USC & UCLA leaving the Pac-12 will impact Arizona Athletics

Big changes are soon on the horizon for Arizona Athletics as USC and UCLA will be leaving the Pac-12 Conference for the Big 10. 

Bob Dylan said it best when he said “The times, they are changin’!” And for the Pac-12 Conference and Arizona Athletics, that is certainly the case.

Making news on Thursday afternoon, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported that UCLA and USC have been accepted into the Big Ten, leaving behind the Pac-12 Conference.

Granted, the move won’t happen until 2024; however, the conference realignment would drastically change the landscape of college sports.

Now, while the move won’t happen until 2024, it will shake up the Pac-12 Conference and leaves Arizona Athletics with some big decisions to make.

UCLA and USC are arguably the conference’s two largest member schools, and over the years, their membership has drawn a lot of interest and intrigue nationally by playing in one of the largest markets in the United States.

Both schools bring in a lot of revenue and exposure, and with their absence, everyone in the Pac-12 including Arizona will feel the burn.

The Conference Realignment all boils down to money…

This past year, the Pac-12 paid its member institutions $19.8 million. Now granted, that number was severely impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic; however, the year before, the Pac-12 paid out its member schools an estimated $33.6 million in 2020 according to USA Today.

By comparison, the SEC paid its member schools an average of $54.6 million for 2021, plus an additional $23.3 million for future conference distributions according to USA Today. That’s a huge difference, and it shows just how much the Pac-12 pales in comparison to other Power Five Conferences.

Logistically, USC and UCLA moving to the Big Ten doesn’t make much sense; however, when all you see is green, can we blame them? Besides, College Athletics are rapidly changing, and USC and UCLA are just adapting to the Super Conference model.

Larry Scott’s reign is still hurting the Pac-12 Conference…

Even though he has been gone for nearly a year, the Pac-12 is still paying for its sins of employing Scott for over a decade.

The former commissioner was a disaster for the Pac-12 on many levels, and overall, it was his leadership and vision that has put the conference in the tough position that it is in now.

He virtually enslaved the Pac-12 and its member institutions by creating the garbage Pac-12 Network, and he never did anything of worth to try and partner with DirectTV, ESPN, etc. The viewership was impacted as a result, and no one could watch his third-rate network.

By comparison, the Big Ten and SEC have had better media deals, and naturally, the payouts have been higher.

So, if anyone holds blame in this matter, it is Scott.

What does this all mean for Arizona Athletics?

Well, in short, it means the Wildcats are going to be impacted financially in a pretty negative and significant way, and with USC and UCLA walking, I can’t picture ESPN, Fox, or anyone else trying to partner up with the

Pac-12

Pac-10 on a media without its two flagship programs in the largest market on the West Coast.

At this point, the Pac-12 is going to have to look at expanding by bringing in more schools, otherwise, Arizona may have to consider joining the Big 12. Either way, it should be an interesting few weeks here, and hopefully, Arizona makes the best decision (financially) for itself.