First, can we just start with a geographical note?
With UCLA and USC agreeing last week to join the Big Ten in 2024, that conference will soon literally stretch from the Pacific Ocean (new California schools) to the Atlantic Ocean (Rutgers). Long gone are the days of the conference featuring teams from Illinois, Indiana and Iowa running with a football 60 times per game.
The Bruins and Trojans shifting to the Big Ten also sends a clear signal: Geography no longer has a place in any discussion of college athletics. We’ve come close to this point before (West Virginia in the Big 12; Boston College in the ACC; Missouri in the SEC), but there’s never been anything resembling a coast-to-coast conference.