2024 B1G College Football Schedules

February 20, 2024 by CollegeFootballPoll.com Staff

The Big Ten released its full 2024 conference schedule, giving a clear-eyed view of next year's slate with the additions of Oregon, Washington, USC and UCLA. The 18-member conference will be the biggest in the Football Bowl Subdivision, and the new scheduling model attempts to balance geography, history and competitive balance -- a challenge for a league that stretches from Piscataway, New Jersey, to Los Angeles, California. 

(SOURCES: Team websites, BigTen.org, CBSSports.com)

Maryland hosts Michigan State in the first Big Ten game of the year in Week 2, but several follow soon after. UCLA becomes the first newcomer to play a Big Ten game as the Bruins host Indiana on 9/14. One week later, USC travels to play two-time reigning Big Ten champion Michigan in a marquee matchup. Washington also hosts Northwestern the same week. 

The schedule makers opted to ease the pressure on the West Coast schools in the early schedule. USC, UCLA, Washington and Oregon only play two combined Big Ten games outside of Pacific Time Zone during the month of September. However, one is a Huskies road trip to Rutgers, three time zones away. 

With the expansion, the Big Ten opted to get rid of a divisional format after more than a decade. The Big Ten Championship Game will now feature the top two teams in the conference standings after tiebreakers. Seventeen of the 18 member institutions have at least one protected rivalry in the new "Flex Protect XVIII model," which was released at the beginning of October. Penn State is the only team that will have a fully rotating schedule. 

While the weekends are largely set for games, the Big Ten and its television partners could adjust other games to Friday nights. As of release, Nebraska-Iowa on Black Friday is the only scheduled Friday game on the calendar. Washington, Rutgers and Northwestern are the only schools remaining with openings on their schedule. 

2024 schedules for each Big Ten team can be viewed below. 

Protected Rivals

Illinois: Northwestern, Purdue
Indiana: Purdue
Iowa: Minnesota, Nebraska, Wisconsin
Maryland: Rutgers
Michigan: Michigan State, Ohio State
Michigan State: Michigan
Minnesota: Iowa, Wisconsin
Nebraska: Iowa
Northwestern: Illinois
Ohio State: Michigan
Oregon: Washington
Purdue: Illinois, Indiana
Rutgers: Maryland
USC: UCLA
UCLA: USC
Washington: Oregon
Wisconsin: Iowa, Minnesota

Bye ("OPEN") Weekends

Every team has 2 byes with mosy schools getting a bye in October and another in November. Ohio State seems to have recived the toughest draws on bye week, getting their first after the opening game and their second on October 19. That means the Buckeys will end the season with 6 straight games, and potentially followed by a 7th consecutive week of play in the conference championship.

Oregon will play 8 straight weeks between its two byes which fall on 9/21 and 11/23.

USC will have 7 straight games between its byes.

Washington will open with 7 straight games before getting its first bye.

No school is open in WSeek 1 or Week 16.

The weekend of 11/9 has the most teams receving a respite with 6 while no other weekend has more than 4 on hiatus.

8/31 ---
9/7 Purdue, UCLA
9/14 Ohio State, Penn State, Rutgers, USC
9/21 Oregon, Wisconsin
9/28 Iowa, Northwestern
10/5 Illinois, Maryland
10/12 Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska
10/19 Minnesota, Ohio State, Penn State, Washington
10/26 Purdue, UCLA
11/2 Maryland, Rutgers
11/9 Illinois, Michigan State, Nebraska, Northwestern, USC, Wisconsin
11/16 Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota
11/23 Oregon, Washington
11/30 ---

Team-by-Team schedules

Illinois

8/29 Eastern Illinois (FCS)
9/7 Kansas
9/14 Central Michigan
9/20 at Nebraska
9/28 at Penn State
10/5 OPEN
10/12 Purdue
10/19 Michigan
10/26 at Oregon
11/2 Minnesota
11/9 OPEN
11/16 Michigan State
11/23 at Rutgers
11/30 at Northwestern

Indiana

8/31 FIU
9/7 Western Illinois (FCS)
9/14 at UCLA
9/21 Charlotte
9/28 Maryland
10/5 at Northwestern
10/12 OPEN
10/19 Nebraska
10/26 Washington
11/2 at Michigan State
11/9 Michigan
11/16 OPEN
11/23 at Ohio State
11/30 Purdue

Iowa

8/31 Illinois State (FCS)
9/7 Iowa State
9/14 Troy
9/21 at Minnesota
9/28 OPEN
10/5 at Ohio State
10/12 Washington
10/19 at Michigan State
10/26 Northwestern
11/2 Wisconsin
11/9 at UCLA
11/16 OPEN
11/23 at Maryland
11/29 Nebraska

Maryland

8/31 UConn
9/7 Michigan State
9/14 at Virginia
9/21 Villanova
9/28 at Indiana
10/5 OPEN
10/12 Northwestern
10/19 USC
10/26 at Minnesota
11/2 OPEN
11/9 at Oregon
11/16 Rutgers
11/23 Iowa
11/30 at Penn State

Michigan

8/31 Fresno State
9/7 Texas
9/14 Arkansas State
9/21 USC
9/28 Minnesota
10/5 at Washington
10/12 OPEN
10/19 at Illinois
10/26 Michigan State
11/2 Oregon
11/9 at Indiana
11/16 OPEN
11/23 Northwestern
11/30 at Ohio State

Michigan State

8/31 FAU
9/7 at Maryland
9/14 Prairie View A&M (FCS)
9/21 at Boston College
9/28 Ohio State
10/5 at Oregon
10/12 OPEN
10/19 Iowa
10/26 at Michigan
11/2 Indiana
11/9 OPEN
11/16 at Illinois
11/23 Purdue
11/30 Rutgers

Minnesota

8/29 North Carolina
9/7 Rhode Island (FCS)
9/14 Nevada
9/21 Iowa
9/28 at Michigan
10/5 USC
10/12 at UCLA
10/19 OPEN
10/26 Maryland
11/2 at Illinois
11/9 at Rutgers
11/16 OPEN
11/23 Penn State
11/30 at Wisconsin

Nebraska

8/31 UTEP
9/7 Colorado
9/14 Northern Iowa (FCS)
9/20 Illinois
9/28 at Purdue
10/5 Rutgers
10/12 OPEN
10/19 at Indiana
10/26 at Ohio State
11/2 UCLA
11/9 OPEN
11/16 at USC
11/23 Wisconsin
11/29 at Iowa

Northwestern

8/31 Miami (Ohio)
9/7 Duke
9/14 Eastern Illinois (FCS)
9/21 at Washington
9/28 OPEN
10/5 Indiana
10/12 at Maryland
10/19 Wisconsin
10/26 at Iowa
11/2 at Purdue
11/9 OPEN
11/16 Ohio State
11/23 at Michigan
11/30 Illinois

Ohio State

8/31 Southern Miss
9/7 Western Michigan
9/14 OPEN
9/21 Marshall
9/28 at Michigan State
10/5 Iowa
10/12 at Oregon
10/19 OPEN
10/26 Nebraska
11/2 at Penn State
11/9 Purdue
11/16 at Northwestern
11/23 Indiana
11/30 Michigan

Oregon

8/31 Idaho (FCS)
9/7 Boise State
9/14 at Oregon State
9/21 OPEN
9/28 at UCLA
10/5 Michigan State
10/12 Ohio State
10/19 at Purdue
10/26 Illinois
11/2 at Michigan
11/9 Maryland
11/16 at Wisconsin
11/23 OPEN
11/30 Washington

Penn State

8/31 at West Virginia
9/7 Bowling Green
9/14 OPEN
9/21 Kent State
9/28 Illinois
10/5 UCLA
10/12 at USC
10/19 OPEN
10/26 at Wisconsin
11/2 Ohio State
11/9 Washington
11/16 at Purdue
11/23 at Minnesota
11/30 Maryland

Purdue

8/31 Indiana State (FCS)
9/7 OPEN
9/14 Notre Dame
9/21 at Oregon State
9/28 Nebraska
10/5 at Wisconsin
10/12 at Illinois
10/19 Oregon
10/26 OPEN
11/2 Northwestern
11/9 at Ohio State
11/16 Penn State
11/23 at Michigan State
11/30 at Indiana

Rutgers

8/31 Howard (FCS)
9/7 Akron
9/14 OPEN
9/21 at Virginia Tech
9/28 Washington
10/5 at Nebraska
10/12 Wisconsin
10/19 UCLA
10/26 at USC
11/2 OPEN
11/9 Minnesota
11/16 at Maryland
11/23 Illinois
11/30 at Michigan State

UCLA

8/31 at Hawaii
9/7 OPEN
9/14 Indiana
9/21 at LSU
9/28 Oregon
10/5 at Penn State
10/12 Minnesota
10/19 at Rutgers
10/26 OPEN
11/2 at Nebraska
11/9 Iowa
11/16 at Washington
11/23 USC
11/30 Fresno State

USC

9/1 LSU (at Las Vegas)
9/7 Utah State
9/14 OPEN
9/21 at Michigan
9/28 Wisconsin
10/5 at Minnesota
10/12 Penn State
10/19 at Maryland
10/26 Rutgers
11/2 at Washington
11/9 OPEN
11/16 Nebraska
11/23 at UCLA
11/30 Notre Dame

Washington

8/31 Weber State
9/7 Eastern Michigan
9/14 Washington State
9/21 Northwestern
9/28 at Rutgers
10/5 Michigan
10/12 at Iowa
10/19 OPEN
10/26 at Indiana
11/2 USC
11/9 at Penn State
11/16 UCLA
11/23 OPEN
11/30 at Oregon

Wisconsin

8/31 Western Michigan
9/7 South Dakota
9/14 Alabama
9/21 OPEN
9/28 at USC
10/5 Purdue
10/12 at Rutgers
10/19 at Northwestern
10/26 Penn State
11/2 at Iowa
11/9 OPEN
11/16 Oregon
11/23 at Nebraska
11/30 Minnesota