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The Big Ten is welcoming a pair of new members in the 2024 season in UCLA and USC. College football fans now know what the schedules will look like in that debut campaign.
The league announced future matchups for both the ’24 and ’25 slates on Thursday. Many are posting reactions to the news on social media as they prepare for a new era in the conference.
Big Ten 2024 & 2025 conference opponents pic.twitter.com/C8E4hlxZSj
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) June 8, 2023
Some interesting storylines certainly stand out.
- Both teams will travel to Rutgers over their first two seasons, the eastern-most team in the conference.
- USC hosts Michigan in Year 1 while the Bruins will welcome Ohio State to town.
- UCLA plays Ohio State and Michigan in Year 1 then avoids both in Year 2.
- USC’s “two-way” foes include Penn State and Wisconsin while UCLA’s include Rutgers and Nebraska.
- The Big Ten has designated USC and UCLA as “protected rivals,” meaning they’ll play yearly.
Fans were quick to comment on the Big Ten schedule release. Here’s what they had to say.
One person wrote, “UCLA and USC both having to travel away to Rutgers within their first two years in the Big 10 gives me great satisfaction!” That’s quite the trip.
Another follower said, “It’s going to take some time getting used to seeing USC and UCLA in the Big Ten!“
This fan laughed at the fact that UCLA and Rutgers will play a home and home over the first two seasons, saying, “The mad lads really made Rutgers a rival for UCLA.”
Fans of other conferences even chimed in, with this person posting, “I wish the SEC would supply a layout like this.” Instead, the SEC stuck to an eight-game conference schedule for its first season with Oklahoma and Texas, though they will do away with divisions.
It should be fun watching some of these future matchups, though it will definitely take some getting used to. USC and UCLA have one final season in the PAC 12 before making the move over to the Big Ten.