Breaking down Big Ten football's best matchups in 2024

ESPN

Nov 2, 2023, 06:30 PM ET

With the additions of Oregon, Washington, USC and UCLA, the Big Ten conference revealed its matchups for the 2024 to 2028 seasons last month and its full 2024 Big Ten schedule on Thursday.

Those matchups included 12 protected annual games, preserving rivalries and games of historical significance such as Ohio State-Michigan and the matchup of newcomers USC and UCLA.

There is a lot to digest. Our writers analyzed the new Big Ten, breaking down the best games and the toughest and easiest matchups.

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2024 schedule

Most exciting games

Tom VanHaaren: The 2024 schedule has a lot of really exciting matchups, but I think I'm most excited for USC traveling to Ann Arbor to play Michigan. We don't know yet if Caleb Williams will be the quarterback for the Trojans, but with Lincoln Riley as the head coach, we know the offense will be explosive. The Wolverines have put together a balanced team and have a defense that has stifled opponents this season. Putting USC's offense against Michigan's defense would be fun to watch.

Blake Baumgartner: Ohio State's visit to Eugene to tangle with the Ducks is another great matchup. The two schools last met in Columbus back in 2021, with Oregon pulling off the upset of a top-10 Buckeyes team. Dan Lanning has been doing work on the recruiting trail and the race to succeed Bo Nix at quarterback will be fun to watch, as top-25 overall prospect Michael Van Buren (No. 23 overall in 2024) headlines a class that ESPN has ranked fourth. Kyle McCord has another year of eligibility for Ryan Day & Co. and will only be better following his experience in 2023.

Paolo Uggetti: I'm with Tom and Blake, but for the sake of variety, how about Penn State traveling to USC in a rematch of the thrilling 2017 Rose Bowl? Sure, the players and some coaches are different now, but both offenses should be plenty explosive enough to provide a fitting encore. Really, any Big Ten team traveling to Los Angeles for a game against USC will make for an awesome environment not only because of the number of out-of-town fans who will make the trip, but also the transplants who already call the city their home.

Most challenging matchups

VanHaaren: Washington has a pretty tough schedule in 2024 with Iowa, Oregon, Penn State, Michigan, UCLA and USC all on tap. They'll have to travel to Indiana, Iowa, Oregon and Penn State. That Penn State game on the road could be a tough one considering how hard it is to play at Beaver Stadium. The Huskies also will have to travel to Rutgers, which will be a hike across the country. Washington is at home against Michigan, Northwestern, UCLA and USC, but that is a lot to take on in one season considering the team will likely be breaking in a new quarterback after Michael Penix Jr.'s eligibility runs out.

Baumgartner: Michigan has four games on its 2024 schedule that immediately pop off the page -- road dates with Washington and Ohio State to couple with games in Ann Arbor against USC and Oregon. Having to make only one trek out to the West Coast helps logistically. Much has been made about the quality (or lack thereof) of the Wolverines' nonconference slate the past few seasons. We knew that was likely to take care of itself with the addition of the four Pac-12 schools. But to finally see what that looks like on paper hammers home how difficult it will be to win a Big Ten crown, let alone back-to-back titles as the Wolverines have done the past two years.

Uggetti: Nebraska will have to go on the road to both Ohio State and USC in 2024. While the rest of their road games (Indiana, Iowa, Purdue) as well as their home games (Illinois, Rutgers, UCLA, Wisconsin) don't present too tough a task, the two matchups against juggernauts on their home turf are enough to make their schedule next season one of the tougher ones in the conference. And given how they've looked so far this season, one can almost assume those two games will be near-automatic losses for the Cornhuskers.

Most favorable matchups

Uggetti: In terms of big-name teams, I think Ohio State got the easiest draw in Year 1 of the new Big Ten. The Buckeyes travel to Northwestern, Michigan State, Penn State and will have to go to Oregon as their lone West Coast trip. They avoid playing USC, Washington and UCLA. That trip to Autzen will be much anticipated and, aside from perhaps the road trip to Penn State and hosting Michigan in the annual rivalry game, could be Ohio State's toughest task of the season.

VanHaaren: Rutgers has USC, UCLA and Washington, which will be a difficult stretch. But the Scarlet Knights don't have Michigan, Penn State or Ohio State on their schedule. That seems like a good trade-off, especially because the USC game is the only West Coast away game Rutgers will have in 2024. The matchups against Illinois, Minnesota, UCLA, Washington and Wisconsin will all be at home.

Baumgartner: Logistically, Iowa's schedule stands out. Only once do the Hawkeyes have to travel out to the Pacific time zone -- for a game at the Rose Bowl with UCLA. Yes, a trip to Columbus is on the docket to face the Buckeyes, but road games against Michigan State, Minnesota and Maryland seem manageable. Oregon, Michigan and Penn State aren't on the schedule. Washington will get introduced to Kinnick Stadium's legendary pink visitors locker room for the first time. With divisions going the way of the dodo bird, Iowa didn't get a terrible shake in the first year of the 18-team league.

2024 Big Ten schedule

For the full matchups through the 2028 season, click here.

Breaking down Big Ten football's best matchups in 2024

Most exciting games

Most challenging matchups

Most favorable matchups

2024 Big Ten schedule

Illinois Fighting Illini

Indiana Hoosiers

Iowa Hawkeyes

Maryland Terrapins

Michigan Wolverines

Michigan State Spartans

Minnesota Golden Gophers

Nebraska Cornhuskers

Northwestern Wildcats

Ohio State Buckeyes

Oregon Ducks

Penn State Nittany Lions

Purdue Boilermakers

Rutgers Scarlet Knights

UCLA Bruins

USC Trojans

Washington Huskies

Wisconsin Badgers