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In the near future, college athletics could look vastly different.
But at what cost?
Texas and Oklahoma kicked off the realignment trend in college athletics when they opted to scoot from the Big 12 for bigger money, and plenty of other benefits of the Southeastern Conference. Who can necessarily blame them? The SEC has been the powerhouse conference of football for quite some time and the Sooners and Longhorns are looking to establish themselves as programs that can compete with the best of the best.
The realignment of two Power 5 programs has started a domino effect and several other programs are looking to find new homes for the betterment of their future. But, that also brings another question into play, with teams moving conferences, such as UCLA and USC coming to the Big Ten, will conferences like the Pac-12 or ACC -- with rumors of Clemson and other top-tier programs looking to move -- be able to survive the change?
As the talk of more realignment amongst the Power 5 conferences grows, Ohio State and the rest of the Big Ten seem to be in good shape. With the addition of UCLA and USC by 2024, the Big Ten will have teams in three of the biggest television markets in the country. So, financially, the conference will be in good shape for the foreseeable future. But when most of the conference lies in the midwest, the addition of two schools on the west coast brings in a travel element that the conference hasn't had a problem with before.
Given the situation, and the prowess of the schools involved, I don't see this being a problem as back-to-back road trips to the likes of Rutgers and then one of the west coast teams could be avoided.
Also, when it comes to expanding further, the addition of Notre Dame to the Big Ten conference has also been a possibility. In a recent press conference, Iowa Athletic Director Gary Barta said that conference leadership discussed adding the Fighting Irish after the news of Oklahoma and Texas jumping conferences was announced. In a press conference just last week, Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith said he would Notre Dame could join the fray. But, that addition, if it comes to fruition, is for another day it seems as the rest of the conferences start to form their new boundaries for the future.
The next question would be the viability of other Power 5 conferences. UCLA and USC leaving the Pac-12 was a big hit and leaves the "Conference of Champions" at a crossroads. Although they have a strong history of success in major sports, the Pac-12 hasn't been as successful as of late and puts their future in question.
They lost their strong foothold in the television market with UCLA and USC leaving and their current media rights deal has put them in a tough spot. They could expand as other conferences have done and try to add teams from the ACC or a smaller conference like the Mountain West, but that brings travel into play as well.
As the 2022 fall sports slate approaches, it seems as though the Big Ten and SEC are set for now, but as for the rest of the college conferences, who knows what could happen.
As I said, college athletics could look very different in the near future. Whether that is for the better or worst is the question that still needs to be answered.