The Big Ten blew up last year's college football offseason by snagging USC and UCLA from the Pac-12, and it's finally time for the conference to start figuring out the logistics of adding two gigantic brands.
When the Trojans and Bruins arrive in 2024, the Big Ten will become a 16-school conference. The expansion will force the league to revamp its schedules, and it will require the Big Ten to get creative when it comes to the short football schedule.
Big Ten teams already aren't able to play all conference opponents during football season, but what happens when there are 15 possible opponents and only nine conference games?
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Here's what you need to know about the Big Ten's new football schedule format and which teams will do battle in 2024.
Big Ten football schedule 2024
It won't be until next year that we'll know the dates and times of games, but Wednesday's reveal did include team opponents for 2024.
Here are some of the notable matchups on the docket for the 2024 Big Ten football season:
- UCLA at Iowa
- Wisconsin at Michigan
- Michigan State at Michigan
- UCLA at Michigan
- Ohio State at Michigan State
- Iowa at Ohio State
- Michigan at Ohio State
- USC at Penn State
- Michigan at USC
- Wisconsin at USC
- Iowa at USC
- Ohio State at UCLA
- Nebraska at UCLA
Below are all of USC and UCLA's Big Ten opponents for their first season in the conference.
USC opponents 2024
| Home | Michigan |
| Home | Wisconsin |
| Home | Iowa |
| Home | Illinois |
| Away | Maryland |
| Away | UCLA |
| Away | Northwestern |
| Away | Purdue |
| Away | Penn State |
UCLA opponents 2024
| Home | Ohio State |
| Home | USC |
| Home | Minnesota |
| Home | Nebraska |
| Home | Norhwestern |
| Away | Michigan |
| Away | Rutgers |
| Away | Iowa |
| Away | Indiana |
Each team's complete slate of opponents for 2024 and 2025 is available below.
Big Ten 2024 & 2025 conference opponents pic.twitter.com/C8E4hlxZSj
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) June 8, 2023
What is the Big Ten's 'Flex Protect' football schedule?
As first reported by The Athletic and confirmed by the conference, the Big Ten is adopting a "Flex Protect" schedule that will allow programs to maintain certain rivalry games annually.
What will stay the same? Big Ten teams will still play a nine-game in-conference schedule, and programs will be able to preserve annual matchups with as many as three opponents. For example, the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry game would still be able to happen each year even with much of the schedule rotating year-to-year for both teams. Michigan and Michigan State also have a bitter rivalry that is now protected.
In addition to permanently "flex protected" games, each team has at least one "two-play opponent" that will be played at home and away between 2024 and 2025. Protected opponents will be on the schedule annually for each team. The number of protected opponents differs by school. Iowa has three, while Penn State has none. All other teams, including Ohio State and Michigan, have one or two.
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Also changing is the divisional format. Divisions are expected to be eliminated from the Big Ten, ending the days of the Big Ten East and West. If that change is enacted, it would mean Ohio State and Michigan could meet in the Big Ten championship game one week after their annual rivalry game. With USC and UCLA joining the fray, however, there will be plenty of competition.
Divisions had resulted in plenty of lopsided title game matchups in recent seasons, with most of the Big Ten's powerhouses all occupying the same division and therefore unable to face off for the championship.
The new scheduling setup will have some similarities the Big Ten's current basketball format. While every school is able to face off at least once during basketball season, there are no divisions and teams play certain opponents only once rather than twice each season.
Some basketball rivalries, such as Purdue and Indiana, annually have two matchups. Similarly, some football rivalries will be on the schedule every year while the rest of the opponents rotate.
The Big Ten will announce its 2024 scheduling format and that year's opponents on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. ET.