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Conference realignment rumors: Pac-12 insider outlines potential moves for B1G if UCLA reverses course
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Conference realignment rumors have never stopped this offseason, and another layer was added to the conversation Wednesday evening.
Earlier Wednesday, the California Board of Regents met to discuss UCLA’s move to the B1G alongside USC. The Trojans as a private institution are not subject to the Regents.
Following the meeting of the Regents, Pac-12 insider Jon Wilner reported he believes it is still a possibility that the Bruins are forced to reverse course and stay in the Pac-12. Wilner set the odds of a reversal “very low” but also believes UCLA joining the B1G “cannot be view as a certainty.”
Given the developments at the UC Regents meeting and clarity over the board’s authority, UCLA’s move to the Big Ten cannot be view as a certainty. I believe the likelihood of a reversal is very low – probably 10-15%. But that’s not 0%
— Jon Wilner (@wilnerhotline) August 18, 2022
So, what happens if UCLA does indeed reverse course? Wilner went on to outline some potential moves, including the B1G targeting Stanford – a private institution – that would give the conference a second California school.
Wilner also outlined some potentially wild moves that could go down. To be clear, most of these comments were Wilner’s “outside-the-box” thinking. But if some of these happen, it would create a wild landscape for college athletics.
My outside-the-box thought is the B1G regroups and then makes the boldest play imaginable: It goes after Texas. (Assuming Notre Dame holds firm as an Independent, which I believe will be the case as long as Jack Swarbrick remains the AD.)
— Jon Wilner (@wilnerhotline) August 18, 2022
A Big Ten with USC and Texas would far surpass the SEC's revenue without Texas. (Not for nothing: It would allow Kevin Warren to one-up Greg Sankey.) The catch is the SEC exit fee. Texas could afford to pay a ****load, but maybe not a ****load times 2.
— Jon Wilner (@wilnerhotline) August 18, 2022
At that point, the B1G responds by adding North Carolina and Georgia Tech (Atlanta market, great school, recruiting pipeline to a talent-rich state) and perhaps beefs up its West Coast arm with a combination of Stanford, Oregon and Washington.
— Jon Wilner (@wilnerhotline) August 18, 2022
Anyhow, these are things I think about. G'nite from an alternate universe.
— Jon Wilner (@wilnerhotline) August 18, 2022
Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.