Big Ten releases dates, matchups for 2024 football schedule

The Big Ten has announced its full 2024 schedule, including dates and matchups. It’s a big year for the league, which welcomes four new teams to the fray.

Oregon, USC, UCLA and Washington are all on their way into the league, and they all found out their opponents a few months ago. Now, those teams know when they’ll play after the Big Ten revealed the 2024 schedule.

There are plenty of intriguing matchups awaiting next season as part of the Big Ten’s Flex Protect Plus scheduling format. Of course, divisions are also going away, which add to the changes awaiting the conference after this year.

Illinois Fighting Illini

Sept. 21: at Nebraska
Sept. 28: at Penn State
Oct. 12: vs. Purdue
Oct. 19: vs. Michigan
Oct. 26: at Oregon
Nov. 2: vs. Minnesota
Nov. 16: vs. Michigan State
Nov. 23: at Rutgers
Nov. 30: at Northwestern

Illinois will start the year at Nebraska as part of its 2024 Big Ten schedule and won’t play a home conference game until Oct. 12 against Purdue. The Fighting Illini’s protected rivalry against Northwestern will again close out the season.

Indiana Hoosiers

Sept. 14: at UCLA
Sept. 28: vs. Maryland
Oct. 5: at Northwestern
Oct. 19: vs. Nebraska
Oct. 26: vs. Washington
Nov. 2: at Michigan State
Nov. 9: vs. Michigan
Nov. 23: at Ohio State
Nov. 30: vs. Purdue

Indiana gets one of the first looks at a Big Ten newcomer when it heads to UCLA in Week 2. That will be the Hoosiers’ lone trip out West, though, as Washington comes to Bloomington in October.

Iowa Hawkeyes

Sept. 21: at Minnesota
Oct. 5: at Ohio State
Oct. 12: vs. Washington
Oct. 19: at Michigan State
Oct. 26: vs. Northwestern
Nov. 2: vs. Wisconsin
Nov. 9: at UCLA
Nov. 23: at Maryland
Nov. 29: vs. Nebraska

Iowa’s protected rivalry against Nebraska will once again take place on a Friday to close out the year. That will bookend the Hawkeyes’ 2024 Big Ten schedule, which starts with a road game at Minnesota.

Maryland Terrapins

Sept. 7: vs. Michigan State
Sept. 28: at Indiana
Oct. 12: vs. Northwestern
Oct. 19: vs. USC
Oct. 26: at Minnesota
Nov. 9: at Oregon
Nov. 16: vs. Rutgers
Nov. 23: vs. Iowa
Nov. 30: at Penn State

Maryland and Michigan State will be the first Big Ten game of the 2024 season when the two teams square off in Week 1. The Terrapins will have to make the cross-country trek to start November, though, when they head to Oregon.

Michigan Wolverines

Sept. 21: vs. USC
Sept. 28: vs. Minnesota
Oct. 5: at Washington
Oct. 19: at Illinois
Oct. 26: vs. Michigan State
Nov. 2: vs. Oregon
Nov. 9: at Indiana
Nov. 23: vs. Northwestern
Nov. 30: at Ohio State

Michigan will start off the conference schedule in a big way in 2024 when Big Ten newcomer USC comes to Ann Arbor. The Wolverines also have Washington and Oregon on their schedule before closing out the year against Ohio State in The Game.

Michigan State Spartans

Sept. 7: at Maryland
Sept. 28: vs. Ohio State
Oct. 5: at Oregon
Oct. 19: vs. Iowa
Oct. 26: at Michigan
Nov. 2: vs. Indiana
Nov. 16: at Illinois
Nov. 23: vs. Purdue
Nov. 30: vs. Rutgers

Michigan State and Maryland will square off in Week 1 to kick off the Big Ten schedule of games. The Spartans’ battle for the Paul Bunyan Trophy sits at the end of October, this time around at The Big House.

Minnesota Golden Gophers

Sept. 21: vs. Iowa
Sept. 28: at Michigan
Oct. 5: vs. USC
Oct. 12: at UCLA
Oct. 26: vs. Maryland
Nov. 2: at Illinois
Nov. 9: at Rutgers
Nov. 23: vs. Penn State
Nov. 30: at Wisconsin

Minnesota starts its Big Ten schedule with a rematch of this year’s thriller against Iowa, marking the earliest the two teams have ever played. The Golden Gophers then start a tough stretch with Michigan, USC and UCLA in consecutive weeks.

Nebraska Cornhuskers

Sept. 21: vs. Illinois
Sept. 28: at Purdue
Oct. 5: vs. Rutgers
Oct. 19: at Indiana
Oct. 26: at Ohio State
Nov. 2: vs. UCLA
Nov. 16: at USC
Nov. 23: vs. Wisconsin
Nov. 29: at Iowa

Year 2 of the Matt Rhule era kicks off at home against Illinois as part of a favorable start to conference play. Things pick up in the second half, though, with Ohio State, UCLA, USC and Wisconsin waiting before the season-ending showdown against Iowa.

Northwestern Wildcats

Sept. 21: at Washington
Oct. 5: vs. Indiana
Oct. 12: at Maryland
Oct. 19: vs. Wisconsin
Oct. 26: at Iowa
Nov. 2: at Purdue
Oct. 16: vs. Ohio State
Nov. 23: at Michigan
Nov. 30: at Illinois

Northwestern gets one of the first trips out west when the Wildcats head out to Seattle to take on Washington. They’ll also head on the road to close out the year, taking the short trip down I-57 to take on Illinois in the protected rivalry game.

Ohio State Buckeyes

Sept. 28: at Michigan State
Oct. 5: vs. Iowa
Oct. 12: at Oregon
Oct. 26: vs. Nebraska
Nov. 2: at Penn State
Nov. 9: vs. Purdue
Nov. 16: at Northwestern
Nov. 23: vs. Indiana
Nov. 30: vs. Michigan

Ohio State’s schedule features some marquee games, notably a road matchup against Oregon, to start the year. The Big Ten championship game could run through Columbus, though, with Michigan coming to town for The Game.

Oregon Ducks

Sept. 28: at UCLA
Oct. 5: vs. Michigan State
Oct. 12: vs. Ohio State
Oct. 19: at Purdue
Oct. 26: at Illinois
Nov. 2: at Michigan
Nov. 9: vs. Maryland
Nov. 16: at Wisconsin
Nov. 30: vs. Washington

A battle between two of the newest Big Ten members awaits Sept. 28 when Oregon kicks off its new conference schedule against UCLA at the Rose Bowl. The Ducks also have a trip to College Park on their 2024 schedule to take on Maryland, which looks like one of their lone cross-country trips.

Penn State Nittany Lions

Sept. 28: vs. Illinois
Oct. 5: vs. UCLA
Oct. 12: at USC
Oct. 26: at Wisconsin
Nov. 2: vs. Ohio State
Nov. 9: vs. Washington
Nov. 16: at Purdue
Nov. 23: at Minnesota
Nov. 30: vs. Maryland

Penn State doesn’t have a “protected rivalry” on its 2024 schedule, but a key Big Ten rematch awaits Nov. 2 against Ohio State. The Nittany Lions also do something they haven’t done in some time: They open the conference schedule at home.

Purdue Boilermakers

Sept. 28: vs. Nebraska
Oct. 5: at Wisconsin
Oct. 12: at Illinois
Oct. 19: vs. Oregon
Nov. 2: vs. Northwestern
Nov. 9: at Ohio State
Nov. 16: vs. Penn State
Nov. 23: at Michigan State
Nov. 30: at Indiana

Purdue will welcome Nebraska to start its 2024 Big Ten schedule and avoid a trip to the Pacific time zone. Oregon will come to West Lafayette, though, and a tough stretch awaits to start November with Ohio State and Penn State back-to-back.

Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Sept. 28: vs. Washington
Oct. 5: at Nebraska
Oct. 12: vs. Wisconsin
Oct. 19: vs. UCLA
Oct. 26: at USC
Nov. 9: vs. Minnesota
Nov. 16: at Maryland
Nov. 23: vs. Illinois
Nov. 30: at Michigan State

Rutgers immediately gets a West Coast team to start its 2024 Big Ten schedule when Washington makes the 2,800-mile trip to Piscataway. The Scarlet Knights will then head out West, as well, to take on USC in late October.

UCLA Bruins

Sept. 14: vs. Indiana
Sept. 28: vs. Oregon
Oct. 5: at Penn State
Oct. 12: vs. Minnesota
Oct. 19: at Rutgers
Nov. 2: at Nebraska
Nov. 9: vs. Iowa
Nov. 16: at Washington
Nov. 23: vs. USC

UCLA kicks off its first year in the Big Ten with two straight home games before its first road trip to State College. The Bruins then return home for a week before heading back out east to take on Rutgers as part of its 2024 schedule as they settle in to their new home.

USC Trojans

Sept. 21: at Michigan
Sept. 28: vs. Wisconsin
Oct. 5: at Minnesota
Oct. 12: vs. Penn State
Oct. 19: at Maryland
Oct. 26: vs. Rutgers
Nov. 2: at Washington
Nov. 16: vs. Nebraska
Nov. 23: at UCLA

USC doesn’t have to wait long to see one of the best teams in the Big Ten when the Trojans head to Michigan. Their schedule features some marquee matchups, and will close out the year with the rivalry against UCLA staying in place.

Washington Huskies

Sept. 21: vs. Northwestern
Sept. 28: at Rutgers
Oct. 5: vs. Michigan
Oct. 12: at Iowa
Oct. 26: at Indiana
Nov. 2: vs. USC
Nov. 9: at Penn State
Nov. 16: vs. UCLA
Nov. 30: at Oregon

Washington’s first Big Ten season features trips to Rutgers and Penn State as they settle in to the league. The Huskies will end the year with a rematch of this year’s thriller against Oregon — this time, heading to Eugene.

Wisconsin Badgers

Sept. 28 – at USC
Oct. 5 – vs. Purdue
Oct. 12 – at Rutgers
Oct. 19 – at Northwestern
Oct. 26 – vs. Penn State
Nov. 2 – at Iowa
Nov. 16 – vs. Oregon
Nov. 23 – at Nebraska
Nov. 30 – vs. Minnesota

Wisconsin starts the Big Ten schedule at The Coliseum against USC as Luke Fickell gets ready for his second year at the helm. The Badgers’ rivalry game against Minnesota will also close out the slate, which features multiple notable matchups.

The 2024 season will be a big one for the Big Ten and college football as a whole. Not only will it be the first year after the conference realignment shakeup, but it will also mark the beginning of the 12-team College Football Playoff — meaning the landscape is changing dramatically.