USC athletic director Mike Bohn makes bold statement on Big Ten after Trojans' move

USC and UCLA stole college football headlines yesterday after their decision to move from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten. The move changed the precedent for what the conferences will look like moving forward. One of the bigger takeaways from the decision is what it could mean for the potential of ‘super conferences’.

When the LA Times’ Ryan Kartje asked USC athletic director Mike Bohn if another high-profile conference move had influenced the Trojan’s decision, he had a prominent response.

I asked USC AD Mike Bohn if the Texas/OU move to the SEC was an initial impetus for today’s move.

Bohn: "I don’t believe there’s a college administrator in the country that didn’t recognize clearly there were two conferences that were separating themselves from everyone else."

— Ryan Kartje (@Ryan_Kartje) July 1, 2022

The two conferences he’s very likely referring to would be the Big Ten and the SEC. It’s no secret that these two conferences may now be in an all-out arms race. The SEC added Texas and Oklahoma as new members in the conference over the next few years. The Big 12 was left to replace two high profile brands with BYU, UCF, Cincinnati and Houston. The latest move from USC and UCLA would give the Big Ten 16 teams all set to make nearly $100 million in revenue in TV deal profit.

The idea of a super conference isn’t just enticing to those already within the SEC and Big Ten. USC and UCLA’s move proves that we’re reaching a point where any school could soon be up for grabs. The schools and their administrations know where this is headed and are faced with the decision of coming aboard or being left behind.

College athletics was already in a new era with the NIL and the transfer portal. Realignments on this scale could change the entire outlook of what it looks like from here on. USC and UCLA may have been the latest domino to fall, but there’s no doubt they’re likely not the last.