Winners, losers from USC and UCLA's stunning departure for the Big Ten

USC and UCLA are headed for the Big Ten. 

That's going to take a while to get used to, but it's the reality of college football in 2022. The Big Ten will increase to 16 teams and matched the SEC's power move of Oklahoma and Texas, which will take effect in 2025. 

For USC and UCLA, it's a bold strategy. The Los Angeles market meets the Midwest, and the Trojans and Bruins leave behind the Pac-12 perch. There are so many moving pieces, and more to come.

Here are the winners and losers from USC and UCLA's big move. 

Winner: Big Ten expansion

Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren was asked about expansion at Big Ten Media Days on July 22, 2021 in the aftermath of the Texas and Oklahoma move to the SEC. 

"We're always constantly evaluating what's in the best interest of the conference," Warren said. "It will be interesting to see how the story evolves and where it lands." 

DECOURCY: Who will be the Big Ten's next targets for expansion?

That story evolved into a script fit for Hollywood. The Trojans and Bruins might be from way out of of town, but they give the Big Ten a 16-team conference that runs coast to coast with the New York, Chicago and Los Angeles markets. The SEC can't say that right now. 

This makes the Big Ten the place to be if they want to add more schools. Washington, Oregon and Stanford should be in line. Kansas can offer something in men's basketball. What about all those ACC schools? 

Loser: The Alliance 

Remember that scene from "The Office" when Jim and Dwight agreed on an alliance? 

Dwight: "Do you want to form an alliance with me?" 

Jim: "Absolutely, I do." 

That's pretty much how the handshake agreement the Big Ten, Pac-12 and ACC made on Aug. 24, 2021, played out.

How is that working out for Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff about now? Kliavkoff was vocal about the conference's national championship droughts in football and men's basketball when he took the job. USC has 11 national titles in football. UCLA has 11 national titles in men's basketball. Those are gone now. 

The ACC can't get comfortable either. If the Big Ten was willing to do that, then what's stopping them from eyeing AAU schools such as North Carolina, Duke and Virginia? What's stopping the SEC from eyeing Miami, Florida State and Clemson in football? 

Winners: USC and UCLA 

Some might want to paint Lincoln Riley a loser here given he left the Big 12 and ends up in the Big Ten. Sure, the current Pac-12 would be the easier path to the CFP – but nobody knows what the next playoff will look like yet. 

It's better to be on the right side of the super-conference movement, and USC is going to get more attention playing Ohio State and Michigan than it does Oregon and Utah. Critics might say Riley ducked the SEC, but the Big Ten will be every bit as challenging. If USC re-emerges as a power in this environment, then Riley will be a legend. 

UCLA gets a much-needed make-over in the Big Ten. The Bruins have had just two 10-win seasons in the 21st century. Chip Kelly is 18-25 the last four seasons, but the larger spotlight could give recruiting a jump-start. 

BENDER: Big Ten's expansion into LA brings more questions than answers

Loser: Rose Bowl 

USC and UCLA have combined for 46 Rose Bowl appearances and 30 victories. Now, they represent the Big Ten instead of the Pac-12. 

How do you sell this Big Ten vs. Pac-12 matchup now? The "Granddaddy of them All" is one of college football's most-sacred traditions, and it holds a great deal of power among the major bowl games. So much so that it's maintained its Jan. 1 date in conjunction with the Tournament of Roses Parade through the BCS and CFP eras. 

How much power does it have now? That's up for debate, and it's clear that the next College Football Playoff will be more important than the next Rose Bowl. 

Winner: Ohio State 

Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith conducted a press conference and had a pointed take about USC and UCLA joining the Big Ten. 

"For Ohio State, it frankly provides two other schools in unbelievable markets that frankly can carry some weight," Smith said. "Ohio State has been a program for the Big Ten over the years that has been at the top of the pyramid of the Big Ten and carried a significant amount of weight and value of the Big Ten. Now we have two others who can contribute." 

This answer about why adding USC and UCLA makes sense for Ohio State might raise some eyebrows elsewhere in the Big Ten pic.twitter.com/ARUdrCLsZ7

— Marcus Hartman (@marcushartman) July 1, 2022

Was that a compliment to USC and UCLA or a shot at Michigan and Penn State? It's a flex and a reminder that the Buckeyes have been the premier football program in the Big Ten since Jim Tressel took over. 

Ohio State and USC have met in the Rose Bowl seven times, and this re-introduces that rivalry to a new generation. As for UCLA, once Urban Meyer joined the Big Ten Network on Thursday to talk about the Bruins and Trojans, you knew what was coming next ... 

Urban Meyer is going to coach UCLA. Y'all know I'm right.

— Joseph Goodman, Sports Enthusiast 🎟🍺 (@JoeGoodmanJr) July 1, 2022

Loser: Notre Dame 

Notre Dame can be patient and see how this realignment shakes out, but their days as an independent are numbered. 

USC is the most-storied rival on the schedule. Now, it will be in the Big Ten. The Irish could join the ACC, but the revenue clearly will not match a Big Ten super-conference. 

Now, look at the 800-win club in college football and where Notre Dame fits in: 

All-time FBS wins leaders

That shakes out to six SEC schools, five Big Ten schools and Notre Dame. In general, these are the dozen schools that matter most in terms of interest. Seriously, fans would watch this 12-team playoff every year. 

Why would the Irish join the ACC after looking at this list? 

Winner: Superconferences 

The two super-conference model is coming. 

The SEC and Big Ten are lapping everyone else at an all-costs mentality, and that's going to lead to more conference plundering in the near future. College football is following the NFL model, and the SEC, Big Ten and television networks have control of the future.

College football is completely corporate. Hostile takeovers, outrageous contracts and even Name, Image and Likeness are part of the show. Why did USC and UCLA leave the Pac-12 for the Big Ten? 

The answer is always money. 

What does that mean for the College Football Playoff? It could mean two super conferences with 20 to 24 teams each. They play out a regular season, both conferences do their own playoff and there's a college football version of the Super Bowl at the end. This is the next evolution of the game. 

Loser: Old-school college football 

Ask college football fans the red pill/blue pill question from "The Matrix." Red means you learn an unsettling truth. Blue keeps you willfully in the dark from a new reality.

College football took the red pill. Go back 15 years. Did anybody think when USC and Nebraska played in 2007 that someday that would be a Big Ten game? There's more to come, and when the music's over the SEC and Big Ten will have almost all of the power now. 

Would you take the blue pill? The remaining Big 12 and Pac-12 schools would. Fans of schools such as Pitt, Syracuse and West Virginia might if they are left out of the realignment shuffle without a seat at the table. The regionalism of the sport and the charm of college football outposts such as Washington State and Kansas State is gone if it wasn't already; replaced by a model that will no doubt bring in billions of dollars and excitement for a new generation of college football fans. Regionalism is a thing of the past. 

This is a national game now, just like the NFL. 

For better or worse, USC and UCLA proved that on Thursday.