Big Ten has backup plan if UCLA is blocked from joining? (msn.com)
If the University of California regents decide to play hardball with the Big Ten, the conference apparently has a big backup plan in mind that would result in some major backfire.
Big Ten Conference commissioner Kevin Warren.© Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports
The University of California regents are meeting in December to determine whether the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) should be allowed to move to the Big Ten. UCLA and rival USC plan to move to the Big Ten in 2024. The move will result in a financial windfall for both schools, which is especially needed by UCLA, whose athletic department is reportedly around $100 million in debt.
The UC system is concerned about the amount of money that will be spent on travel, as well as the academic impact to student-athletes, when moving to play in a conference where schools are located across the country rather than closer along the West Coast. They are also concerned about their other flagship school — UC Berkeley — being left behind in the weaker Pac-12.
If the regents were to prevent UCLA from making the move, CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd believes that the Big Ten would respond by taking Oregon and Washington from the Pac-12.
The Pac-12 would be significantly weakened at that point, having just UCLA, Cal, Stanford, Oregon State, Washington State, Utah, Colorado, Arizona and Arizona State.
The regents better not test the Big Ten about whether or not this is a threat. The Big Ten is expanding, and plenty of schools would love to be a part of the conference if UCLA is blocked from going.
Nothing new here. Dodd has been regurgitating this narrative for awhile now.
UW might get in.
Oregon has no chance, they bring nothing to that table.
No TV market.
No history.
Abysmal academics.
Stanford makes better sense. Regents just kicked the can down the road, they know they can’t stop it. The lawsuits would be in the billions.
go, Regents, bankrupt ucly athletics
Regents won’t block. They will come up with some guidlines for travel and some other non factors to make it sound like they did something. But long term Bruins will regret it. Sure, they will now be in the black and keep all their girls sports but all that travel is gonna be a killer. And this is the Bruins best year in a long time and they can’t even win the lowly PAC, the worst conference. Can’t even beat lowly Arizona. they will be Nebraska in the big ten. 5-4 at best.
Udub yes, Oregon no.
Still think Stanford should be the fallback plan.