The Big Ten Conference has unveiled their football schedule format and opponents for the 2024 and 2025 seasons, which will mark the first season with the UCLA Bruins and USC Trojans as members.
Beginning with the 2024 season, the Big Ten will utilize a “Flex Protect Plus” scheduling model, which will feature a combination of protected opponents and rotating opponents. The nine-game conference schedule remains, and each team will play every other team in the conference at least twice – once home and once away – in a four-year period.
Eleven Big Ten matchups are “protected” and will be played every season — Illinois-Northwestern, Illinois-Purdue, Indiana-Purdue, Iowa-Minnesota, Iowa-Nebraska, Iowa-Wisconsin, Maryland-Rutgers, Michigan-Michigan State, Michigan-Ohio State, Minnesota-Wisconsin, and UCLA-USC.
Below are the Big Ten football opponents for the 2024 and 2025 seasons. The complete 2024 Big Ten football schedule with dates will be announced at a later date.
2024 Big Ten Football Opponents
Home: Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Purdue
Away: Michigan State, Northwestern, Ohio, State, Rutgers, USC
Home: Maryland, Minnesota, Penn State, Purdue, UCLA
Away: Michigan State, Nebraska, Northwestern, Wisconsin
Home: Maryland, Nebraska, UCLA, Wisconsin
Away: Illinois, Minnesota, Ohio State, Rutgers, USC
Home: Michigan State, Purdue, Rutgers, USC, Wisconsin
Away: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan
Home: Maryland, Michigan State, Minnesota, UCLA, Wisconsin
Away: Illinois, Ohio State, Rutgers, USC
Home: Illinois, Indiana, Ohio State, Purdue, Rutgers
Away: Maryland, Michigan, Nebraska, Penn State
Home: Iowa, Northwestern, Ohio State, Rutgers
Away: Indiana, Michigan, Nebraska, UCLA, Wisconsin
Home: Indiana, Michigan State, Minnesota, Wisconsin
Away: Iowa, Northwestern, Penn State, Purdue, UCLA
Home: Illinois, Indiana, Nebraska, USC
Away: Minnesota, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, UCLA
Home: Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Northwestern, Rutgers
Away: Michigan State, Minnesota, Penn State, UCLA
Home: Michigan State, Nebraska, Northwestern, Ohio State, USC
Away: Indiana, Purdue, Rutgers, Wisconsin
Home: Nebraska, Northwestern, Penn State, USC
Away: Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan State, Wisconsin
Home: Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Penn State, UCLA
Away: Maryland, Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State
Home: Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Ohio State, USC
Away: Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Rutgers
Home: Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Wisconsin
Away: Maryland, Northwestern, Penn State, Purdue, UCLA
Home: Indiana, Minnesota, Penn State, Purdue
Away: Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Nebraska, USC
2025 Big Ten Football Opponents
Home: Indiana, Minnesota, Northwestern, Ohio State, UCLA
Away: Nebraska, Penn State, Purdue, Wisconsin
Home: Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Rutgers
Away: Illinois, Maryland, Ohio State, Purdue, USC
Home: Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Penn State
Away: Indiana, Nebraska, Purdue, Wisconsin
Home: Indiana, Michigan, Nebraska, Penn State
Away: Minnesota, Northwestern, Ohio State, Rutgers, UCLA
Home: Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue
Away: Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan State, Nebraska
Home: Michigan, Northwestern, Penn State, UCLA
Away: Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, USC, Wisconsin
Home: Maryland, Michigan State, Nebraska, USC, Wisconsin
Away: Illinois, Iowa, Penn State, Purdue
Home: Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Rutgers, UCLA
Away: Maryland, Minnesota, Ohio State, USC
Home: Maryland, Ohio State, Purdue, Rutgers, Wisconsin
Away: Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State
Home: Indiana, Maryland, Nebraska, USC
Away: Illinois, Michigan, Northwestern, Purdue, Wisconsin
Home: Illinois, Minnesota, Rutgers, UCLA
Away: Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, USC
Home: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Ohio State
Away: Michigan, Northwestern, Rutgers, UCLA
Home: Maryland, Purdue, USC, Wisconsin
Away: Indiana, Nebraska, Northwestern, Penn State, UCLA
Home: Maryland, Purdue, Rutgers, Wisconsin
Away: Illinois, Michigan State, Nebraska, Penn State, USC
Home: Indiana, Michigan State, Nebraska, Penn State, UCLA
Away: Minnesota, Ohio State, Rutgers, Wisconsin
Home: Illinois, Iowa, Michigan State, Ohio State, USC
Away: Minnesota, Northwestern, Rutgers, UCLA
Football Schedules
Big 10 releases future scheduling before the SEC releases theirs which has spread out until next Wednesday. A first perhaps to upstage the rival conference?
Conferences adopting the Big Sky scheduling matrix of play every member H & A in a 4-year time frame. This matrix has been in the Big Sky for about the past 8-10 years.
Big Sky plays everyone H&A every 3 years
Are they upstaging the SEC? Because their result in my opinion is a hot mess. Some teams have 3 protected rivalries, others have 2, 1, and some none. How does Penn State not get Maryland, Ohio State, and Rutgers annually?
MrVandy: PSU considers itself unrivaled and when the B10 asked each school to list their top 3 rivals in order of importance, PSU said they don’t consider any other B10 school a rival.
In practice, I think PSU will play USC and MSU often.
It’s odd they didn’t wanna keep Ohio State vs Penn State each and not have them with at least 1 permanent opponent.
Keeping PSU-OSU would be profitable. But not having them play each year raises the odds both of them make the CFP.
I wonder who UCLA will play on thanksgiving weekends that USC plays Notre Dame
California? Like they have for some time.
Why do you assume USC will continue to play Norte Dame the last game of the season every other year?
I don’t expect that game to continue when UCLA leaves the conference but maybe it will.
It won’t matter in 2024 since that will be a 14 week season, so UCLA will likely just have a second bye that week (Nov 30). In 2026 and 2028 though? Who knows. Maybe the Pac 12 or Mountain West has an odd number of teams, and they’re able to move their already scheduled game against SDSU or Nevada to that weekend. Or better yet, the conferences get rid of their conference championship games (which will serve little purpose with the expanded playoff), and they can schedule conference games for the first week of December.
Thanksgiving weekend can be an odd weekend as many teams play their top rivals, but fewer students are present due to the long holiday weekend. I would expect that someone will be happy to play their “end of the year” rival the weekend before Thanksgiving, and travel to Pasadena at the end of November. Consider that Penn State/Michigan State was never a big rivalry, rather ‘whose left?’ after others were paired up.
Perhaps once in 4 years Michigan State goes to Pasadena Thanksgiving weekend and Penn State either plays a nonconference game or has a bye. Penn State might like bye here if they might be in the conference championship game the next weekend. Two years later, they switch roles.
Most likely is that a B10 team schedules an independent (UConn, UMass, or Army) when ND plays at USC to end the season.
The Big Ten should have a 7-game conference schedule with 3 protected and 4 rotating opponents for each school
No they should not! Why do you keep pitching such garbage? This is NEVER going to happen!!!!
Conference members want to play each other not schedule 5 OOC games.most of which would be inferior competition. Craziness Z-Man.
So, is Penn State the only school without a protected game? At least my Terps don’t have to play them every year.
B1G should INCREASE the conference games, not decrease – especially when they eventually get to 20 or 24.
Face it most conference games are not attractive ratings-wise. The ability to schedule more juicy OOC games and protect rivalries that would otherwise be lost to realignment should be too good to pass up.
Z-Man, nope. Of the top 45 or so most-watched games controlled by the B10, roughly 40 will be conference games and only roughly 5 will be OOC games. The big boys typically play 1 marquee OOC opponent each year but half those games aren’t controlled by the B10.
Z-Man,,,,,,,Do you also have a handle named Sheriff Buford T. Justice.
2 Peas in the same pod.
I am surprised Maryland is the only team that went for the Rutgers rival. It is a very practical move.