UW ‘disappointed’ with USC, UCLA decision to leave Pac-12

University of Washington president Ana Mari Cauce and athletic director Jen Cohen issued a joint statement Friday following Thursday’s announcement that the Big Ten voted to add USC and UCLA as conference members in 2024.

“We are disappointed by the news that UCLA and USC are leaving the Pac-12, a conference with such rich tradition and history,” they said. “We have been in close contact with our leadership and peers in the Pac-12 and are working together to examine options and opportunities. The University of Washington has a distinguished record of success at the highest levels, in and out of competition, and is in a strong position as we process this development. We are confident that we will continue to increase the strength of our athletic programs and the success and well-being of our student athletes.”

The announcement, which caught the Pac-12 off guard, came almost a year after Oklahoma and Texas formally accepted invitations to join the Southeastern Conference in July 2025.

Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren said that USC and UCLA, both members of the Pac-12 and its previous iterations for nearly a century, submitted applications for membership, and the league’s Council of Presidents and Chancellors voted unanimously to add the Los Angeles schools.