USC and UCLA Join Big Ten

2022-06-30 · Kevin Warren, Commissioner, Big Ten Conference (Big Ten)

Warren shocked the college athletics world by announcing that USC and UCLA would leave the Pac-12 for the Big Ten in 2024. Negotiations were conducted in complete secrecy until the announcement.

What he said

They bring a lot of value to our relationship... and we look forward to welcoming them into the Big Ten family here in 2024. There's a lot of work to be done between now and then.

I think the value of being across four time zones for multiple reasons is really important.

We think that's important for various reasons. They bring a lot of value to our relationship.

The fact-check

"They bring a lot of value to our relationship... and we look forward to welcoming them into the Big Ten family here in 2024." — True: USC and UCLA did add significant value. The deal was executed. The "family" language is typical corporate framing.
"I think the value of being across four time zones for multiple reasons is really important." — Rhetoric: The "four time zones" is accurate but the framing obscures that this is about TV revenue, not strategic vision.