Big change could come to Big Ten football schedule in 2024: report

There could be a major change coming to the Big Ten football schedule starting in the 2024 season, the same year College Football Playoff expansion will take place

We could see a big change to the Big Ten football schedule in time for when USC and UCLA join the conference in time for the 2024 college football season as the league is set to drop its requirement that teams have to play a Power Five non-conference team, according to a report from insider Brett McMurphy.

While the Big Ten is yet to announce an official schedule format for next season, it is believed the league will keep its nine-game conference rotation.

And it's expected that Big Ten teams will still be allowed to schedule FCS teams: Back in 2016, the conference introduced a rule that forbade B1G schools from playing non-FBS opponents and mandated that they play at least one non-conference game against a Power Five school.

But in 2017, the Big Ten relaxed that rule, allowing members to schedule an FCS opponent during those seasons where they have four conference home games.

Should this new rule pass, Big Ten teams would still be allowed to schedule Power Five non-conference opponents, but the conference would no longer require it.

While the College Football Playoff places a heavy premium on quality of schedule when making its postseason selections, observers believe that adding USC and UCLA to the conference slate would offset any perceived decline in schedule quality by teams adding FCS teams to the non-conference slate.

As of 2023, USC is the only FBS college football program to never play an FCS opponent.

College football schedule for expanded 2024, 2025 playoff announced

2024 will be a landmark season in the history of college football after it was announced that the College Football Playoff will expand its postseason format from four teams to 12 to determine the national championship, and when Texas and Oklahoma will make their historic move to the Southeastern Conference.

(Action Network)

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