By David Close, CNNIn a seismic shift to the collegiate sports landscape, the two Southern California powerhouse universities — UCLA and USC — said Thursday they are leaving the Pac-12 Conference for the Big Ten Conference at the start of the 2024-25 season. They will be joining a conference with the likes of the University of Michigan, Penn State and Ohio State, creating a 16-member conference to rival the Southeastern Conference (SEC). According to USC, the Big Ten voted to accept both universities as members effective August 2, 2024. The Big Ten issued a statement saying it voted unanimously to accept both universities after weighing their applications to join. “We’ve long been known as the Conference of Champions, and we’re unwavering in our commitment to extend that title,” the Pac-12 Conference said in a statement.