The news that Southern California and UCLA would be leaving the Pac-12 and joining the Big Ten in 2024 shocked the college athletics world. Although much of the attention from the conference switch has focused on football and men’s basketball, the move’s impact on Olympic sports like track and field could fall to the wayside.
Not here.
So, how will USC and UCLA’s conference switch impact the track and field landscape? Let’s break it down.
How do USC and UCLA historically compare to Big Ten track and field programs?
USC and UCLA are leaving the ‘conference of champions’ and bringing a combined 253 NCAA team championships. Forty-one of those championships are from the Trojans and Bruins track and field teams, with USC leading its crosstown rival 28-13.
To put that in perspective, the Big Ten has won 11 track and field championships from all of its programs combined. In men’s track and field, the Big Ten has won just one title in the last 73 years; USC and UCLA have combined for 24 championships. In women’s outdoor track and field, no Big Ten team has ever won a title; the Lady Trojans won two of the last five championships.
The Los Angeles tandem of schools carries historical success in track and field, filled with championships and legends in the sport like Charles…
