I absolutely hate what has happened to college athletics.

Ridiculous cross-country conference expansion. Transfer portal chaos. And the wild, wild West of NIL.

Here’s the part where I yell “get off my lawn” like a crusty old neighbor and start pining about the way things used to be.

Back when things made sense.

Trying to make sense out of USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington joining the Big Ten comes down to one thing and one thing only. We all know what it is, because it makes the world go round and people worship it to unhealthy levels.

I cannot and will not try to argue against the money aspect of all this. The Big Ten makes tons of money and wants lots more, so adding those four programs was seen as a way to maximize the league’s financial situation.

I get it, I get it, as James Franklin likes to say, usually when he has a problem with a question or doesn’t want to answer it.

But lost in all the greed that has taken over college athletics is plain old common sense.

Conferences were designed for teams to play opponents in close or relatively close proximity. That’s how conferences work in all sports at all levels all across the country, with an occasional exception (ie the Dallas Cowboys being in the NFC East).

But now, we’ve got college kids in numerous sports flying all over the country just so their schools can make as much money as possible from being in a sports league. To heck with USC and UCLA athletes having to make numerous trips of 2,500 miles or more to come to Penn State, Maryland or Rutgers for sporting events, while still trying to focus on their education.

Also, to heck with regional rivalries, because those have been tossed aside like they’re meaningless across college sports, all in the name of joining a new conference that pays the most money.

I hate it all.

Lastly, let me say that, of the four teams that joined the Big Ten from the Pac-12, I’ve got a big problem with UCLA. There’s no way that program belongs as a football member.

UCLA is the little brother of the Big Ten. It was added to the league because the Big Ten wanted USC, and USC couldn’t come without bringing UCLA along. The league was already getting the Los Angeles TV market with USC, so adding UCLA as well was pointless.

UCLA was a soft program in the Pac-12, and is an incredibly soft program in the Big Ten. The Bruins, I believe, are going to have massive problems fitting into the tougher, more physical league.

I don’t believe UCLA will ever be a consistent threat in the Big Ten. Maybe the Bruins will catch lightning in a bottle on occasion, but that’ll be it.

But again, the Big Ten wanted USC, and it had to take little brother to make that happen.

Cory Giger is the host of “Sports Central” weekdays from 4-5 on 96.1 HANK-FM.