Former UCLA standout excited for Big Ten matchups: ‘Those games, they’re going to be wild’

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While the demise of the Pac-12 was front and center Aug. 4, the cracks in the foundation of the conference started when USC and UCLA announced their departure for the Big Ten in June 2022. 

Two of the preeminent West Coast universities leaving the Pac-12 was a major blow to the Pac-12, and many suggest the final straw came in early August when five schools announced 2023-24 as their final year in the conference.

The Pac-12 logo on the field during the Pac-12 football championship between the Utah Utes and USC Trojans Dec. 2, 2022, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.  (Ric Tapia/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

While the fate of the Pac-12 is very much up in the air as Washington State, Oregon State, California and Stanford try to find the next step forward, UCLA has been preparing for its conference move for over a year.

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UCLA’s time in the Pac-12 dates to the 1920s, with traditional rivalries against Cal and Stanford carrying on for decades. 

While those rivalries will be put on the back burner, new matchups will begin with Big Ten foes, matchups that will have sports fans eager to tune in.

"I was a little sad. There’s some of that normalcy gone, but, ultimately, I know it’s going to be better moving forward," former UCLA basketball standout Ryan Hollins told Fox News Digital.

"There was a moment when it was like, ‘This doesn’t feel right.’ And then I start thinking, UCLA-Michigan? That’s going to be bananas. Michigan State in the Rose Bowl? That’s going to be wild."

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Hollins