The Big Ten voted unanimously to add Southern California and UCLA as conference members beginning in 2024.

The expansion to 16 teams will happen after the Pac-12’s current media rights contracts with Fox and ESPN expire and make the Big Ten the first conference to stretch from the Atlantic to the Pacific.

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

The University of Utah responded with a joint statement from University President Taylor Randall and Athletic Director Mark Harlan:

“This is a significant development that impacts each Pac-12 member institution and alters the landscape of intercollegiate athletics. At the University of Utah, we are very confident in the strength and trajectory of our institution and our athletics programs, coming off another elite year of academic performance, a Pac-12 championship season in football and our most successful year, collectively, across all of our sports since joining the Conference in 2011. We have been in frequent communication with one another since this information came to light, and we will continue to stay in close communication with Conference leadership and our fellow Conference members as developments unfold.”