On July 1, 2024, the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners joined the Southeastern Conference, or SEC, which kickstarted the era of realignment in college athletics.
A month later on Aug. 2, UCLA, USC, Oregon, and Washington joined the Big Ten, expanding the conference from 14 to 18 universities.
This realignment sparked multiple conversations with fans of college athletics. Many people have argued that universities on the West Coast joining the Big Ten have ruined what the conference is all about.
Is it peculiar? Sure. Is it a positive change? Absolutely.
Conference realignment allows fans to watch more games between high-level programs on a more frequent basis. Who doesn’t want that?
In this past college football season, we saw multiple incredible games in the regular season that would never have happened if it weren’t for realignment.
In week two, we saw an incredibly competitive game between No. 11 Texas and No. 3 Alabama. This game was full of lead changes and explosive plays, the kinds of things that make college football so exciting. Texas ended up upsetting Alabama, 34-24, cementing itself as a legitimate contender in the SEC.
In week eight, we watched an instant classic Big Ten matchup between No. 2 Ohio State and No. 3 Oregon. This game was close and finished dramatically as Ohio State quarterback Will Howard slid on the last play with only two seconds left, causing the clock to run out and the Ducks to come out victorious, 32-31. Much like Texas, this win proved Oregon is more than able to compete with classic Big Ten powerhouses like Ohio State.
This game was broadcast during prime time on NBC and averaged 10.2 million viewers while peaking at 13.4 million viewers, according to Sports Illustrated. You cannot deny realignment played a huge factor in these giant ratings.
While Texas and Oregon won these big games against Alabama and Ohio State, these were not their only feats of the season. Both schools played in their respective conference championship game in their first season with the conference. Oregon defeated Penn State, ending the Nittany Lions’ dominant undefeated season as Big Ten champion. Georgia defeated Texas in the SEC championship, proving it is still the big dog of the SEC.
Another great thing about realignment is that it doesn’t just apply to college football; it applies to all sports.
In the women’s college basketball world, Juju Watkins and No. 4 USC visited Iowa on Feb. 2, live on FOX. This game could not have started better for the Hawkeyes, as they were leading, 18-4, after the first quarter. USC did not quit and took the lead, 29-28, entering halftime. The Hawkeyes ended up pulling off the historic upset with a score of 76-69. The celebration did not stop there, as Caitlin Clark’s jersey was retired after the game.
This game would not have been possible without realignment.
Realignment gives us as fans more exciting games to watch and the universities more opportunities to gain visibility.
Becoming a member of the two biggest conferences in America sheds more light on these universities, bringing in more admissions and funding. It doesn’t get any better than that.
According to Front Office Sports, newly realigned universities can receive up to $21 million from media rights deals. This type of money can completely revamp and improve multiple resources on these college campuses that benefit everybody involved.
As time goes on, be on the lookout for more schools to realign to different conferences and continue to give us fans exciting games to watch.