Utah quarterback Cameron Rising couldn’t care any less about USC, UCLA and their future move from the Pac-12 to Big Ten.
Rising, who led Utah to the Pac-12 title and Rose Bowl berth last season, was asked about the Bruins’ and Trojans’ decisions to leave the conference at Media Day this Friday.
He had a one-word response: “Cool.”
Rising and the Utes aren’t at all worried about the business of USC and UCLA. In fact, Utah football probably wishes USC and UCLA were sticking around.
The Utes handled the Trojans and Bruins with ease last season. They beat USC 42-26 as Rising threw for 306 yards and scored four times. He added another two touchdowns and over 200 yards of total offense in a 44-24 win over UCLA.
The reality is USC and UCLA need the Big Ten a whole lot more than the Big Ten needs them.
The past four Pac-12 champions have been Utah, Oregon (twice) and Washington. USC has one conference title since 2009. UCLA hasn’t won it since 1998.
The class of the conference is sticking around, and that now includes Utah. The Utes were one of the best teams in the country a season ago and appear primed for another big year, especially with Rising under center.