BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The Big Ten announced the slate of conference opponents through for the next five seasons of college football on Thursday via the Big Ten Network.
Over the summer, the conference expanded to 18 teams ahead of the start of the 2024-25 athletic season, including the likes of Washington and Oregon to planned additions USC and UCLA.
By doing so, the conference would need to redo the schedules previously put in place for the upcoming seasons. Now, each team knows who they'll be playing and where – all the way through the 2028 season of college football in the conference.
The full slate of Indiana's opponents through the next five years – through the 2028 season – are as follows:
2024 – Home: Maryland, Michigan, Nebraska, Purdue, Washington Away: Michigan State, Northwestern, Ohio State, UCLA
(Dates for the 2024 schedule will be announced at a later date.)
2025 – Home: Illinois, Michigan State, UCLA, Wisconsin Away: Iowa, Maryland, Oregon, Penn State, Purdue
2026 – Home: Minnesota, Northwestern, Ohio State, Purdue, USC Away: Michigan, Nebraska, Rutgers, Washington
2027 – Home: Iowa, Michigan, Penn State, Rutgers Away: Illinois, Michigan State, Minnesota, Purdue, USC
2028 – Home: Illinois, Maryland, Oregon, Purdue, Washington Away: Northwestern, Penn State, UCLA, Wisconsin
From a release by Indiana University:
With the additions of Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington into the conference for the 2024 season, the Big Ten will debut the Flex Protect XVIII model, which was designed to accommodate 18 Big Ten Conference football programs beginning with the 2024 season. The model is built upon the foundation established by the Flex Protect+ plan announced in spring 2023, before Oregon and Washington joined the Conference and incorporates extensive feedback from schools, athletic directors, and coaches.
The Big Ten Conference will continue the nine-game conference schedule as it has since the 2016 season. Under the scheduling model, schools will play other members at least twice during a five-year cycle – and no more than three times – with one home and one road game included during the five-year span. The conference office also worked to balance the annual travel by distance, regions of the conference, and time zones, along with maintaining flexibility as the college football landscape evolves.
Conference schedules will include 12 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 18 member institutions to ensure the traditions of the Big Ten Conference remain strong as the conference evolves, including the annual Battle for the Old Oaken Bucket between Indiana and Purdue.
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.
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