Change is coming. USC and UCLA are set to join the Big Ten in 2024, and a lot goes in to what future schedules will look like. There will be travel demands, current rivalries that need to be considered and a balance of matchups and fairness.
That’s just for starters.
And while the Big Ten has not formally announced anything regarding schedules, rumors and reports indicate the league is leaning toward a 3-6-6 model. That means that each of the 16 teams will have three protected teams it plays every year, with the other 12 in an every other year rotation. That would mean each team in the Big Ten would play every other within a two-year timeline.
But that begs the question: What will the three protected teams be for all 16 teams? Obviously, deep rivalries like Ohio State and Michigan will be a part of the untouchables, but what about the rest? Believe me when I say the exercise of determining all of that isn’t as easy as it sounds.
Of all that we’ve run across on this topic, CBS Sports’ Tom Fornelli does about as good of a job of running through all considerations to identify those teams, but we have our thoughts as well (of course we do!).
Here is what Fornelli believes will be each Big Ten football team’s three protected rivals when both USC and UCLA join the fray in 2024. We go beyond that and add our thoughts, but take it all for what it’s worth until an official announcement comes from the Big Ten.