ROSEMONT, Ill. – The Big Ten Conference today announced league football opponents for the 2024, 2025, 2026, 2027 and 2028 football seasons. With the additions of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), University of Oregon, University of Southern California (USC) and the University of Washington into the conference, 2024 will be the first season with 18 teams and no divisional format.

The 2024 Big Ten football season will debut the Flex Protect XVIII 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 – and will play rotating opponents no more than three times in a five-year period.

Primary objectives considered included the following:

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.

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, Oregon-Washington and UCLA-USC.

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 game dates for the 2024 football schedule will be announced at a later date.

MICHIGAN STATE – FUTURE BIG TEN OPPONENTS

2024
Home: Indiana, Iowa, Ohio State, Purdue, Rutgers
Away: Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Oregon

2025
Home: Maryland, Michigan, Penn State, UCLA
Away: Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, USC

2026
Home: Illinois, Nebraska, Northwestern, Oregon, Washington
Away: Michigan, Rutgers, UCLA, Wisconsin

2027
Home: Indiana, Michigan, Rutgers, Wisconsin
Away: Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Washington

2028
Home: Iowa, Minnesota, Penn State, Purdue, USC
Away: Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Oregon

COURTESY MICHIGAN STATE ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS