INDIANAPOLIS – The enormous inflatable Oregon Duck mascot meandering down the White River in Indianapolis gave it away. There was one thing solely totally different about Huge Ten Soccer media days this 12 months.
The convention formally expands to 18 groups with the addition of Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington on Aug. 2, and this week’s media gathering at Lucas Oil Stadium is serving as an introduction of the Geese, Bruins, Trojans and Huskies to their new convention brethren.
The Huge Ten and the SEC, which poached Oklahoma and Texas from the Huge 12, give faculty soccer two tremendous conferences and others making an attempt to maintain up with various levels of success. With the 4 former Pac-12 groups within the Huge Ten fold, Nebraska coach Matt Rhule on Wednesday staked a declare for his league.
“That is the NFL of school soccer,” he mentioned of the Huge Ten.
Wednesday’s second day of media appearances featured newcomers USC and UCLA. Oregon and Washington get their podium time Thursday, the identical day Gophers coach P.J. Fleck brings quarterback Max Brosmer, working again Darius Taylor and linebacker Cody Lindenberg to the occasion.
Gamers each steeped within the convention’s traditions and new to rivalries spoke about how seeing recent faces and competing in new venues will present a spark. Sturdy opinions from these on the Huge Ten facet posited these suntanned Californians with their fancy passing video games will not be capable to match the physicality and grit from the largely Midwestern convention.
Penn State defensive lineman Dvon J-Thomas appears to be like ahead to seeing how the previous Pac-12 groups will do when the gales of November come early. “They’re gonna really feel this chilly,” J-Thomas mentioned. “They’re on the market in sunny California, and so they’re gonna really feel this East Coast chilly.”
Nittany Lions teammate Jaylen Reed, a flexible defensive again, expects to see footballs flying from the quartet of newcomers this season.
“Their fashion of play is totally different than the [rest of the] Huge Ten,” mentioned Reed, whose Nittany Lions host UCLA on Oct. 5 earlier than going through USC on the L.A. Memorial Coliseum seven days later. “We’ll need to get adjusted to their fashion of play, and they are going to have to regulate to our fashion of play.”
Requested if there was something he was trying ahead to when assembly the Trojans and Bruins, Reed mentioned with a smile, “It brings me extra alternatives to get interceptions.”
USC quarterback Miller Moss, who handed for 372 yards and 6 touchdowns in his first profession begin, a Vacation Bowl win over Louisville in 2023, tried to be diplomatic when refuting those that doubt the previous Pac-12 groups.
“Uh, hmm,” Miller mentioned, laughing after a protracted pause. “I am making an attempt to comply with my media coaching. … Clearly, as you go all through the nation, individuals play totally different manufacturers of soccer geographically. That is largely attributed to the kind of participant that comes from a geographic space. To now have the crossover between the 2 will likely be attention-grabbing and supply for extra thrilling matchups.”
Miller had a prediction, too: “We’ll introduce some intricacies in recreation plans that possibly they have not seen earlier than.”
Trojans coach Lincoln Riley mentioned he is tweaked his recruiting with the Huge Ten transfer in thoughts, and USC offensive sort out Jonah Monheim acknowledges the Trojans try to placed on muscle.
” the place we had been final 12 months and the place we have to be within the Huge Ten, on the ‘O’ line there’s been an enormous emphasis on gaining weight and energy,” the 6-5, 305-pounder mentioned.
Nevertheless, he isn’t shopping for the “delicate” label that some apply to the ex-Pac-12 quartet.
“That is simply the SoCal, L.A. stereotype,” Monheim mentioned, including, “It is mistaken as a result of on the finish of the day, all of us need to play the identical recreation on the identical discipline.”
Jay Toia, a defensive lineman for UCLA, concurred with Monheim.
“The mannequin of the Huge Ten is physicality, however I do not suppose that is new for us,” Toia mentioned. “We had a powerhouse like Utah [in the Pac-12], and we performed Oregon State, which is an enormous, bodily run crew. I do not suppose that is something we will not deal with.”
Penn State tight finish Tyler Warren performed peacemaker in the long run. “There have been some nice groups that acquired added to our convention,” he mentioned. “It might solely carry up the extent our convention and the kind of soccer we play.”
