Athletic Director Gene Smith speaks to the media during an availability. Credit: Jacob Benge | Sports Editor Pack a suitcase and read up on the West — the Universities of California, Los Angeles and Southern California are joining the Big Ten Conference. Located more than 2,200 miles from Ohio State’s campus in Columbus, UCLA and USC’s deep, decorated histories will jump from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten beginning Aug. 2, 2024, the programs and Big Ten announced Friday. According to a release, the move centered on four primary principles: academics and culture; student-athlete welfare, competition and logistics; commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion in sports and financial sustainability. Ohio State athletics director Gene Smith said UCLA and USC formally submitted applications to join the Big Ten June 29, and the conference’s Council of Presidents and Chancellors voted unanimously to allow their admission Friday. Smith said a number of schools…
Continue Reading: Smith, Ohio State intrigued by ‘significant upside’ in UCLA, USC expansion to Big Ten
