Times are a-changing and the Big Ten is driving the bus, although in a reimagined conference, that bus will be left parked more often than not.
USC and UCLA are joining a conference that has been known for bad weather and bouts of hideous football. And nothing quite says "Big Ten football" like adding two teams from Southern California. But they are here to stay, and that means a new scheduling format — a natural conclusion with 16 schools spanning from coast to coast.
Trojans fans who were wondering what their team's initial Big Ten schedule would look like received their answer Thursday, courtesy of the conference.
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While dates will be finalized in the future, they can start familiarizing themselves with new road cities after the school was persuaded to trade beautiful fall weather in parts of the West Coast for the cold of the Upper Midwest.
What wasn't lost in the shuffle was the Big Ten's history. The conference has kept it in the form of 11 "protected" matchups that focus largely on historical and geographical rivalries and other trophy games. That means USC vs. UCLA won't be going away anytime soon.
So-called "two-play" opponents were also introduced Thursday. Schools will play a pair of designated opponents in a home-and-home series in consecutive years. The duos will rotate every two seasons.
Here is everything you need to know about who Lincoln Riley's squad will be playing in the Big Ten in 2024 and 2025.
USC football schedule 2024
Home
- Illinois
- Iowa
- Michigan
- Wisconsin
Four schools will be making the trek to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in 2024, and in most cases they haven't been out there in decades.
Away
- Maryland
- Northwestern
- Penn State
- Purdue
- UCLA
The road schedule for USC's first season in the Big Ten is on the easier end. It avoids trips to Michigan and Ohio State and will likely steer clear of the harshest weather in the conference.
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USC football schedule 2025
Home
- Indiana
- Michigan State
- Nebraska
- Penn State
- UCLA
USC's first home faceoff with longtime rival UCLA in the Big Ten will have to wait until 2025.
Away
- Minnesota
- Ohio State
- Rutgers
- Wisconsin
The first cross-country trip for the Trojans will come in 2025 as wellwhen they visit New Jersey for a date with Rutgers. The visit represents the farthest distance between Big Ten schools, tied with UCLA to Rutgers.
What is a two-play opponent?
The Big Ten introduced "two-play" opponents to deal with expansion to 16 teams. It's designed to be a replacement for the division format that is being scrapped in 2024.
With the elimination of divisions, the Big Ten championship game will now be played between the teams with the two best records in the conference. Previously, the East Division champion would play the West Division champion.
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The Trojans' initial two-play opponents are Penn State and Wisconsin. USC will play them home and home in 2024 and 2025.
After the conclusion of the 2025 season, two different schools will be scheduled for a home-and-home with the Trojans.
Wisconsin represents one of the many Big Ten teams that USC hasn't seen often. The schools have matched up just seven times in their history, most recently in 2015. The Trojans are 6-1 all time against the Badgers.
USC isn't much more familiar with Penn State. The Trojans are 6-4 against the Nittany Lions, with the most recent meeting coming in the 2017 Rose Bowl. That game featured Sam Darnold at quarterback for USC and Saquon Barkley at running back for Penn State.