There will be major implications all year long in the Big Ten.
There’s plenty of change heading into the 2024 college football season, and we’re now looking at a conference (and national) landscape that’s hard to recognize. Major conference realignments and a new 12-team playoff format bring plenty of intrigue to the upcoming season.
Thanks to the conference realignment aspect, the Big Ten looks much different than it has for the last decade. The conference brings in four big-time programs from out west in Oregon , Washington , USC and UCLA , making everyone’s schedule a little tougher.
Additionally, the two-division format is a thing of the past, and the conference championship game will now feature the two teams with the best conference records.
The new schedule means plenty of big games with big implications sprinkled throughout the season, taking us away from the Michigan-Ohio State –Penn State round-robin in the east division we’ve seen for the last three years. Today, we’ll look at the six games on the schedule that will likely have the biggest implications in the conference and playoff races.
Sept. 21: USC at Michigan
It seems strange to think a game in September could have this big of an impact. However, by the time this game rolls around, Michigan will have already played Texas while USC will have already played LSU . In other words, it’s possible this could be an early-season matchup of one-loss teams.
With the 12-team format, two losses don’t necessarily sink your season like it used to, but two losses before the calendar flips to October could be catastrophic depending on how the losing team recovers.
Another thing to think about heading into this game is both teams will have already played a major opponent, giving us some idea of how they should perform against another quality opponent. Regardless, there could be some strong early-season narratives coming out of this one.
Oct. 12: Ohio State at Oregon
These two squared off in Columbus back in 2021 and it ended up being the first of two losses that year for Ohio State , playing a role in its elimination from playoff consideration.
On paper, these two teams are the best in the Big Ten heading into the season, and it won’t be a surprise to see them in the top-five of the preseason AP Poll when it comes out. With that said, one of these teams will have at least one conference loss on its resume at the season’s halfway point with big games yet to come for both sides, meaning the loser will have to show some resilience down the stretch.
On the flip side, it’s not unreasonable to think the loser of this game has only one loss at season’s end, making this simply a really good matchup of two playoff teams, or even a conference championship preview.
Oct. 12: Penn State at USC
Oct. 12 is shaping up to be a big day in the conference, as other than Ohio State vs. Oregon, we’ve got Penn State heading to USC.
Penn State avoids both Oregon and Michigan on the schedule this year, giving the Nittany Lions one of the relatively easier schedules amongst the Big Ten’s best teams. As such, a midseason road matchup with USC is a great chance to pad the resume and build momentum.
This game has high stakes for the Trojans as well considering they have a tough schedule this season. USC plays Penn State, Michigan, Wisconsin, UCLA and Washington in the conference, as well as Notre Dame and LSU out of the conference. This is a winnable game for the Trojans, and capitalizing would go a long way in keeping playoff hopes alive.
The bottom line is both teams appear to be good on paper, but they still will have to prove that they should be considered among the Big Ten’s best teams with Oregon, Ohio State and Michigan. Both should be on the fringes of the playoff discussion for now, but a win could do wonders for either side.
Nov. 2: Oregon at Michigan
The Ducks are one of three major challenges on Michigan’s schedule in 2024, along with Texas and Ohio State. Meanwhile, Oregon’s other major challenge is its aforementioned matchup with Ohio State.
At this point in the season, it’s not unreasonable Michigan could have already lost two games, meaning a win would be needed to keep playoff hopes alive. A win would also go a long way in impressing the committee in case Michigan needs an at-large bid to sneak in.
For the Ducks, they face Washington, Wisconsin and Maryland after this. They should be favored in all three, so a win over Michigan could be the cherry on top of a great regular season, setting them up for a spot in the conference championship and a top seed in the playoff.
Nov. 2: Ohio State at Penn State
Nov. 2 will be the second Saturday on the calendar with two major games — the aforementioned Michigan vs. Oregon, and this game between the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions.
With Michigan and Penn State not playing each other in the regular season, this is slated to be one of the only matchups of traditional Big Ten powers in 2024. There are some big implications for both sides.
As we’ve previously mentioned, Penn State and Ohio State both have some big matchups early in the year, meaning it’s certainly possible both teams enter this game with one or more losses on their resumes. As such, this game could go a long way in pushing one of these teams to the fringes of the playoff race, while it could further solidify a spot for the winner.
This could be Penn State’s biggest chance in 2024 to push itself over the playoff hump.
Nov. 27: Michigan at Ohio State
It’s fair to question if the regular season’s version of The Game will lose some of its juice going forward, as this could be just the first time these teams meet up this season. Playing this game could wind up being a mere formality for bragging rights depending on the status of both teams heading into it, but it could also be for all the marbles again.
Of course, with this game coming at the end of the year, there’s wide range of records that either of these teams could have coming in. It’s certainly possible they could both have a loss or two, making this a de facto playoff elimination game, which it has been in recent years anyways.
What’s interesting, though, is this game likely has a bigger impact on the conference championship race, as Oregon could be well-positioned for a spot in Indianapolis by now. With tough conference slates for both sides, this could also remove the loser for conference title contention.