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Carol Folt On USC To Big Ten

Here is Carol Folt’s statement on USC moving to the Big Ten:

I am writing with exciting news about the future for our student-athletes and university community. We are announcing today that USC will join the Big Ten Conference, with plans to begin membership in August 2024. This decision was made after serious deliberation and analysis, and with great appreciation and respect for our Pac-12 colleagues with whom we have enjoyed a wonderful history and relationship.

We have worked hard over the past three years to ground university decisions in what is best for our students. One of our priorities was to build a student-centric athletics program deeply committed to ensuring that all our student-athletes can compete at the highest level athletically and achieve at the highest level academically. We have made that a reality under our terrific athletic director, Mike Bohn, along with his leadership team, coaches, staff and, of course, our student-athletes.

Reflecting that commitment, we also announced today that all USC student-athletes — regardless of scholarship status — will have the opportunity to receive direct financial support in the form of Alston academic achievement awards beginning in the upcoming academic year.

Our move to the Big Ten positions USC for long-term success and stability amidst the rapidly changing sports media and collegiate athletic landscapes. Equally important, we are joining a conference that shares our values of academic excellence, athletic competitiveness and diversity and inclusion across all sports. The enhanced resources from this move will enable additional support for our student-athletes as well as benefit initiatives surrounding academics, accessibility and affordability.

In analyzing a move to the Big Ten, we thoughtfully considered the prospect of additional travel for our student-athletes. We are committed to devoting the necessary resources to ensure our student-athletes can continue to thrive in their coursework with minimal travel disruption. We know the Big Ten shares our commitment to prioritizing student-athletes’ well-being and academic demands, and we are fortunate we can spend the next two years working with the conference on travel and scheduling plans.

We are especially pleased that our crosstown rival, UCLA, will join us in the Big Ten in 2024. While we are fierce competitors on the field, we have a rich tradition of collaboration that we are excited to continue. As we begin to plan for our move, please know we will do everything we can to preserve the wonderful traditions and rivalries we have built in the Pac-12 that our students, alumni and fans have enjoyed for decades.

Please see statements on our move to the Big Ten from Mike Bohn and from Suzanne Nora Johnson, Chair of the USC Board of Trustees.

While today’s decision is the culmination of extraordinary efforts by so many, it is only the beginning of our journey to the Big Ten. Though we may not have every question answered today, we will by August 2024. In the next few weeks, we will be reaching out to all our constituencies to discuss our announcement in more detail and to offer opportunities to ask questions surrounding our future in the Big Ten.

I want to thank our entire Trojan Family — generations of loyal Trojans who have supported and loved USC for more than 100 years. We could not do what we do every day without you, and we hope you are as excited as we are about what’s to come.

In the meantime, I wish you all a happy and safe rest of the summer.Fight On!

Sincerely,
Carol L. Folt
President
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75 thoughts on “Carol Folt On USC To Big Ten”

  1. I read it. Mike Bohn leaked this story to Jon Wilner so Flo would be forced to go along with it. I wish Bohner’s tactics would’ve worked with Helton in 2019.

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    1. You really think she was in the dark until today. I think it was leaked to put the financial heat on Fox and espn. It certainly changes the tv contract landscape considerably and it surely rattled the sec.

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      1. Thing was, the B1G voted today to admit USC and ucla so there is proof this has been in the works and she had to know.

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      2. This couldn’t be 👍💯% a better move for USC/UCLA. Long Overdue move to be rid of the Pac-12 stench and inadequate system. We can now breathe a fresh breath of air and continue our winning tradition as one of the true blue blood programs we’re well known for.

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    2. SC and UCLA along with Big-10 programs all benefit from this move from a sinking ship = {Pac-12} Conference. Long Overdue!!!!

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    1. Perhaps USC could hire George Kliavkoff (the present pac12 commish) to help with dealing with those mid wessed folks. He could be Sosna’s replacement. I am sure he knows loopholes.

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      1. This has been a long term goal of Kliavkoff. Now UNLV will be in position to replace Ucla and Fresno or San Diego can replace SC. It truly will soon be the conference of mediocrity.

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  3. Riley being hired more important at this moment for USC. But move to B10 much bigger story … 100 years of tradition upended. That tradition and the Rose Bowl tradition is what everyone has grown up with.

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  4. How about the fact that Wilner outscooped Wolf?
    That’s right Wilner is the real Inside USC.

    Seriously, kudos to everyone who kept this under wraps so long.

    As a season ticket holder, I am just so thrilled about no more 730pm PDT/PST start times in conference games. Looking forward to visiting these BIG 10 schools in the fall as well.

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    1. Given the TV Windows that need to be filled by the people writing the Big Check, I would actually expect the majority of USC & UCLA Home Games to be at 7:30, other than the “Marquee Opponents” such as THEE Ohio State, Penn State or Michigan. Also expect USC & UCLA not having home games the same week.

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  5. I was expecting USC to go independent, like Notre Dame, but this is probably the much safer route. There simply was no financial way to stay in the Pac-12. I feel sorry for the Pac-12 commish, he was doing everything right, but the Pac-12 needed to get a new commish 2-3 years ago and force the universities to upgrade their coaching staff and become more competitive. The Pac-12 could only survive if it had been able to combine with Texas schools and eliminate Washington State and Oregon State.

    I will actually be sorry to see the games against Stanford, Cal, Washington and the Arizona teams go away. But it will be nice to see the team actually relevant on a national basis.

    The best part of this whole thing is seeing Oregon twist at the end of the rope around their neck. Oregon stole Connerly from us with Nike’s money, and now they are going to sink into oblivion. It is bad policy for a brand that is worn by athletes across the country to play favorites with their local team.

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  6. Alston Achievement Awards? Cash? Might help make up for the longer flights. Then again, everyone keeps talking about flights to Penn State and Maryland. Probably end up in the Big 10 West, right? All locations closer than ND. Actually, I kind of wish it was USC and ND joining the Big 10 and leaving UCLA behind.

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      2. Did you catch that, So Cal? Smackyd sez you’re detached from reality….
        #LetThatSinkIn:SmackydSezYOU’REDetachedFromReality

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      3. Yeah, worst first half for the market since 1970 and all kinds of other shit storms that this administration HAS CAUSED and I’M detached from reality! LMAO

        Smacky and your other buddy are clueless.

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      4. And the market think doesn’t have anything to do w/ the 4 years of Trump screwing up everything, mismanaging (ignoring) COVID, tariffs that he still hasn’t figured out who pays them and everything else?

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      5. BACK UP DIPSHIT!. Here’s a refresher(dementia is some nasty stuff). trump’s covid response (more like lack of) had 30 million unemployed, 5k a day dying, negative GDP, no schooling, and his narcissism prohibited him from expressing any empathy or remorse while blaming the Dems for the worst poll numbers in history.

        Biden is spilled milk compared to the massive devastation trump’s incompetence caused this country, pre-Jan 21st, 2021.

        When you refer to Biden as “Dementia Joe”, look in the mirror first. Trump shut down your brain and you didn’t even notice, feel privileged.

        #Turnip-Head

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  10. At least I’ll be able to watch all the basketball games on the TV instead of some pirate streaming site. And to Larry Scott, fuck you very very much.

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    1. I too think it’s nice when people with no education critique Supreme Court justices & their decisions….
      #EspeciallyIfTheyGiveThemTheFinger&SayFuckALot….

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      1. Yeah, funny to hear them claim to care about lives when it’s an issue about which they care. But all the other lives that have been lost as a result of this administration being installed? Nah, those lives don’t matter so much.

        But you really shouldn’t be shocked at the level of expression displayed by those two. It’s right down there with you know who.

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      2. Please, give me sharp and well-defined details regarding -“But all the other lives that have been lost as a result of this administration being installed”?

        Please, support your grievances or STFU!

        #MoreCrickets

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      3. That is basically all of the ideas the left have– “Give Them the Finger & Say Fuck A Lot”. They are intellectually bankrupt. They are also good at torching buildings, trying to assassinate justices, intimidation tactics. The leftist tactics remind me of Mao’s Cultural revolution in which he used gangs of students and other flunkies to attack people–to cite a historical account of it– “wearing “bourgeois clothes” on the street, “imperialist” signs were torn down and intellectuals and party officials were murdered or driven to suicide.” Recently, Cornell removed a bust of Abraham Lincoln and a plaque of Gettysburg Address…because someone complained. The Gettysburg Address!

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      4. “Storm the Capitol and hang Mike Pence”, WOW!…. Anyone supporting that concept is royal to trump and not the Constitution. Trump was right when he said, “I love the uneducated” He played you fools like a fiddle.

        #AlternativeFacts

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      5. Don’t forget, Siggy, that as they do their best to smear DT for what happened on Jan 6, so many leaders on the left are cheering on their own radicals and saying there’s nothing wrong with the violence & destruction they commit. The hypocrisy is mind boggling.

        Liked by 1 person

      6. It’s beyond hypocrisy. They passed hypocrisy when Kerry said “sometimes you have to suspend the old rules in dealing with troublemakers.”
        #RulesLikeSpeedyTrial&RightToConfrontWitnessesAgainstYou

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      8. SLOOOW YOUR ROLL! … Even someone with a limited brain cell count, comparable to slo cal’s , understands what took place during the confirmation hearings. The three lying, partisan fakes all said, “Roe v Wade was precedent, next question”.

        Since when were integrity and honesty not a requirement to sit on the highest bench in the land. Do you need help relocating your morals?

        #CherryPicking

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      9. Pepperdine undergrad and a USC MBA means I’m a Special Olympics candidate? I worked in semiconductor and have since moved into biotech. I also live on a farm so I guess I’m not all that edum-icated.

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  12. This is like when the oldest son tells his father that he will no longer be coming to Thanksgiving dinner. It is not the beginning of the end, it is essentially the end. Tradition means nothing. College athletics is now a professional sport. I am not happy about it. Give me USC vs. Cal or USC vs. Stanford. I don’t want to fly 3,000 miles to watch a game against Minnesota in the snow. This may make financial sense for now but it stinks.

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    1. I have been to South Bend and there was a lot of snow on the ground, but when the whistle blew all that cold went out the window, it was game time.

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      1. I’ve been to many games in the snow, even below zero. Nothing colder than 35 and raining. Those are miserable games.

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    2. Worse: UCLA is coming with us to the Big 10. That’s more like oldest son coming to Thanksgiving dinner and ruining it for everybody by being a jackass.

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    3. As a Former USC Player and Captain,
      I totally agree with you.
      You can make a Big bet that these football players will never get a degree or even go to class!
      I’m outdated, they probably don’t do that now!!

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    1. Yes…this is the way it was.
      I think the first thing I learned in my Ancient History class at USC was how Roman Emperors sometimes got the urge to climb down into the arena and fight the gladiators to the death…. and the guards would always let them do it…and sometimes they would get killed in front of their own troops and all the Roman senators in attendance…. it was a real low point for sure….
      #NiceToSeeThisKindOfHistoricalAccuracyInFilm

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      1. All true… The being stabbed in the back by a weak emperor then delivered a coup de grace on unfair terms, while the visions of our former glory flash seems fitting as well. I couldn’t post a scene as a metaphor featuring the protagonist’s demise. I’m still holding to hope– maybe this blows up or conferences as we know them blow up before ’24! I dunno. But I don’t want to be delusional or lie to myself,- I think we could honestly see all this coming in the Woke era.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Huston, we have a problem:
        Poor Carol thought “Big Ten” meant something else altogether…. and that’s why, when asked if she wanted in, she said YES!
        #She’sHaving2ndThoughtsNowThatSheKnowsItsASillyConference

        Liked by 3 people

    2. Great movie (MG’s facts aside). I interpret this as Bohn as Maximus, Larry Scott as Commodus, and President Hot Lips as Lucilla.

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  14. The University of Chicago gave up football because of the high undue influence of money on decisions for what would best for it’s students. This is college football becoming another pro football league.

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  15. This does not seem like a good decision for USC football to me. I wonder who was responsible for it. They better start beefing up on the O and D line because that’s where the Big 10 and SEC win football games. You can’t play creampuff football on the O and D line if you play in those 2 leagues. Grench likes defenses that are not so big but athletic. With his athletes that can cover sideline to sideline you can stop those wide running plays but what about when the Big 10 teams run right up the middle with those big O-Lines. Ohio State, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, Michigan State and Minnesota run right at you.

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    1. The bright side: knowing how things work, we probably won’t actually implement this thing until 2025….
      #WeShouldBeReady

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  16. Mixed feelings on the USC move to the Big 10. Definitely, will bring more national exposure to the football and basketball programs, and importantly more revenue. More recruits will now be drawn also to USC. For football it is going to be tough for SC to dominate the Big 10, and we might see alot of 3-4 loss seasons due to the competitiveness of the conference. For USC basketball it is a big blow to have to compete with teams in the Big 10 year in and year out especially with how physical the Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa, Indiana, Michigan State, and Purdue teams are year and year out. For USC Baseball, and Track and Field no question we should win alot of championships in this new conference.

    I see UCLA getting blown out in this new Big 10 conference in football especially with their poor attendance. Why would a high level recruit come to UCLA to play in front of an empty crowd? Their program is inconsistent, but just not enough upside to be competitive in football with the balance of the Big 10. As far as UCLA basketball it is a big blow they will now have to compete with 6 or 7 programs in this conference which are usually in the Top 20 every year.

    We shall see at least Lincoln Riley can grab some momentum for the program in the next two years competing agains teams in the much weaker Pac 12 before moving over to the Big 10 where it is going to be tougher than tough to win a conference championship.

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    1. Plaschke : “USC outgrew the crumbling Pac 12.” Did this happen sometime during our awesome 4-8 2021 run?
      #MaybePlaschkeDefines”Outgrew”DiffrentlyThanIDo

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    1. Wilner speculates that Washington and Oregon might have a shot with the Big Ten, but Stanford and Cal will be out in the cold.

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    1. Read the article, Charles. Thanks! What did the writer mean by “one of Notre Dame’s legs was out the door”? Sounds like something Clay would say in his ongoing effort to say nothing.

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  22. I’m surprised that people are talking about Oregon as a school that may be added to the Big Ten eventually because they have a “Brand”. This is not about “Brands”, this is all about TV Markets. Rutgers and Maryland didn’t get into the Big 10 because of their Brand. They got in for the New York and DC TV Markets. Phoenix is the 6th largest city in the country. Arizona State is a much more likely choice, followed by Stanford/Cal and Washington. Phil Knight is over 80 years old. Won’t be long before his support ends.

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    1. So here is my strategy if I am the Big 10. Create a national conference, that spans the major TV markets. Make the SEC into a regional conference by comparison. How to do that?

      Steal Miami and Florida St from the ACC, steal Baylor and TCU from the Big 12 (unless you can flip Texas). Maybe dump the worst teams from the current Big 10, like Nebraska and maybe Indiana. Maybe add Washington and Arizona to beef up the West. Maybe even add Stanford for the prestige.

      Put USC, UCLA, the Texas teams, Washington, Stanford, Arizona Miami, Florida St and then a couple more teams in a south/west division. That would reduce some of the travel times and decrease the weather extremes that would come from teams going from sunny southern cal to the frigid temps of places like Wisconsin and Minnesota.

      USC can dominate their division of the conference and you can have them play major TV market match-ups every single week.

      And you can have a mini-playoff for the conference championship with the four best teams from the two divisions.

      But I think this step with USC and UCLA should be only the first step. Adding more teams in the south/west is necessary to minimize travel times and reach the whole country. The SEC is so heavily concentrated in the south that it really does become a regional conference that is irrelevant to much of the country once the Big 10 expands into more markets. With USC rising to dominance again, they can become the centerpiece of one half of the Big 10. USC can become the most loved and hated college football team, the biggest game of the year for every team it plays during the season.

      One more thing. They probably need to extend the college season another month and have more bye weeks, to allow players more downtime after long travel schedules. Maybe it starts in early August with two non-conference games before school starts. Maybe the academic calender even shifts forward and colleges start two weeks earlier.

      Think BIG, Big 10.

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  23. I’ll bet money that Riley has already considered the O and D line ramifications of this change in conference. Perhaps even his assistants have kicked it around also, ya think? Will this change help or hinder recruiting big linemen in the 4 and 5 star ratings. Anyone bringing up the need for linemen or the “air raid” either do not read and pay attention or simply do not understand. These continual posts about linemen and air raid are really getting boring and outdated.

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  24. I hear Uncle Phil Knight is really pissed USC and UCLA have officially left the Pac 12 conference. The Big 0 brand he has heavily invested in is now nothing more now than a regional pacific northwest brand. Oregon, and Washington are now begging the Big 12, and SEC to take them. The Pac 12 network will be off the air shortly in 2023 after losing the complete Los Angeles market. Look for Boise State and BYU to join the Pac 12 conference very soon- The Pac 12 will now be Mountain West Conference 11.

    The Rose Bowl should now sever all future ties with Pac 12 due to the weakness of the conference, and have a new deal with the best team nationally regardless of conference vs. only the Big Ten Champion competing on New Year’s day.

    Let’s hope the Trojans make it to the Rose Bowl in the next two years before they head to the Big 10 which will then make it alot tougher to play in the Rose Bowl which is essentially USC’s second home, and had alot to do with building the USC brand nationally.

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    1. The best part of this whole thing is seeing Oregon get thrown into the trash pile.

      My other post gives my ideas for the Big 10. USC should try to keep Oregon out of the Big 10. It is a much better idea to add Washington or Arizona or even Stanford (probably not). But the really smart idea is to get schools from Florida and Texas and then create two divisions in the Big 10 that span the entire country.

      If the Big 10 steals Washington and Arizona (or ASU) from the Pac 12 and a couple Texas teams and a couple Florida teams, it really does become a major national conference that is completely unrivaled by the SEC (at least in terms of the media exposure and the number of people who will watch every week).

      By doing this, USC’s travel schedule could be greatly reduced. Here is a sample schedule:

      – Non-conference pansie Game 1 – home
      – Notre Dame Game 2 – away
      – Washington – away
      – Michigan – home – weather is still good this time of year
      – Stanford – away
      – Miami – home
      – Arizona – away
      – Texas – home
      – UCLA – either
      – Purdue – home
      -Baylor – away
      – Florida St – home

      So we play teams within our own division plus two non-conference games to start the season and two cross division games every year. Look at those match-ups. Massive every week. And we hardly have to play in the frigid northeast during the winter.

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      1. I messed up a little, put Michigan as an away game and Washington as a home game. The weather in Michigan in September is fine.

        Liked by 1 person

  25. Scooter,

    The midget said that every student athlete would have an opportunity towards finacial support through the Alston’s academia. Does this mean that baseball players will also get big time financial help or is it just for the Woke sports, like all women sports only? Wondering minds need to know. Thank you Scooter.

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