UCLA - University of California - Los Angeles
08/02/2024 | News release | Distributed by Public on 08/02/2024 09:36
UCLA officially joins the Big Ten conference
From the beaches of California to the Eastern Shore, new rivalries, traditions and opportunities await Bruin student-athletes, with UCLA officially entering the Big Ten Conference today.
The university, along with former Pac-12 Conference rivals USC, Oregon and Washington, joins the nation's oldest NCAA Division I athletic conference as part of the biggest coast-to-coast conference realignment in college sports.
When UCLA's impeding move was announced two years ago amid seismic shifts in college athletics, Martin Jarmond, the Alice and Nahum Lainer Family Director of Athletics, said membership in the conference would bring new competitive opportunities and a broader national media platform for UCLA student-athletes to showcase their talents, along with enhanced resources to support the long-term health of the campus's athletics."The day has finally come," Jarmond said. "After two years of planning and preparation, UCLA is proud and excited to join the Big Ten Conference. I am grateful for the energy and effort that has been put into shaping this pivotal move by our hard-working staff members, as well as our coaches and student-athletes. The investments we have made into our programs and student-athletes over the past 24 months have set us up to continue to compete at the elite level that defines UCLA Athletics."
UCLA
The now-18-team Big Ten Conference features Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, Purdue, Rutgers, USC, Washington, Wisconsin and, of course, the Bruins.
Football
After opening the season Aug. 31 at the University of Hawaii, the Bruins' first Big Ten football game will take place at the Rose Bowl on Sept. 14, against Indiana. The game marks the home debut of DeShaun Foster as head coach and will feature the induction of UCLA's Hall of Fame class of 2024.The team will play nine Big Ten universities during its 12-game regular-season schedule, with home games against Oregon, Minnesota, Iowa and USC. The Big Ten league championship will be held Dec. 7 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. See the full football schedule.
"It's a tough conference, but this is what you want," Foster said during a Big Ten media event last week. "If you're a big-time football player, you want to play big-time games. I'm excited for this conference. This is going to help us get an opportunity to be in the playoffs."
From Pac-12 to Big Ten: By the numbers
UCLA Athletics
Widespread greatness. Those 88 Pac-12 Conference titles included 14 in men's tennis, 10 in women's soccer, 9 in women's gymnastics, eight in men's basketball, 8 in women's water polo, 7 in men's soccer and 7 in softball.
Entering a new era as champs. UCLA won two NCAA championships during its final year of Pac-12 competition - in men's volleyball and women's water polo.Soccer
Both UCLA soccer teams will have their Big Ten debuts in September, with the men's team team taking on Northwestern in Evanston, Illinois, on Sept. 13 and the women's team opening against Oregon in Eugene, on Sept. 14.
Basketball
Big Ten schedules for men's and women's basketball have not been finalized. The men's team will play 20 Big Ten contests (10 at home, 10 on the road), while the women's team will compete in an 18-game Big Ten slate during the 2024-25 season (nine at home, nine on the road)."Being from the Midwest and knowing the venues you play in - college towns, well-supported teams, a lot of sellouts, a lot of really tough environments on the road - the environment will be great for our players because of the energy in the building," Mick Cronin, who is entering his sixth season as Michael Price Family UCLA Men's Head Basketball Coach, said recently.
Jarmond said he was looking forward not only to competing against new universities across the country but to welcoming Big Ten student-athletes to Los Angeles and to UCLA's storied venues.
"I'm so excited about them being able to experience Pauley, to experience Easton Stadium, to experience the Rose Bowl," Jarmond recently told the Big Ten Network. "It's synonymous with greatness in football, basketball, all of our Olympic sports. For student-athletes to come out to L.A. - many have probably never been to L.A. It's exciting when you can expose young people to something they haven't seen or haven't experienced, and show them a little bit about what UCLA's all about."
How to watch
Big Ten Network/B1G+:UCLA will have games televised on Big Ten television partners Fox, CBS, NBC and Big Ten Network (BTN). Non-televised games will air on B1G+ (Big Ten Plus), BTN's subscription streaming service.
►For more on subscriptions and Big Ten Network programming, visit the UCLA Athletics website.