What will USC’s football schedule look like in the Big Ten Conference? It’s a point of considerable interest and intrigue, and there’s very little we know about the architecture of the schedule.
There are a few details, however, we can speak very confidently about. One is that the Big Ten is almost certain to use what is called a “3-6-6” scheduling plan when USC and UCLA join the conference. With 16 teams in the league, a 3-6-6 plan means that Big Ten schools will have three regular annual opponents, then six opponents it will play one year, and six other opponents it will play the next year. That way, every Big Ten school plays every other school in a two-year period. That is the obvious overall plan we’re likely to see. The question is which schools are the fixed annual opponents. That’s the much bigger point of uncertainty.
The other thing we’re very confident about is that in the years when USC travels to South Bend, Indiana, to play Notre Dame on the road, the Big Ten will have USC play a road game at Purdue or Indiana just before or after that road game versus the Irish. It’s an easy way for USC to play a Big Ten road game without having to travel very much. It’s exactly the kind of thing USC and athletic director Mike Bohn surely discussed with the conference when agreeing to join.
We talked more about USC Big Ten scheduling at The Voice of College Football:
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