USC and UCLA won't begin football play as Big Ten members until the fall of 2024, but at 3:30 p.m. today on the Big Ten Network, the conference will give a preview of what the 16-team league will look like when it announces its 2024 and '25 scheduling model and each team's opponents.
Based on several media reports, fans can expect the following:
- Under a new scheduling model, teams would be allowed to designate up to three permanent rivalry opponents, while the remaining opponents would cycle through the schedule over several years. In the Gophers' case, look for at least Iowa and Wisconsin to be permanent rivals with the possibility to designate a third team.
- The new schedule will mark the end of the division format, which began in 2011 with the Leaders and Legends divisions and moved to the East and West format in 2014. Since the East-West format started, no West team has won the Big Ten Championship Game. Under the new plan, the teams with the two best records in conference play would meet in the title game.
- The conference schedule will remain at nine games.
Along with the live BTN show, the announcement can be streamed via the Fox Sports App and will be covered via the Big Ten Network's Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram platforms.
