Top 20 Big Ten football non-conference games in 2024
The world of college football is about to look a lot different this 2024 season. Conference expansion has exploded once again with the Big Ten set to add four new members from the West Coast (Oregon, UCLA, USC, and Washington), and the SEC is landing two mega programs from the Big 12 (Oklahoma and Texas). Meanwhile, the Big 12 is picking up some of the beefier leftovers from the Pac-12 and the College Football Playoff is about to expand from four teams to 12! Yes, this is going to be a college football season unlike any we have seen before.
The latest realignment changes and playoff expansion has been suggested by some to take away from the importance of the regular season. And conference expansion could once again be a blow to some storied rivalries. Fortunately in 2024, Big Ten expansion has not killed off a couple of key in-state rivalries from the Pac-12 just yet. This season will see three different SEC schools travel into a Big Ten stadium, something once only thought to be a dream for Big Ten fans ripping SEC schedules over the years.
Here is a look at the top 20 non-conference games on the Big Ten schedule this upcoming college football season.
Michigan vs. Texas (Sept. 7)
How about this for an early-season slobber knocker in Ann Arbor? Getting two of last season’s College Football Playoff teams on the same field in Week 2 is awesome on so many levels, and it could be a potential playoff preview for later in the year. You know ESPN will be setting up College GameDay for this meeting between Michigan and Texas. The Wolverines are actually facing off with two of last year’s playoff participants. Michigan will visit Washington in one of our top five Big Ten conference games of 2024.
Wisconsin vs. Alabama (Sept. 14)
Teams from the SEC don’t make many trips up to Big Ten stadiums, but that is not the case in 2024. Wisconsin will host defending SEC champion Alabama, with new head coach Kalen DeBoer in charge, in Week 3 of the season. The Crimson Tide rolling into Camp Randall Stadium should be a great scene. Alabama last visited a Big Ten stadium in 2011 with a game at Penn State.
USC vs. LSU (Sept. 1, Las Vegas)
USC will start the season with a bang in Las Vegas when they face the LSU Tigers. LSU has big hopes for the upcoming season despite losing its Heisman Trophy quarterback, but there should be plenty of fireworks in Vegas for this matchup, USC’s first as a Big Ten member.
USC vs. Notre Dame (Nov. 30)
You have to be happy to see USC managing to keep its storied rivalry with Notre Dame going as they move into the Big Ten. And the fact this game is being played in late November should make it clear that it is possible for Big Ten schools to play late November non-conference games. A previous scheduling arrangement probably forced the Big Ten’s hand here though, but it would be nice to see this remain the case in the years to come.
Nebraska vs. Colorado (Sept. 7)
The resumption of the Nebraska–Colorado rivalry did not go well for the Cornhuskers last season in Boulder. Coach Prime had the Buffs rolling early on and drawing plenty of national praise. Could this year in Lincoln be a different story? We’ll find out in Week 2.
UCLA at LSU (Sept. 21)
UCLA is coming into the Big Ten a bit of a mess, and a matchup against LSU may not make things better. Regardless, a road game against a solid SEC school is something to put on your calendar in September. This one could get painful for the Bruins though, and it could unravel quickly.
Penn State at West Virginia (Aug. 31)
Penn State won last year’s season opener against West Virginia in primetime but the Mountaineers are hoping to return the favor in Morgantown this year. Penn State makes its first trip to Morgantown since 1992 and should be in for a battle in this one. West Virginia went on to win 9 games last season after losing to the Nittany Lions in the opener.
Illinois vs. Kansas (Sept. 7)
Illinois saw a game at Kansas get away from them pretty quickly last season and will hope for a much better showing this season at home. This will be a big game for Bret Bielema and his Illini.
Oregon at Oregon State (Sept. 14)
Long live the Civil War! While it is not being played at the end of the year, we are certainly happy to see this in-state rivalry continue in 2024 by any means necessary. The two rivals are committed to keeping the series going through next season (2025), and hopefully, they figure out a way to keep it going beyond that.
Washington vs. Washington State (Sept. 14)
As Washington moves to the Big Ten and leaves rival Washington State behind, the two schools have agreed to keep the Apple Cup going through at least 2028. That is terrific news, even if the game has to be played earlier in the season instead of the final week of the regular season. But kudos to Washington for not abandoning this fun in-state rivalry just yet.
Purdue vs. Notre Dame (Sept. 14)
Purdue hasn’t always enjoyed a great amount of success against Notre Dame, but getting a home game against the Irish is always something to look forward to. Notre Dame has won the last eight meetings in this series.
Iowa vs. Iowa State (Sept. 7)
You just never know what you are going to get when Iowa plays Iowa State, but it may be safe to say scoring may not be in abundance. Sure, we have seen some shootouts between these two schools, but history would suggest we are getting a hard defensive scrap here.
Purdue at Oregon State (Sept. 21)
Here is one to keep on your radar. Purdue and Oregon State could be a fun game nobody will be focusing on, but the Beavers are coming off an impressive season. Purdue won last year’s meeting and is looking for a home-and-home sweep!
Oregon vs. Boise State (Sept. 7)
Boise State may not cause quite as much trouble as they used to, but the uniform combo alone between the Ducks and Broncos could be fun to see. Boise State is 3-0 all-time against Oregon, but this year should have a much different result.
Minnesota vs. North Carolina (Aug. 29, Thursday)
Minnesota had a rough outing against North Carolina last season in Chapel Hill, so the hope for the Gophers is that the offense is more potent and the home-field advantage plays in their favor. Throw this in on a Thursday night to open the season and we’re in.
Maryland at Virginia (Sept. 14)
Maryland dominated their former ACC foes last season in College Park as the Terrapins flexed their muscles in September. That could once again be the case as Maryland should be the favorite in this year’s meeting in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Rutgers at Virginia Tech (Sept. 21)
Rutgers took last year’s meeting against Virginia Tech in a renewal of an old Big East matchup. We’ll see if the Scarlet Knights can pick up a good road win this year in Blacksburg.
Northwestern vs. Duke (Sept. 7)
The academic bowl between Northwestern and Duke always has the potential to be sneaky entertaining, and this year will be particularly interesting. Northwestern is feeling some momentum under head coach David Braun and Duke is ushering in the Manny Diaz era in Durham.
Michigan State at Boston College (Sept. 21)
This game flew up the radar a bit for Penn State fans after Boston College announced Bill O’Brien as their new head coach. But this is an important game for Michigan State, which needs to start turning things around in East Lansing after a dismal 2023 season.
UCLA at Hawaii (Aug. 31)
Will the Big Ten get a little taste of Big Ten After Dark in Week 1? We’ll pay close attention to the start time for this one as new Big Ten member UCLA opens the season at Hawaii. Big Ten fans staying up until 2 AM is not something we are accustomed to, but this would be a heck of a way to start the new season of Big Ten football.
