 2020, it was the highest-earning conference in college football. The Big Ten consistently produces championship contenders in practically every single sport. So, why does the conference need USC? In one word — prestige.
With the addition of the Los Angeles market into the Big Ten’s already booming revenue from NBC, CBS and Fox, the sky’s the limit for marketing deals. L.A. is one of the largest markets in the world, and it brings a whole new point of interest to a primarily regional conference. The city itself is most likely one of the driving factors for bringing UCLA and USC to the Big Ten. The L.A. dazzle in particular is what is so tantalizing.
The L.A. dazzle is what gives USC an even greater advantage of expansion over the likes of Stanford or Cal, who also sit in the Bay Area’s massive market. You may be wondering: what is the L.A. dazzle? It’s what draws people to the city.
The glamor of the L.A. dazzle is what drew in the Big Ten interest to USC and UCLA.
The brands and novelty of the Bruins and Trojans are other reasons why the Big Ten was so keen to bring in the programs. Both USC and UCLA are historically dominant teams in football and basketball. With Lincoln Riley now at the helm of USC and the Bruins finding their way into the AP Top 10 for football, the Big Ten is seeing stars with what they have just brought in.
With a few exceptions, the Big Ten has only had one consistent national football contender over the last 10 years: Ohio State. Adding two high-level Pac-12 contenders to a currently one-sided conference could spice it up and make it more interesting for the fans. As of right now, Ohio State and Illinois would play in the Big Ten championship which, even though it is a top 25 matchup, would be a bloodbath in favor of Ohio State.
Ohio State dominating the Big Ten aside, USC and UCLA are foundational conference programs. Once it was announced that the Trojans and Bruins would be leaving the conference, everyone else in the Pac-12 panicked. Immediately, several other programs were scrambling to join the Big Ten or Big 12. I can say with confidence that this would not happen with any other program leaving. If Oregon and Oregon State were to suddenly jump ship and leave for the Big Ten, no other program would bat an eye.
The Trojans and Bruins are the staples of their current conference and are more than just the Los Angeles market to the Conference of Champions.
The Big Ten is a powerhouse conference, no question about it, but it needed a little something extra to prove they are the A-list conference many believe them to be. That something extra, of course, being two pieces of sunshine from the City of Angels: USC and UCLA.
“The Big Ten Breakdown” runs every other Tuesday.