Some major realignments to a few of the top collegiate athletic conferences have recently been announced for next year’s conference memberships. The upcoming conference changes will shake up the foundation of the Pac-12 and Big Ten as several schools unveiled plans to change their athletic conference membership. Here is a breakdown of which schools are going where.

Changes to the Pac-12

Five schools announced their plans to depart the Pac-12 Conference in 2024. University of Arizona, Arizona State University and the University of Utah will depart for the Big 12 Conference on July 1, 2024. The University of Oregon and the University of Washington will depart for the Big Ten Conference on August 2, 2024.

In addition to the latest announcements, three other schools with announced departures will also be leaving the conference as well. In July CU Boulder announced that it would be departing for the Big 12 on July 1, 2024 and USC and UCLA announced their departure plans back in 2022 - they will be departing for the Big Ten on August 2, 2024.

Once all of the departures go into effect in 2024, the Pac-12 will be comprised of just four schools:

• University of California, Berkeley
• Oregon State University
• Stanford University
• Washington State University

For an updated members list, visit our CC compiled list of Pac-12 Schools

Changes to the Big Ten

The Big Ten Conference has been “ten” only in name since the 11th member joined in the 1990s. Since then, the Big Ten has welcomed several new member schools, and in 2024 when the next batch of members join the conference, the number of members will be a whopping 18.

Schools joining the Big Ten in 2024:

• University of California, Los Angeles (leaving the Pac-12)
• University of Oregon (leaving the Pac-12)
• University of Southern California (leaving the Pac-12)
• University of Washington (leaving the Pac-12)

For a full list of members starting in 2024, visit our CC compiled list of Big Ten Schools.

Changes to the Big 12

Only July 1, 2024 two schools will be leaving the Big 12 to join the SEC

• University of Oklahoma
• University of Texas at Austin.

The Big 12 will be welcoming four new schools to the conference:

• University of Arizona (leaving the Pac-12)
• Arizona State University (leaving the Pac-12)
• University of Colorado Boulder (leaving the Pac-12)
• University of Utah (leaving the Pac-12)

With the announcement that several Pac-12 schools will be joining the Big 12, the conference will have 16 members starting with the 2024-25 season.

For a full list of members, visit our CC compiled list of Big 12 Schools.

What is the CC community saying about these athletic conference changes?

The CC community has been quick to analyze what these conference realignments could mean for academics, logistics, and athletic performance. Many agree that it could provide issues for travel between games where teams will now have to travel further and longer, especially for sports other than football that may have less funding. Others are speculating on what the future of the Pac-12 could look like - how the conference might add new schools and which schools could be a good fit.

For more discussion on the Pac-12, athletic conferences, and more make sure to join the CC Community!