USC joining Big 10? How will the conference realignment aid Southern California's future in the Power Five?

The USC Trojans are leaving the Pac-12 after this college football season and are joining the Big Ten Conference. That means the Trojans are joining alongside some of the top programs in college football, such as the Penn State Nittany Lions, Michigan Wolverines, and Ohio State Buckeyes.

This conference realignment for the USC Trojans is going to reap a lot of benefits for the university as well as their new conference. Let's take a deeper dive into both sides to discuss exactly how.

How does this conference realignment help the USC Trojans?

The USC Trojans have been with the Pac-12 since its inception and are finally leaving the conference. This is a massive win for the program as the Pac-12 seems to be on life support as they attempt to negotiate a rights deal without their top two programs staying after this upcoming season.

Jumping to the Big Ten means there is going to be a bigger piece of the pie in the rights deal for the university. They also get to have a larger exposure throughout the nation instead of primarily battling teams in the western portion of the United States.

Their inclusion in the Big Ten really helps the conference as a whole be seen as the second biggest conference, as they still trail the Southeastern Conference in terms of popularity. This is a massive win for the USC Trojans and the Big Ten.

How will the USC Trojans fare in the 2024 season?

We already have a bit of the 2024 schedule for the Trojans as they enter the Big Ten Conference. They are having a tough schedule according to the matchups, but we do not know the order of the games. We do know the opponents and whether it will be a road or a home game.

The Trojans are home against the LSU Tigers (neutral site), San Jose State Spartans, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Illinois Fighting Illini, Iowa Hawkeyes, Michigan Wolverines, and Wisconsin Badgers. The road teams they are slated to face are the Maryland Terrapins, Northwestern Wildcats, Penn State Nittany Lions, Purdue Boilermakers, and UCLA Bruins (who are also joining the Big Ten in 2024).

It is going to be a bit of a different look to the program as they will be without 2022 Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Caleb Williams, but head coach Lincoln Riley should have this team still competing for a College Football Playoff championship.