What report of USC and UCLA leaving Pac-12 means for UW and WSU
Jun 30, 2022, 11:57 AM | Updated: Jul 18, 2022, 3:48 pm
Washington State defensive end Quinn Roff (20) leaps in pursuit of Washington quarterback Sam Huard (7) during the second half of an NCAA college football game, Friday, Nov. 26, 2021, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
(AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
Shakeup appears to be coming in the Pac-12.
Thursday morning, Jon Wilner reported that USC and UCLA are in talks to leave the Pac-12 for the Big Ten “as early as 2024.”
Source: USC and UCLA are planning to leave for the Big Ten as early as 2024. Move *has not been finalized* at the highest levels of power.
— Jon Wilner (@wilnerhotline) June 30, 2022
Nothing is official yet, but that could soon be coming as Nicole Auerbach of The Athletic reported Thursday morning that those USC and UCLA’s move to the Big Ten is “all but wrapped up” and that it may be made official as soon as Thursday afternoon.
If those two schools leave Pac-12, what does that mean for the conference’s future? And what about for UW and WSU? Former WSU and NFL receiver Michael Bumpus, who has served as a Pac-12 Network analyst for a few years, shared some quick thoughts during Thursday’s Bump and Stacy on Seattle Sports 710 AM.
“It means that you’re losing prestige. UCLA and USC are the storied universities in the Pac-12,” Bumpus said. “There’s a reason why Notre Dame plays USC all the time. The USC-UCLA game rivalry is crazy. They’ve been carrying this conference for a long time.”
So what would that mean for the two Washington schools?
“For the University of Washington, they’re looking at this like, ‘Look, man, we’re an academic school. We can make the move (to the Big Ten). We have a football history,'” Bumpus said.
But what about for Bumpus’ alma mater?
“For a school like Washington State, they’re kind of like, ‘What about us, man? I mean, we’re not an academic school, we’re OK in sports,'” Bumpus said. “Schools like Washington State, Oregon State, Arizona State, those are the schools that are going to hurt the most with the departure of the schools. The Pac-12 does not look strong right now. I understand why USC and UCLA want to leave. There have been some decisions made over the past few years that just doesn’t make sense to them. That’s why they’re out of here. Those smaller schools, hold on tight and see what happen.”
