Three thoughts on Big Ten adding USC, UCLA as new members of conference

It was a wild day for the Big Ten on Thursday and will be known as a landscape-shifting day in all of college athletics.

News broke in the early afternoon on Thursday that the Big Ten would add USC and UCLA as new members of the conference. It was officially confirmed by the conference hours later, with the two California schools making a massive jump to join the Big Ten. The Trojans and Bruins will officially join the league in 2024.

The news of adding new teams to the league shouldn’t come as a surprise but USC and UCLA being those teams were definitely out of leftfield. So what it does it mean for the league and Michigan State? Here are three initial thoughts on the massive move for the Big Ten in adding the Trojans and Bruins.

Move will get mixed reviews but I love it

James Snook/USA TODAY Sports

If you are someone who still considers the Big Ten as a primarily midwestern league, then adding a pair of teams from southern California won’t sit well with you. But if you are someone like me who is looking ahead to where major college athletics is heading then you’ll love this move for the Big Ten.

Conference expansion has in a lot of ways ruined the traditional rivalries and matchups that we’ve grown up loving. And while that is disappointing for many fans (including myself), conference expansion is only going to reeve up from here. So with that being said, this is a major move for the Big Ten.

Adding USC and UCLA expands the footprint of the league and turns the Big Ten into a country-wide conference. That is needed to compete with the SEC after they added Oklahoma and Texas last year. Not only is the move expanding the footprint but it is adding one of the most prestigious football programs in USC and one of the most prestigious basketball programs in UCLA.

Everything suggests we are heading to super conferences at this point so I credit the Big Ten for being ahead of it and grabbing a pair of big-time programs before…