Penn State Football: “Unrivaled” future schedules

Introduction

The Big Ten Conference made headlines on Thursday as it unveiled its ambitious expansion to a 16-team conference. This exciting announcement not only shed light on the new scheduling format but also disclosed the list of opponents for each team in the upcoming 2024 and 2025 football seasons. With USC and UCLA joining the conference, the Big Ten’s geographical footprint now stretches from the East Coast (New Jersey) to the West Coast (Los Angeles).

Continuation of Nine-Game Schedule

Despite the expansion, the Big Ten conference will maintain its nine-game schedule. However, one significant change will be the elimination of divisions, which were initially introduced when the conference expanded to 12 teams back in 2011 with the addition of Nebraska. In the redefined format, each team will face every conference opponent at least twice over four years, ensuring both home and away matchups.

The “Flex Protect Plus” Model

To facilitate the scheduling process, the Big Ten implemented the innovative “Flex Protect Plus” model. This model incorporates protected rivalries and rotating opponents for each school, ensuring competitive matchups and variety. Among the 16 schools in the conference, 11 rivalries have been designated as protected, guaranteeing annual clashes. Additionally, every school will have three “two-play opponents” whom they will face consecutively, both at home and away. While every team possesses at least one protected rivalry, it is noteworthy that Penn State is the only team without such a designation. Conversely, Iowa stands out with an impressive three protected rivalries. Evidently, it’s not just Penn State that detests the Hawkeyes.

Penn State’s Upcoming Opponents

Let’s delve into the upcoming two seasons and examine Penn State’s opponents. In the 2024 football season, the Nittany Lions will face Michigan State, Nebraska, Northwestern, Ohio State, and USC at home. Their road trips will take them to Indiana, Purdue, Rutgers, and Wisconsin, promising an exciting lineup of games.

Looking ahead to the 2025 season, Penn State’s home games will showcase matchups against Illinois, Minnesota, Rutgers, and UCLA, offering fans thrilling contests on their home turf. On the road, the Nittany Lions will take on Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, and USC, promising an array of challenging away games.

Conclusion

With the Big Ten’s expansion to a 16-team conference and the inclusion of USC and UCLA, the conference has set the stage for an exciting future in college football. The elimination of divisions and the implementation of the “Flex Protect Plus” model ensures compelling rivalries and diverse matchups for each school, except for Penn State.

The Nittany Lions are truly becoming “Unrivaled”.