Gene Smith explains how adding USC, UCLA to Big Ten could impact the Rose Bowl

There’s only one bowl game that has not seen its value crash over the years — the Rose Bowl. Both the Big Ten and Pac-12 love their automatic New Year’s Six bowl game so much, it’s played a role in the College Football Playoff failing to expand.

Now, two of the biggest schools on the West Coast will be heading to the opposite side of the Rose Bowl, with USC and UCLA joining the Big Ten. The future of The Granddaddy of Them All is still in question but Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith says discussions have yet to happen.

Smith is waiting to hear from Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren on the issue before definitely putting anything out there.

“Those discussions have to occur,” Smith said. “Obviously, nothing changes between the Pac-12 and Big Ten as entities in that regard but I haven’t been a part of any discussions with the Rose Bowl or heard anything from our commissioner about the Rose Bowl.”

USC has more Rose Bowl appearances than any other program with 34. UCLA is a little further down the list at 12 but is still No. 5 on that respective list. Stanford is the only other Pac-12 school inside the top five, meaning the conference is losing a vital part of its Rose Bowl history.

Gene Smith ‘happy’ with Big Ten adding USC, UCLA

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.