USC and UCLA are leaving the Pac-12 for the Big Ten, a shift that will move college football’s ‘Power Five’ closer to a ‘Power Two.’At the time, then-Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott thanked Colorado for its “courage” in taking the first step in what seemed then would be a lengthy realignment saga. But Texas ultimately decided to stand pat, with the conference adding only Colorado and Utah.
Except this time, as USC’s athletic director, the move could have major implications across all of college sports. Those existential concerns start with the potential demise ofUSC athletic director Mike Bohn at the Coliseum on Nov. 13, 2020.“They were concerned about the Pac-12, the television marketplace,” Neinas said. “It can’t compare to what they’re going to get as a result of going to the Big Ten.
“I believe that Fox was probably the matchmaker in this,” Neinas said of the television network. “This obviously serves to improve their investment, so to speak, because USC and UCLA and the Los Angeles market bring a lot of value to the Big Ten package. I know that it’s difficult for both institutions to leave their long-established history in the Pac-12, but unfortunately, let’s face it, television is dictating what’s happening in college athletics.
“I don’t believe there’s a college administrator in the country that didn’t recognize that clearly there were two conferences that were separating themselves from everyone else,” Bohn told The Times. “That particular move further emphasized that.”