The Big Ten is about to get even bigger—literally.
Starting in late 2024, the Big Ten will welcome four additional schools—USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington—as part of a major NCAA conference realignment that’s been years in the making and has essentially dissolved the Pac-12. The conference will now be spread from coast to coast, featuring a massive total of 18 schools that will both vastly increase the level of competition and raise some valid logistical questions as the Big Ten prepares to enter its new era.
In the women’s basketball world, the Pac-12’s losses are the Big Ten’s gains. USC and UCLA are among the best programs in the country, having recently made the 2024 NCAA Tournament Elite Eight and Sweet Sixteen, respectively. They also have some of the most exciting young talent in Division I, with USC’s JuJu Watkins coming off an All-American season as a freshman and UCLA’s Kiki Rice and Lauren Betts earning All-Pac-12 honors as sophomores.
Can one of these former Pac-12 teams…
