Big Ten announces Ohio State football opponents with additions of USC and UCLA

We finally have some news on the football scheduling front with the additions of USC and UCLA.

The Big Ten conference announced the conference schedules for the 2024 and 2025 seasons on Thursday, the first that the two L.A. area teams will be a part of the conference. And yeah, it’s juicy, but not too terribly spicy for the Ohio State football program.

Divisions are gone. Officially. And while the Buckeyes will still play the teams you’ve been accustomed to seeing in 2024 and beyond, it will travel to UCLA next year while also hosting Iowa. There will not be a matchup against USC in year one, something everyone most likely wanted to see between the two schools. Instead, Michigan and Iowa will travel to play the men of Troy, while USC will play at Penn State. Ohio State does host the Trojans in 2025.

Here’s a complete look at Ohio State’s Big Ten conference schedule over the next couple of years.

2024 (dates TBD)

Away Games
Michigan State
Minnesota
Penn State
UCLA

Home Games
Illinois
Iowa
Michigan
Northwestern
Rutgers

2025 (dates TBD)

Away Games
Illinois
Michigan
Northwestern
Purdue
Wisconsin

Home Games
Indiana
Maryland
Nebraska
USC

In putting the schedules together, the Big Ten implemented and announced the “Flex Play Model, essentially keeping eleven protected matchups throughout the conference. Ohio State’s only protected matchup that will be played every single year is, of course, the contest against Michigan. The Flex Play Model also allows each member to continue to play nine conference games, with all teams playing every other conference opponent at least twice — one home and once away — in a four-year period.

Here is the complete list of the protected matchups:

Illinois vs. Northwestern
Illinois vs. Purdue
Indiana vs. Purdue
Iowa vs. Minnesota
Iowa vs. Nebraska
Iowa vs. Wisconsin
Maryland vs. Rutgers
Michigan vs. Michigan State
Ohio State vs. Michigan
Minnesota vs. Wisconsin
UCLA and USC

Game dates for the 2024 schedule will be announced at a later date. We’ll have more on this in the upcoming days, weeks, and months.

More!

Initial thoughts on Ohio State and the Big Ten’s new football schedule model

'The Game' between Ohio State and Michigan multiple times in one season?

Report: Ohio’s top 2024 prospect to officially visit Ohio State at the end of June

Spring football might be coming to Ohio but not the way you think

Highly coveted cornerback has Ohio State in top seven

Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes, and opinion. Follow Phil Harrison on Twitter.

Story originally appeared on Buckeye Wire