UCLA is an unquestioned winner in this new round of conference realignment.

When the dust settles and the new order in college football becomes clear, UCLA will be in a strong conference alongside its Los Angeles peer and cashing media rights checks that will quickly turn a nine-figure deficit around.

For anyone questioning why the Bruins out west would want to join a conference whose footprint previously extended from the Atlantic only as far as Lincoln, Nebraska, UCLA athletic director Martin Jarmond has a pretty simple explanation.

“Well, one, national exposure,” Jarmond said during a recent appearance on SportsCenter. “I mean, now you’re going to be in three different time zones, multiple time zones. Here on the West Coast, when you think about some of the game times and things, you’re not always in the national spotlight. Now, our student-athletes will get to showcase their talent and skills as far from the Pacific to the Atlantic, all through the East Coast.

“So, in a name, image and likeness era, and a student-athlete finding their voice and their brand and what’s important to them, this gives them a national platform, that they can be seen in ways that we haven’t been able to.”

Jarmond has been clear about his motivations since the announcement was made that UCLA would exit the Pac-12 in 2024 and join the Big Ten. For a program looking to balance its books and keep every sport intact, the Big Ten was a necessary lifeline.

“We want to position our student-athletes at UCLA to be the best and to be in a position of strength,” Jarmond said.

“We have 119 national championships and its important to support all 25 of our programs. At the end of the day, with this seismic change in college athletics, we want to be in a position of strength at UCLA and that’s what we intend to do.”

You can watch the rest of Jarmond’s interview below: