The football schedule for the 2024 season in the Big Ten conference is the topic of discussion in this article. USC, a newcomer to the conference, will face Michigan in its first-ever Big Ten game. UCLA, on the other hand, will embark on two cross-country trips. The scheduling process for these games utilized the Flex Protect XVIII model, which takes into account protected rivalries and rotation to avoid long gaps between match-ups. To ensure fairness for teams traveling from different time zones, such as those from the Eastern or Central time zone going to the West Coast, and vice versa for new additions from the West Coast, including USC, UCLA, Oregon, and Washington, the schedule allows for either a home game or an open week following these lengthy journeys. In both the 2024 and 2025 seasons, every team will have two open weeks, which simplified the scheduling process. The main objectives of the schedule were to achieve geographical and travel balance, as well as competitive balance. Teams from the Eastern or Central time zones will have open weeks after their trips to the West Coast, and in 2024, the West Coast teams will not have consecutive away games. UCLA’s season will kick off with a game against Hawai’i, followed by trips to Penn State and Rutgers, while also hosting Minnesota and having an open week after the Rutgers match. Protected rivalry games in the conference include Oregon-Washington and UCLA-USC. USC and Washington will also face off in Seattle. USC will embark on their Big Ten journey against Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Penn State, while Oregon will take on Ohio State and Michigan in a four-week stretch. The highly anticipated USC-UCLA game is set to take place on November 23, allowing USC to wrap up their regular season by hosting Notre Dame. Notably, the schedule does not include any conference games during the opening weekend, with only one in both Week 2 and Week 3. While there is currently only one confirmed Friday game on the Big Ten schedule, there may be additional games added, despite opposition from coaches due to high school games. The conference is expected to announce its 2025 schedule during the 2024 season.