B1G To Scrap Divisions in 2024 when UCLA and USC Increase League To 16 Teams

June 8, 2023 by BigTen.org, CollegeFootballPoll.com staff

The Big Ten Conference today announced opponents for the 2024 and 2025 football seasons. With the additions of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and the University of Southern California (USC) into the conference, 2024 will be the first season with 16 teams and no divisional format.

The 2024 Big Ten football season will also debut the Flex Protect Plus model, which features a combination of protected opponents and rotating opponents for universities. Each member institution will continue to play nine intraconference games per season, and teams will play every other conference opponent at least twice – once home and once away – in a four-year period.

Conference schedules will include 11 protected matchups that will continue to be played annually and feature a combination of historic and geographic rivalries, as well as trophy games. These matchups were finalized in conjunction with all 16 member institutions to ensure the traditions of the Big Ten Conference remain strong as the conference evolves.

The guaranteed annual protected matchups are 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. The other two-play opponents for each member institution will change every two years.

The 2024 season will conclude with the annual Big Ten Football Championship Game, which will feature the top two teams in the overall conference standings at the end of the regular season, with the winner earning the Big Ten Championship. Tiebreaking procedures will be announced later.

• The 2024 and 2025 opponent rotations were approved by the Big Ten Administrators Council after careful consideration and constructs that included:
• Maintaining control and flexibility as the college football postseason format evolves, with the goal to create access for programs into an expanded College Football Playoff. Balance of annual travel by distance, regions of the conference, and time zones.
• Balance of historic competitiveness and recent competitive trends, including home/away balance of traditionally competitive schools.
• Balance and maximization of television inventory each season.

The game dates for the 2024 football schedule will be announced later this year.

2024 B1G Opponents

ILLINOIS
Home: Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Purdue
Away: Michigan State, Northwestern, Ohio, State, Rutgers, USC

INDIANA
Home: Maryland, Minnesota, Penn State, Purdue, UCLA
Away: Michigan State, Nebraska, Northwestern, Wisconsin

IOWA
Home: Maryland, Nebraska, UCLA, Wisconsin
Away: Illinois, Minnesota, Ohio State, Rutgers, USC

MARYLAND
Home: Michigan State, Purdue, Rutgers, USC, Wisconsin
Away: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan

MICHIGAN
Home: Maryland, Michigan State, Minnesota, UCLA, Wisconsin
Away: Illinois, Ohio State, Rutgers, USC

MICHIGAN STATE
Home: Illinois, Indiana, Ohio State, Purdue, Rutgers
Away: Maryland, Michigan, Nebraska, Penn State

MINNESOTA
Home: Iowa, Northwestern, Ohio State, Rutgers
Away: Indiana, Michigan, Nebraska, UCLA, Wisconsin

NEBRASKA
Home: Indiana, Michigan State, Minnesota, Wisconsin
Away: Iowa, Northwestern, Penn State, Purdue, UCLA

NORTHWESTERN
Home: Illinois, Indiana, Nebraska, USC
Away: Minnesota, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, UCLA

OHIO STATE
Home: Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Northwestern, Rutgers
Away: Michigan State, Minnesota, Penn State, UCLA

PENN STATE
Home: Michigan State, Nebraska, Northwestern, Ohio State, USC
Away: Indiana, Purdue, Rutgers, Wisconsin

PURDUE
Home: Nebraska, Northwestern, Penn State, USC
Away: Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan State, Wisconsin

RUTGERS
Home: Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Penn State, UCLA
Away: Maryland, Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State

UCLA
Home: Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Ohio State, USC
Away: Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Rutgers

USC
Home: Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Wisconsin
Away: Maryland, Northwestern, Penn State, Purdue, UCLA

WISCONSIN
Home: Indiana, Minnesota, Penn State, Purdue
Away: Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Nebraska, USC

2025 B1G Opponents

ILLINOIS
Home: Indiana, Minnesota, Northwestern, Ohio State, UCLA
Away: Nebraska, Penn State, Purdue, Wisconsin

INDIANA
Home: Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Rutgers
Away: Illinois, Maryland, Ohio State, Purdue, USC

IOWA
Home: Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Penn State
Away: Indiana, Nebraska, Purdue, Wisconsin

MARYLAND
Home: Indiana, Michigan, Nebraska, Penn State
Away: Minnesota, Northwestern, Ohio State, Rutgers, UCLA

MICHIGAN
Home: Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue
Away: Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan State, Nebraska

MICHIGAN STATE
Home: Michigan, Northwestern, Penn State, UCLA
Away: Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, USC, Wisconsin

MINNESOTA
Home: Maryland, Michigan State, Nebraska, USC, Wisconsin
Away: Illinois, Iowa, Penn State, Purdue

NEBRASKA
Home: Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Rutgers, UCLA
Away: Maryland, Minnesota, Ohio State, USC

NORTHWESTERN
Home: Maryland, Ohio State, Purdue, Rutgers, Wisconsin
Away: Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State

OHIO STATE
Home: Indiana, Maryland, Nebraska, USC
Away: Illinois, Michigan, Northwestern, Purdue, Wisconsin

PENN STATE
Home: Illinois, Minnesota, Rutgers, UCLA
Away: Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, USC

PURDUE
Home: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Ohio State
Away: Michigan, Northwestern, Rutgers, UCLA

RUTGERS
Home: Maryland, Purdue, USC, Wisconsin
Away: Indiana, Nebraska, Northwestern, Penn State, UCLA

UCLA
Home: Maryland, Purdue, Rutgers, Wisconsin
Away: Illinois, Michigan State, Nebraska, Penn State, USC

USC
Home: Indiana, Michigan State, Nebraska, Penn State, UCLA
Away: Minnesota, Ohio State, Rutgers, Wisconsin

WISCONSIN
Home: Illinois, Iowa, Michigan State, Ohio State, USC
Away: Minnesota, Northwestern, Rutgers, UCLA