How Schools and Student-Athletes are Preparing for Conference Realignment
In a time of uncertainty and unpredictability on the horizon, athletic departments are preparing for a new challenge: conference realignment. For student-athletes, already stretched thin by their packed schedules, the prospect of navigating a new conference landscape brings with it a fresh wave of complexities.
The prospect of navigating unfamiliar opponents, increased travel demands and disrupted academic routines looms large. The move to the BIG 10, driven by financial incentives and heightened competition, raises questions about the holistic well-being of those students who wear the jersey, specifically those beyond just the gridiron or the court.
Many argue that the focus on revenue-generating sports like football often overshadows the needs of athletes in non-revenue sports, leaving them to grapple with the fallout of decisions made at the administrative level. As universities chase television deals and larger slices of the revenue pie, the toll on student-athletes’ physical and mental health remains a pressing concern.
However, supporting student-athletes through the transition is the athletic department’s priority. From bolstering academic resources to providing mental health support, the universities joining the BIG 10 are determined to ensure that student-athletes have the tools they need to thrive, both on and off the field.
What is Conference Realignment?
Conference realignment has turned collegiate sports upside down. In short, conference realignment is a strategic reorganization of collegiate athletic conferences, where universities and colleges may choose to switch affiliations or join different conferences altogether. This process often occurs in response to various factors such as financial considerations, competitive balance and television revenue opportunities.
For the schools that will be joining the BIG 10, this move comes as the universities seek to align themselves with a conference that offers greater exposure, higher levels of competition and increased revenue-sharing opportunities.
In 2022, the BIG 10 finalized a monumental deal worth $8 billion with FOX, CBS and NBC. The three networks will broadcast BIG 10 games through the 2029-30 season.
At its core, conference realignment is driven by the desire of universities and conferences to enhance their competitive positioning and financial stability. According to the Pac-12, for the financial year 2021-22, each Pac-12 member university received an average of $37 million. When USC joins the BIG 10, it can expect to see closer to $65 to $75 million per year.
Jeff Fellenzer, a USC professor who teaches classes on sports media, sports business and sports technology at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, has watched the industry grow and sees why the former Pac-12 schools chose to make the move.
“It’s all about the media rights, money that has come in which is considerable,” Fellezner said. “There’s value in being the network that televises these games, and it trickles down from the network to the conferences to the schools.”
Starting in the 2024-25 academic year, the BIG 10 will consist of 18 teams, adding USC, UCLA, Washington and Oregon to the conference. The four new West Coast BIG 10 schools will be no closer than 1,400 miles from any of their new conference opponents.
“It all changed a few years ago with the amount of money coming into college sports,” Fellezner said. “And what the Pac-12 schools get is significantly less than what the BIG 10 schools get – or the SEC schools. […] It’s all about the media rights, money, that has come in which is considerable.”
The college sports conference landscape is being scrambled because of television money. The conferences with the most lucrative television contracts — the BIG 10 and the SEC — are seen as the most desirable. Additionally, the Pac-12 struggled to find new broadcast partners that would agree to pay its schools an amount that compares favorably with other conferences, so most of its teams began looking for better options, even if that meant doing away with geographic and historic rivalries.
The Current Narrative
Currently, the narrative surrounding conference realignment is such: Universities made this move due to the increased revenue and lucrative TV deal that the BIG 10 conference holds. Many believe that conference realignment disproportionately affects student-athletes across various non-revenue, olympic sports and that schools only considered football – the sport which brings in the most revenue – when making the change. Critics argue that university officials and athletic departments have failed to adequately consider the holistic needs of student-athletes, particularly in non-revenue sports, when making decisions about conference realignment.
“[Student-athletes] weren’t considered. That just wasn’t a part of the equation,” Fellezner said. “The thinking would be if basketball and football are the drivers, the other sports will be taken care of because of the windfall of cash coming in, which is essentially because of football and basketball.”
The increased travel demands, longer road trips and busier schedules associated with competing in larger, more geographically diverse conferences can take a toll on student-athletes, both physically and mentally. Moreover, the time spent away from academic commitments due to travel and competition can exacerbate stress and fatigue, potentially impacting student-athletes’ academic performance and overall well-being.
Some student-athletes have weighed in on this change, voicing concerns over whether or not they were considered in conference realignment. Some Oregon softball players tweeted their opinions when Oregon announced it will be joining the conference last August.
Morgan Scott, an Oregon softball pitcher, tweeted, “Anyone going to talk about all the other sports that play multiple games in a weekend? What happened to mental health of student athletes being important? The balance of practice, travel, school, and having a social life is already hard enough. Why add even more stress?”
Another Oregon softball player tweeted, “Tired of being an overlooked sport.”
For BIG 10 football road games, USC will travel an average of more than 2,300 miles (not including its game at UCLA). This includes trips to Michigan, Minnesota, Maryland and Washington. Football, however, plays just one game a week.
The impact on athletes is often thrown out the window. Being so far from the rest of the conference has some major downsides, including plenty of travel for athletes. Some sports such as football won’t feel the full effect, but other non-revenue sports like baseball, soccer and lacrosse will see a major change.
Sports like lacrosse, soccer and volleyball often play two games per week and play several more games than football. Additionally, football charters an airplane for their away games, while non-revenue sports travel commercial airlines. This comes with more time spent at airports going through security checks waiting to board the plane with other passengers.
Crowded airplanes and long bus rides are nothing new for USC’s student-athletes. Hannah Barron, a redshirt freshman on USC’s lacrosse team, said it can be frustrating to go through airports and take additional time flying commercial rather than charter. However, she thinks this is something that her team is already used to.
When USC was a part of the Pac-12, a typical weekend for USC lacrosse games on the road consists of traveling for usually “just one game, or occasionally it’s two,” Barron said. “But with the travel not being as far, you don’t have to leave as early because you’re not preparing for the jetlag and the amount of sleep that your bodies need to catch up on.”
Typically, the lacrosse team would leave on Thursday afternoon for a game on Saturday, and then they would take a night flight back to Los Angeles Saturday night following their game. Now, with the conference switch, longer flights and different time zones are added to the equation.
Lindsay Munday, head coach of USC women’s lacrosse, believes that it will be important for teams to look into smart scheduling options to make the most of a cross-country road trip.
“When we do travel to the East Coast and have Rutgers away, we will try and schedule another game,” she said. “So for us, we’ll probably have two-game weekends when we go on the road.”
For the first weekend of the 2024 lacrosse season, the team took a road trip to the East Coast to play Army and Villanova. Leading up to the road trip, “We typically practice from 7:30 [a.m.] to 10 [a.m],” Munday said, followed by more specific sessions, such as lift or film or team meetings, from “10:30 to 11:15. […] It really allows them to wake up and be an athlete, and after lacrosse is done, really put that aside and be a student.”
For this trip, they left at about 1 p.m. for West Point, N.Y., following a morning practice on Wednesday, arriving in West Point late to try and get adjusted and acclimated due to the time change. The team “Practiced at Army on Thursday, played Army on Friday,” she said. “Then, we traveled to Villanova which was a good two and a half hour bus trip. Practiced there on Saturday, played on Sunday and then got back [to Los Angeles] Sunday night.”
In early March, the team traveled for two games in Maryland on Friday and Sunday, followed by a Tuesday game in Virginia. This means the team left for the road trip on Wednesday, allowing time to adjust to the time difference and practice on Thursday. They played in Towson, Md., on Friday, followed by a game in Baltimore on Sunday. Following the games in Maryland, the team took a three-hour bus ride to Richmond, Va., for a game on Tuesday morning. Following an over five-hour flight back to Los Angeles, the team arrived Tuesday night and were expected to attend class on Wednesday. While the team did not play again for over a week, they were on the road for almost seven days, meaning they also missed almost seven days of classes.
This type of travel will be the new normal, not just for the USC lacrosse team, but for every team making the transition to the BIG 10 next season. Road trips will be longer, distance traveled will be farther, and classes missed will increase. While a long plane ride may seem like the perfect time to complete some homework, it’s not always a possibility.
“There’s a lot of unpredictable variables that go into traveling,” Barron said. “Not every flight has Wi Fi or it might not be working to the way you want. So I think that people this year and even next year are going to start managing time better in terms of having everything done before we come back and being ready for class on Monday at 8 a.m.”
Student-athletes across sports and schools will face these challenges head on beginning next season. Whether the concerns from critics and some student-athletes hold true or if the undertaking will be a success remains unknown.
But, as universities transition to the BIG 10 conference, the challenges and adjustments ahead for student-athletes across non-revenue sports are undeniable. Yet, amidst the longer road trips, increased travel demands and missed class time, there lies a spirit of resilience and adaptability among these athletes. Athletic departments are preparing for the change, saying they’re prioritizing their student-athletes across all sports.
The Real Effect
The life of a student-athlete is already a busy one. They navigate a schedule involving classrooms to practice fields, lift sessions to tutor sessions, their days already a whirlwind of academic pursuits and athletic commitments. Balancing the demands of coursework and competition is no small feat, yet these individuals persevere, driven by passion and dedication.
USC is among those preparing for this monumental shift. As the Trojans gear up to join the esteemed ranks of the BIG 10 conference, student-athletes find themselves facing an array of new challenges and adjustments.
Student-athletes must now grapple with the prospect of increased travel demands, unfamiliar opponents and shifting dynamics within their respective sports. From managing rigorous training regimens to maintaining academic excellence, the road ahead promises to be fraught with obstacles. Yet, amidst the uncertainty, there is a sense of resilience and determination — a steadfast resolve to rise to the occasion and meet the challenges head-on.
USC has committed itself to ensuring student-athletes are equipped with everything they need to remain successful amidst conference realignment. Denise Kwok, Deputy Athletic Director for Internal Operations and Senior Woman Administrator, said USC Athletics prides itself on academic excellence, and the move to the BIG 10 will not change the priority of academic success amongst student-athletes.
“We want to make sure that our student-athletes know that we are here to help them. We’re still grounded in them being academically successful, their personal well being being healthy and intact, their athletic experience being solid and intact,” Kwok said. “We want to make sure that we’re still focusing on the fundamentals of them as developing young adults.”
At the University of Washington, similar considerations are being made to ensure student-athlete success and well-being is of the utmost priority. Kim Durand, Deputy Athletic Director, has been in charge of academics and student-athlete development at Washington for 18 years. She is at the forefront of planning for conference realignment, and she said the university is looking at the best ways to support student-athletes during this time of uncertainty and transition.
“The support system is there, the infrastructure. What we’re still evaluating is whether or not we need to scale it at all,” Durand said. “Do we need more advisors? Do we need more counselors? Do we need more sport dietitians? Because in some cases, some of those folks would be traveling with teams on longer trips.”
In the corridors of USC’s John McKay Center, coaches, academic advisors and university administrators work tirelessly to ensure that student-athletes have the support they need to succeed in the face of change.
From academic tutoring to mental health resources, USC is taking a comprehensive approach to supporting its student-athletes through the transition. By fostering a culture of collaboration and resilience, the university is laying the groundwork for success in the new conference landscape.
Amidst this flurry of activity, one thing remains constant: an unwavering commitment to the well-being and success of USC’s student-athletes. From the moment they step foot on campus, these young men and women are embraced by a support network that extends far beyond the playing field.
“We have multiple layers of support that we’re able to offer students academically when they come in. The academic advisors and the learning specialists and assistant learning specialists work really closely together to make sure that a student-athlete can stay on track with regard to their degree,” Kwok said.
Academic tutors stand ready to offer assistance with coursework, while sports psychologists provide guidance on managing the pressures of competition. Athletic trainers work tirelessly to keep student-athletes in peak physical condition, and nutritionists ensure that they are fueling their bodies for optimal performance.
“Any classes that they need help with, if they need tutoring, they’ll get set up through Whitney and our academic advisor,” Munday said. “People are here to support and help you. There’s a whole building that is dedicated to supporting the student-athletes and their academic journey. And I think as long as you’re willing to put in the work even with the travel, though, it’s hard, it’s definitely doable to succeed in both at such a high level.”
Currently, USC’s academic advisors do not travel with the teams on road trips. While student-athletes have the ability to reach their advisors via a text or an email, being on the road means less access to the academic support staff. There have, however, been some considerations about bringing academic advisors on team trips moving into the BIG 10.
“We’ll probably go into it knowing that we have to have a lot of flexibility, but I don’t know that we’ll increase staff right away,” Kwok said. “We’ll probably wait and see exactly what’s needed and make sure that we’re strategic about it.”
While advisors do not normally travel with the team, there are many ways USC provides support and assistance for student-athletes while they are on road trips. If a student is on a road trip and must take an exam, for example, the student will attend the road school’s athletic academic center to have their exam proctored by an academic advisor for the other school.
“When we went to Army, we had four girls who had to take an exam,” said Munday. “We coordinated through our academic advisor and went to Army’s academic advising building, and then they took their exam.”
Barron has had to take many exams while on the road, and she feels this is the best way to make up missed classes, as “It really is the easiest way because it doesn’t make us take the test or rush us in any way. It gives us the time to meet the requirements and accommodate the schedule we have going on, especially during travel.”
Additionally, Zoom has become a vital way for students to attend classes or meet with their academic advisor while on the road.
“Some tutors are on Zoom, and I think that if you have an issue and it’s not during your tutoring session, you can email them and be like, ‘Hey, I have this math problem,'” Barron said. “Maybe the in person sessions won’t be as frequent, but the Zoom ones will become more frequent, and they’ll be easier to reach online.”
As universities and conferences navigate the evolving dynamics of revenue generation, competitive balance and institutional priorities, the decisions made regarding realignment have far-reaching implications for stakeholders across the board. Whether driven by financial considerations, strategic positioning or shifting demographics, conference realignment underscores the ever-changing nature of collegiate sports and the ongoing quest for success and sustainability.
Headed into this new college athletics landscape, one thing remains certain: the future of collegiate athletics will be defined by the choices made today, and the impacts will be seen in the years to come. With this optimism, new challenges await and are yet to be spelled out.
As the final whistle blows on one era and the opening kickoff heralds the dawn of another, the true impact of conference realignment will become clear. Many unknowns still exist as conference realignment looms and college sports say goodbye to the Pac-12. However, all eyes will be on next season to see how the changes all play out.