Big Ten’s Kevin Warren has ‘deep respect’ for USC, UCLA, lays out criteria for joining league

Big Ten Conference Commissioner Kevin Warren released a statement Thursday in which he said his conference has the “utmost respect” for USC and UCLA – the newest members of his league.

The Big Ten voted Thursday to add USC and UCLA as conference members beginning in 2024.

The Big Ten Conference Council of Presidents and Chancellors voted unanimously to admit the schools effective August 2, 2024. Competition will begin for all conference sports in the 2024-25 academic year.

The conference’s statement indicates it got written applications from the two universities, and Warren, alongside conference athletics directors and the Council of Presidents and Chancellors, evaluated the applications based on a “dynamic model” weighting four primary principles with supporting criteria.

“As the national leader in academics and athletics for over 126 years, the Big Ten Conference has historically evaluated its membership with the collective goal to forward the academic and athletic mission for student-athletes under the umbrella of higher education,” Warren said in a release statement.

“The unanimous vote today signifies the deep respect and welcoming culture our entire conference has for the University of Southern California, under the leadership of President Carol Folt, and the University of California, Los Angeles, under the leadership of Chancellor Gene Block.

“I am thankful for the collaborative efforts of our campus leadership, athletics directors and Council of Presidents and Chancellors who recognize the changing landscape of college athletics, methodically reviewed each request, and took appropriate action based on our consensus.”

The announcement came almost a year after Oklahoma and Texas formally accepted invitations to join the Southeastern Conference in July 2025.

USC and UCLA fit the Big Ten’s academic profile. Both schools are among the 65 members of the Association of American Universities, which is made up of top research universities. All Big Ten schools except Nebraska are members.

Mark Heim is a sports reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim.

Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission.