Ohio State administrators explain what's next for Big Ten following USC, UCLA additions

Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith has no idea what will happen next in the Big Ten. When the news came Thursday that USC and UCLA would leave the Pac-12 to join the Big Ten by 2024, it caused many to speculate on the future of the remaining teams.

But Smith couldn’t have predicted that move just a few months ago and he isn’t going to attempt to forecast the next conference realignment news. During a press conference Friday, he admitted the only thing he knows for sure is that more change is likely to come.

“We’re in an unbelievable crazy time with college athletics with many moving parts and things to be decided,” the Buckeyes AD said. “I wish I had a crystal ball. If you asked me this question in March of this year I wouldn’t have been able to project it. So I don’t know (if more teams will be added). I really don’t. The landscape will continue to change and who knows how.”

USC and UCLA are not only two of the Pac-12’s most successful schools across athletics, but also two of the largest brands in the country which offer a new market opportunity for the Big Ten. While they fall far outside the current geographic landscape of the conference, the move promises to provide great financial benefit for all parties.

“We’re really happy with this,” Smith said. “Geographically it seems really challenging, but when you think about it we have a number of Olympic sports that already compete in LA or Washington or Texas. So they go those long distances. The flights from Columbus to LA are really outstanding. It might be more challenging for other schools in the league, but we think we can work those out.”

As for the remaining teams from the Pac-12, they now must decided what to do. Many have speculated it could mean the end of the conference as teams disperse to join other leagues. However, adding more teams is also an option for the conference if it wants to stay alive.

Ohio State president Kristina M. Johnson, who earned a PhD from Stanford, weighed in with her thoughts.

“I think as our athletic director said, it’s a little early to speculate,” Johnson said. “I’d be surprised if this was the last move made nationally, but I think it’s too early to tell right now.”

As USC and UCLA plan this move to a new conference, it promises to set off more talks and more negotiations across college football as the moves of Texas and Oklahoma to the SEC did last summer.