Indiana is one of the biggest winners of the Big Ten’s new football scheduling format for 2024 and 2025.
The program may not say anything publicly celebrating or admitting it. But it’s the truth. These changes, brought on by UCLA and USC joining the Big Ten next summer, benefit IU football.
Maryland and Rutgers surely feel the same way. The new format helps all three programs.
The Big Ten scrapped its two divisions for football in favor of a “Flex Protect Plus” model. Several rivalry matchups — including Indiana-Purdue — were protected so the teams will continue to face off every season. Each team could have up to three rivalries protected — though Iowa was the only school to have three. Everyone else was given additional “two-play” opponents to make a combined three with the protected games; IU’s two-play opponents are Michigan State and Maryland.
It’s not entirely clear how the conference chose some matchups to be two-plays versus protected. The Hoosiers and Spartans both had only one protected opponent, so both had room for the Old Brass Spittoon game to be protected. But as it stands, that game will not happen in some years after 2025.
Aside from the two designations, the conference schedule will rotate among all the other teams. And that rotation pays instant dividends for Indiana: the Hoosiers will avoid both Michigan and Ohio State in 2024.
The Big Ten’s geographic divisions have been clearly imbalanced, pretty much since their inception in 2013. Indiana, Maryland, and Rutgers had to play Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, and Michigan State every year, while teams in the West division faced those powerhouses only once every few years. The West was always more open — Wisconsin and Iowa have had strong teams in several years, other programs aren’t complete pushovers, but the group was inferior compared to the gauntlet East division.
The conference used the East and West division structure to replace its Leaders and Legends divisions when Maryland and Rutgers joined. IU was in the Leaders division with Illinois, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, and Wisconsin. That structure was short-lived, for good reason. IU and Purdue were in the same division, but two of the Big Ten’s biggest rivalries — Ohio State-Michigan and Wisconsin-Minnesota — were split.
This new format is better for the Hoosiers than that format, too. Any format that allows for a season with Ohio State and Michigan both off Indiana’s schedule is a win.
Now, let’s be clear. The Hoosiers got a favorable draw in that way for 2024, though they’ll face both the Wolverines and Buckeyes in 2025. And the 2024 slate is not a cakewalk. Indiana has to take care of business against some still-tough opponents like Penn State, Minnesota, UCLA, and Wisconsin.
But with the 2019-20 run firmly in the rearview mirror, Indiana’s realistic goal each year is to reach six wins and obtain bowl eligibility. This new format makes that goal more attainable.
Look: IU football’s 2024 and 2025 conference schedule revealed under new Big Ten model
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