Paul Finebaum weighs USC, UCLA joining Big Ten compared to Texas, Oklahoma joining SEC

Conference realignment has remained a big conversation as programs arrive for their conference media days starting this week. While everyone waits for who could be next, the impact of the original two moves are still to be seen. On ESPN’s First Take, the analysts asked Paul Finebaum which of the two additions was bigger. In the end, he leaned out west for USC and UCLA.

Finebaum’s reasoning in choosing the Big Ten’s move was his faith in what USC can be. While UCLA is a brand, he doesn’t think it compares when the Trojans are at their best.

“You can’t base conference expansion on today. You have to project into the future…The point being is the fact that USC is going to the Big Ten is really what this is about,” said Finebaum. “UCLA is not an important part of this conversation. The city of Los Angeles is moving to the Big Ten and that is incredibly dramatic and important when you’re a television executive…When USC wins, they are huge in the city of Los Angeles, which cannot be just underestimated.”

The SEC adding Texas and Oklahoma last year is still a ground breaking expansion. However, while they’ve succeeded, Finebaum sees two programs who need the SEC more than the SEC needs them. His big example was the Longhorns and how they may return to prominence with the conference switch.

“Sure Oklahoma is fantastic and Texas is a brand, but Texas has won three conference championships in the last 25 years…They’ve been a disaster. That’s why they’re getting out of the Big 12 and running to the SEC,” Finebaum said. “They’re hoping it will enhance their recruiting, which it already has with Arch Manning, and it will get them to a level that Texas A&M is right now.”

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The path of college sports has been altered by these changes. Still, Paul Finebaum leans towards the Big Ten’s response as the bigger move. He thinks the Longhorns and Sooners are relying more on the conference while the Trojans and Bruins are pure additions. That’s what separates the two in the end.

“There’s a lot more to this than today, but Texas had to make that move. Ultimately, as much as it pains me here at SEC Media Days to (say), but the move two weeks ago was the biggest move of the two.”