Eric Boggs 
How has the New Big Ten Members Fared Against the Old Guard
The landscape of college football is set to undergo a seismic shift this upcoming season as the once-storied Pac-12 Conference disbands following the surprise departure of its cornerstone institutions. USC, UCLA, Oregon, and Washington shocked the college football world by announcing their move to the Big Ten Conference, marking the end of an era. The decision sent shockwaves throughout the college football community, leaving fans and analysts alike scrambling to make sense of the implications of this historic move.
Sister Pac-12 intuitions were left scrambling to find conference homes. The Big XII gobbled up the four corner institutions in Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah. Stanford, and Cal bolted for the ACC, leaving both Oregon State and Washington State alone flying the Pac 12 flag. Both institutions will be playing Mountain West opponents to fill out their independence schedules this season, similar to how Notre Dame partners with the ACC.
That being said, let’s take a closer look at the four former Pac-12 institutions who will be playing in the Big Ten this season, along with how they have faired historically against their new conference foes.
USC’s Legacy Against the Big Ten
For USC, the move to the Big Ten Conference is met with a lot of excitement from the traditional Big Ten schools. No west coast team has played against the traditional Big Ten schools more than the Trojans, thanks in large part to how many times they represented the Pac 10/12 against the Big Ten in the Rose Bowl. USC is an impressive 75-30-3 against their new 14 conference foes. USC has played Ohio State the most with a 13-10-1 record. What’s most impressive about their record is the fact that the only Big Ten school they don’t have a winning record against is Michigan State. But even then, the two have played to a 4-4 tie after eight games.
UCLA’s Legacy Against the Big Ten
Historically, the Bruins haven’t done nearly as well against Big Ten opponents as their cross-town rival has. UCLA has only a record of 47-43-3. Nebraska has been their most common opponent among their new 14 conference brethren. The Cornhuskers hold a single game advantage over the Bruins at 7-6. Their worst record is against the defending National Champions, as the Wolverines have dominated the series 8-3. On the flip side, UCLA has a winning record of 7-4 against Wisconsin and 6-3 against Iowa. This season the Bruins play the Cornhuskers and Hawkeyes in back-to-back games.
Washington’s Legacy Against the Big Ten
The Huskies join the conference with very similar results to that of UCLA. The Huskies have won more than they have loss, but not by much, as their overall record against their new conference foes sits at 50-47-2. The two most northern schools in the conference, Washington and Minnesota, have played one another 17 times, with the Golden Gophers leading the series 10-7. As for where the Huskies have fared well, Washington has dominated the series against Purdue with a record of 7-2-1. Washington won’t get either one of those teams this season, but they do host Michigan in early October in what will be a rematch of the National Championship from last season.
Oregon’s Legacy Against the Big Ten
The Oregon Ducks join the Big Ten Conference with a losing record of 22-35 against their new 14 member institutions. The Ducks have played no one nearly as many times as they have the Ohio State Buckeyes, who they were winless against until their last matchup in 2021. The Ducks are 1-9 against the Buckeyes. But that hasn’t been the only team they have had the misfortune of playing against. They are also 2-6 against Nebraska in eight tries. The Ducks will look to make it two in a row against the Buckeyes as they host Ohio State second week in October
Notable Matchups for this Season
There are several matchups featuring these four new Big Ten members against some of the old guard that is worth marking your calendar for. Whether it is due to historical reasons, or just possible conference championship and or playoff implications, here are several games of note.
Saturday, September 21 Michigan vs USC at Ann Arbor, Michigan
Saturday, October 5 Washington vs Michigan at Seattle, Washington
Saturday, October 5 Penn State vs UCLA at University Park, Pennsylvania
Saturday, October 12 Oregon vs Ohio State at Eugene, Oregon
Saturday, October 12 USC vs Penn State at Los Angeles, California
Saturday, November 2 Nebraska vs UCLA at Lincoln, Nebraska
Saturday, November 2 Michigan vs Oregon at Ann Arbor, Michigan
Saturday, November 9 Penn State vs Washington at University Park, Pennsylvania
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