UC Regents to investigate UCLA move to the Big Ten, financial impact on Cal

Can the Bears get help from the governing body of the University of California?

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California governor Gavin Newsom indicated deep displeasure last week at the unexpected move of the UCLA Bruins to the Big Ten. And it does appear to have led to some initial responses in UC leadership.

The UC Regents, the governing board of the University of California which Newsom sits on as chair, met last week and discussed the UCLA to Big Ten move. They indicated that they will at least take a look and report back with findings on the move.

Pasadena Now indicated the following points will be researched.

The effect the move will “have on UCLA and other UC campuses’ culture, operations, and finances”;

Clearly point one is with regards to Cal. The Bears are likely to experience significant financial losses. The future Pac-12/10 television contract could be diminished by around 40% with USC and UCLA departing. Cal was relying heavily on the next TV deal to help pay off their expansive Memorial stadium debt. That scenario is looking very unlikely in what remains of the Conference of Champions.

Point 2:

The impact of the change on “UCLA’s student athletes, including how the campus plans to address issues related to travel, competition schedules, and academic support”;

Point two isn’t quite Cal, but could be a good starting point for indicating why it makes prudent sense for UCLA to only enter the Big Ten with more Pac-12 partners like Cal. UCLA athletes will be subject to unending travel and schedule that will put them on red-eyes and Midwest swings every other week. They will also have too handle a chaotic academic calendar on mostly planes, buses and hotels. It’s a lot.

Point 3:

The regents’ “delegations of authority as it pertains to athletics operations and recommendations on any updates in policy deemed necessary to ensure proper oversight of major athletics-related decisions.”

This is more of an oversight issue with regards to the Regents. UCLA’s departure from the Pac-12 caught a lot of powerful state officials off-guard. It’d be interesting how the Regents treats future movement from inside the UC system, namely if Cal got stuck in realignment crosshairs.

As of now, there are a lot of interesting proposals that could potentially benefit Cal in the short-term but not secure their future in the long-term. UCLA could pay a significant exit fee to Cal to offset financial loss. UCLA could be asked to share TV revenue offset from their departure to ensure Cal isn’t left behind.

But in the end it’s highly unlikely UCLA’s move could be outright stopped. The regents does not appear to have investigated whether a block is the right move, because UCLA is still likely to make a lot of money with this move. So it’s still very much beneficial to the state of California for the Bruins to go.

It’s just a matter of where the Golden Bears fit in the puzzle.