Big Ten Unveils New Scheduling Format – The Big Ten conference has recently unveiled an exciting update regarding the scheduling format for the upcoming 2024 and 2025 college football seasons. With the inclusion of two prominent universities, UCLA and USC, from the Pac-12 conference, the Big Ten is determined to create a dynamic and competitive environment for all teams involved. The conference aims to prioritize traditional rivalries by eliminating divisions while ensuring balance and flexibility in adapting to evolving postseason formats. We will explore the new scheduling format and its implications for participating college football teams.
Rotating Opponents and Annual Rivalry Games
UCLA will enter the Big Ten for the 2024 season with many anticipated match-ups against Michigan and Ohio State under a new scheduling format that ensures teams face opposing teams from various divisions within the conference, with specific annual rivalry games excluded from the rotational schedule.
2024 will see UCLA hosting Ohio State and Michigan, while USC is scheduled to play Michigan away. USC also features an encounter against Penn State; UCLA won’t face them.
Big Ten Unveils New Scheduling Format: Travel Distances and Home-Away Balance
As part of the scheduling adjustments, USC’s most extended road trip in 2024 will be to Maryland, while UCLA’s longest journey will be to Rutgers. Conversely, USC’s shortest road trip, aside from its cross-town game against UCLA, will be against Purdue. For UCLA, the shortest commute will be to Iowa.
The distribution of home and away games for the two teams will be slightly different in 2024. USC will play four home games and five away games, whereas UCLA will have five home games and four away games. This distribution will reverse in 2025 when USC faces Ohio State on the road, and UCLA Bruins does not encounter either of the two Big Ten teams that participated in the College Football Playoff after the 2022 season.
Protected Rivalry Games and Schedule Flexibility
Traditionally, certain rivalry games hold immense significance in the Big Ten conference. The Big Ten has protected vital matchups from maintaining these rivalries and ensuring stability in the new scheduling format. Iowa, for instance, will have three rivalry games safeguarded on its schedule from 2024 onwards, including games against Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Nebraska. However, Penn State does not have a protected rival.
The conference has designated two protected rivalry games for five teams and one for nine. The list of annual rivalry games includes Illinois vs. Northwestern, Illinois vs. Purdue, Indiana vs. Purdue, Iowa vs. Minnesota, Iowa vs. Nebraska, Iowa vs. Wisconsin, Maryland vs. Rutgers, Michigan vs. Michigan State, Michigan vs. Ohio State, Minnesota vs. Wisconsin, and the highly anticipated UCLA vs. USC showdown.
Future Adjustments and Factors Considered
The Big Ten clarified that the new scheduling format will be in effect only for the 2024 and 2025 seasons, allowing room for potential tweaks. The conference outlined the following factors behind the form:
1. Adapting to the evolving college football postseason format to facilitate access for programs to an expanded College Football Playoff.
2. Balancing travel distances, regional considerations, and time zones.
3. Considering historical competitiveness and recent trends, including maintaining a balance between home and away games for traditionally competitive schools.
4. Maximizing television inventory each season.
Back-to-Back Seasons and Rotation
Under the new format, each team will have three opponents guaranteed for back-to-back seasons. Due to Iowa’s three protected rivalry games, it will not face any other 12 conference teams in back-to-back seasons. For other teams, their non-rival opponents will rotate through their group of three every two seasons.
For example, Penn State will have home-and-home matchups with Michigan State, Rutgers, and USC in 2024 and 2025. Subsequently, Penn State will likely have three new back-to-back opponents in 2026 and 2027. On the other hand, Michigan State will continue to face Michigan every year while rotating two new home-and-home opponents in 2026 and 2027, assuming the current format remains.
As the Big Ten 2024college football eagerly welcomes UCLA and USC into its ranks, the conference has introduced a new scheduling format that accommodates the additions while preserving essential rivalries and maintaining flexibility. Eliminating divisions allows for a more dynamic rotation of opponents, ensuring balance in the home and away games, travel distances, and historic competitiveness. The scheduling changes are set to apply for the 2024 and 2025 seasons, with the potential for further adjustments to meet the evolving needs of college football.
