ESPN insider explains impact of UCLA, USC joining the Big Ten on new TV deal

Amid the the crazy conference re-alignment news that Pac-12 powers USC and UCLA are on their way to the Big Ten, ESPN Insider Heather Dinich appeared on the station to give further insight behind the move. She revealed the possible billion-dollar TV deal the Big Ten could be in for and how that could be affected in wake of the move.

“It seems like a very similar pattern,” said Dinich. “I guess the Big Ten had the blueprint if you want to call it that. This, to me, honestly also explains, possibly, why we haven’t heard yet about the Big Ten TV deal which has reportedly closed in on $1 billion. And when you’re talking about each school in that conference making upwards of $80-$100 million annually, of course there’s going to be interest.

“Anyone who has followed college football knows that conference realignment is never over. But this is another shocker that is going to completely alter the college football landscape.”

More on USC, UCLA, flirtation with Big Ten

By Stephen Samra

Sports Illustrated’s Ross Dellenger later confirmed that the two schools have entered negotiations with the Big Ten. He added that “teams are jockeying” to gain membership in the Big Ten and SEC.

USC and UCLA are not only two of the Pac-12’s most successful schools across athletics, but are two of the largest brands in the country which offer a new market opportunity for the Big Ten. While they fall far outside the current geographic landscape of the conference, the move promises to provide great financial benefit for all parties.

The move would serve as the next major domino to fall in conference realignment after Texas and Oklahoma announced their intention to join the SEC by 2025. As conference commissioners failed to come to a resolution on a College Football Playoff format, the race to stockpile blue-blood programs together seems to be heating up.