UC leaders weigh trying to stop UCLA’s jump to Big Ten

Is UCLA nearing the goal line on a move to the Big Ten, or might its plans be foiled by an all-out blitz?

Concerned about the Bruins’ hasty exit from the Pac-12, the University of California system leadership on Wednesday proposed new rules that could limit campuses from making major decisions involving athletics contracts on their own.

Far more concerning for UCLA, two UC regents and the general counsel of the UC system suggested there might be an avenue to block the Bruins’ move that had widely been considered a fait accompli since it was announced in late June.

“It’s important to understand that when the regents delegated authority to the president, they didn’t give it away or lose it,” UC system attorney Charlie Robinson said during a regents’ meeting at UCLA’s Luskin Center. “Essentially, what they did was extend it such that authority was with the regents and the president.”

After the end of a closed session spanning more than an hour, regent John Perez told The Times that the regents retained the power to block UCLA’s move.

“All options are on the table,” he said.

Did that mean options could be pursued that would prevent the Bruins from joining cross-town rival USC as the newest members of the Big Ten starting in the summer of 2024?

“All options are on the table,” Perez repeated, “up to and including that. … We’re going to look at what all the different options look like and then the board will assert itself in terms of what its desired outcome is.”

It had widely been assumed that a 1991 UC system policy that delegated authority to campus chancellors to execute their own contracts, including intercollegiate athletic agreements, would provide leeway for UCLA chancellor Gene Block to unilaterally green-light his school’s conference switch.

Not so, Robinson told the regents inquiring about their options.

“One mechanism would be for the [regent] board chair to say, ‘I’m directing you, in this instance, to stand down,’ ” Robinson said, “and the board will be exercising authority in this area.”

Richard Leib, the chair of the board, affirmed his power after the end of the meeting.

“We always have the ability to retain authority,” he said, “which is what we heard today.”

The question is whether Leib would try to exert that authority given that many believe UCLA’s move to the Big Ten would represent a net plus for the UC system.

Asked if he favored scrapping the deal, Leib told The Times it was “premature” to make that decision or evaluate whether other regents would support that move. Although several regents voiced concerns about the impact on the health and academic performance of athletes due to longer travel times, Leib said they could be mitigated. The use of more charter flights, for instance, would be less strenuous than commercial flights, he said.

An interim report, discussed during the regents meeting, recommended potential limits on the UC president’s ability to delegate decision-making authority to campuses on such issues as athletics affiliations or conference memberships in certain cases. They include those that would have a significant adverse impact on…