Im Justin, 40, (my college roommate reminded me we were in college 20 years ago!!) I am a diehard sports fan! One thing I especially enjoy about sports are the rivalries and traditions of college sports. In fact, you can ask my wife who will sadly attest ‘yup Saturdays in the fall I hear ‘you’re watching the SEC on CBS presented by Home Depot’, over and over and over from September thru December.

Today, my fandom took a bit of a hit, allow me to explain. Today, it was announced that UCLA and USC!!!!! are moving to the Big Ten as early as 2024. The reports said the California powerhouses were ‘looking into things’, but even my niece who’s 5 knows, ‘dot an I, cross a T, add 18 zeros to each university’s bank account’, bottom line, this has already happened, and its monumental!

On the surface, it’s great. Prime Time games in LA featuring Ohio State and Michigan, I’m there. Basketball where UCLA has to go to East Lansing in late February where a win would strengthen their tournament resume, the rum and cokes shall be poured, and many wings shall be consumed.

But that leads me to my question that I keep tripping over: Why?

Now, on the surface, you might say, well money, media deals etc, ‘The Big Mamu’, as Cosmo Kramer once said, and I get it. Money, exposure, recruiting, visibility, the Big Ten having a wider ranging television network that can reel in new viewers, sure.

But what happens to the rivalries? Okay, so indulge me for a moment, and I know this probably a bad example. But, I went to Rider University in Lawrenceville, NJ. Rider currently playa in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC). The Broncs as they are known, have chief rivals in Marist College, located in Poughkeepsie, NY and Siena College, located in Loundonville, New York.

Using the USC/UCLA defection as a model, this would be like Rider beating Siena in Loudonville to get to the NCAAs, then saying ‘yeah, the A-10 just made us a huge offer….yeah we’ll be basement dwellers for a bit, but we may get that new recruit or new arena’.

Everything now is about money and the billions of dollars in media, exposure, streaming, I hadn’t even considered that, holy shit. So, I get why it’s happening. However, again, USC UCLA should be able to sell itself, Cal beating UCLA in November and/or February to dash tourney hopes should still mean something, and sadly, the needle is trending towards it not meaning much, not anymore. A good, highly ranked Arizona team waltzing into Pauley Pavilion, used to be box office, used to meana favorable weekend slot, national television, it used to mean a ton, used to.

I’ve rambled on without mention the biggest loser in all of this, the PAC 12!!!! Oregon says thank you for all ita future PAC 12 championships, if it even gets that far. But now what? Luring Boise State and Wyoming from the WAC? Ok, then what?, November away games for Stanford in cold, snowy Boise, (the blue turf though is cool lookin), ‘yeah God, it’s going to be 34 and sleeting in Boise….If only we could schedule USC in Los Angeles….oh wait.’

Recruiting!!! My God, recruiting, that 5 star Quarterback isn’t gonna sign in Eugene Oregon, not when he can go to Michigan and host Ohio State and play in the Rose Bowl against UCLA.

Damnit.

Maybe, it’s because I’m getting older and I need to change with the times, adapt and accept it. Fine. Or maybe its because I grew up in the 80s and 90s when college rivalries meant something, added a whole other layer of excitement to it.

Now, sadly, it’s who has the deepest pockets.