Social Media Reactions to UCLA, USC Moving From Pac-12 to Big Ten
The past 24 hours have been among the most eventful in college sports history, and the action may not be done.
People from across the world have spent the past day sharing their thoughts on UCLA and USC moving from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten, with celebration, confusion, apprehension and more dominating the conversation. Although it will take two years before the two crosstown rivals actually join the Big Ten, the move became official Thursday night and reactions continued to flood in.
From jokes and gifs to analysis of the Pac-12's demise and certain cartoonish scenarios becoming reality, people had plenty to say about the Bruins and Trojans' collective decision to change leagues.
With the two Los Angeles schools entering the fray, the Big Ten has gone from being a Midwestern conference to a nationwide one.
Penn State joining in the 1990s – followed by Maryland and Rutgers joining a decade ago – gave the Big Ten the Mid-Atlantic, and now they have Southern California in their footprint as well.
The reactions were far from uniform, though, and people's concerns stretched far beyond the jokes about travel logistics.
Several people were worried about what the move from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten would mean for non-revenue and Olympic sports.
There is also the matter of where the Pac-12 goes from here, as well as some of its 10 remaining member schools.
Even if Oregon, Washington and others were to stay, the "Conference of Champions" has lost a lot of its luster, and people are starting to speculate about which domino will fall next.
The conversation surrounding UCLA and USC's move is far from over, and conference realignment certainly isn't done either. Two more years in the Pac-12 may be awkward for Bruin fans, knowing that the end is near, so social media banter is sure to stay hot through the summer and beyond.
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