College football realignment: CA Regents to discuss litigation amid UCLA move

UCLA's move to the Big Ten will be a subject of discussion when the California Regents meet to discuss college football realignment.

The next phase of college football realignment is in the books after UCLA decided to join the Big Ten, but now the state of California could get involved.

This week, the University of California Board of Regents plans to meet and discuss the consequences of the move, and any potential legal issues involved.

The session will be closed, but the board is obligated to inform the public if any potential litigation is discussed by the group.

Who exactly could be subject to litigation is an open question. 

One option is that the regents are considering legal action against member institution UCLA for its planned move to the Big Ten.

Another option is that the board could feel itself open to litigation by other parties for UCLA attempting to leave the Pac-12 for the Big Ten and separate itself from the UC system in athletic competition.

There are questions about whether the state of California could get involved to prevent its public universities from competing in separate conferences.

It's not believed that UCLA needed any formal approval from the regents to separate from the UC system - namely rival Cal - but sources near the situation said it's likely UCLA had some informal support among the regents before going ahead with the move.

UCLA and USC both caused the latest seismic shift in college football realignment after applying for membership in the Big Ten in 2024.

The conference accepted both, extending its membership to 16 schools and jumping head-first into the Los Angeles media market, the second-largest in the country.

At a vital time, too, as the Big Ten is preparing to negotiate its next media rights deal, which analysts project could be worth up to $1 billion per year for the conference.

(UC Board of Regents)

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