USC, UCLA will face Michigan during their first season in Big Ten
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Southern California and UCLA will both face Michigan during their first season as members of the Big Ten Conference in 2024.
The conference announced the opponents for the 2024 and ’25 football seasons Thursday afternoon. Next year will be the first season with 16 teams and no divisional format as the top two teams will qualify for the conference championship game.
USC and UCLA both announced last year that they were leaving the Pac-12 Conference to join the Big Ten.
Big Ten teams will continue to play nine conference games. Under the flex protect model, which protects some rivalries, each school will play each other at least twice — once home and once away — during a four-year period. The Crosstown Showdown between USC and UCLA is one of 11 protected rivalries to guarantee it continues every year.
Michigan will host the Bruins next season and travel to Los Angeles to face the Trojans. In 2024, Ohio State will face UCLA at the Rose Bowl and host USC in 2025.
For its first two seasons in the Big Ten, USC will have home-and-home series against Penn State and Wisconsin while UCLA’s is with Nebraska and Rutgers.
In 2024, UCLA hosts Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Ohio State and USC. The road games are against Iowa, Michigan, Indiana and Rutgers.
In 2025, UCLA has home games against Maryland, Purdue, Rutgers and Wisconsin. The road games will be Illinois, Michigan State, Nebraska, Penn State and USC.
USC welcomes Illinois, Iowa, Michigan and Wisconsin to the LA Memorial Coliseum in 2024. The Trojans will travel to Maryland, Northwestern, Penn State, Purdue and UCLA.
In 2025, USC will host Indiana, Michigan State, Nebraska, Penn State and UCLA and travel to Minnesota, Ohio State, Rutgers and Wisconsin.
The game dates for the 2024 season will be announced later this year.
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