The Gophers are going to the Rose Bowl in 2024 … to play UCLA in the regular season. Fellow Big Ten newcomer USC will visit Minneapolis the following year.
Minnesota's trophy games against Iowa and Wisconsin will continue to be played on an annual basis.
And, as the Big Ten telegraphed, the East/West divisions are going away after this coming season. Starting in 2024, to reach the Big Ten title game, a team needs to finish first or second in the 16-team conference standings.
Those are a few takeaways from the Big Ten's Thursday announcement of its 2024 and '25 football scheduling model, which will accommodate the additions of UCLA and USC. The Gophers will play UCLA, whose home is Rose Bowl Stadium, during the Bruins' inaugural season in the Big Ten.
For 2024, the Gophers will have conference home games against Iowa, Northwestern, Ohio State and Rutgers, and they'll travel to UCLA, Indiana, Michigan, Nebraska and Wisconsin.
In 2025, the Gophers will play host to Maryland, Michigan State, Nebraska, USC and Wisconsin. Minnesota will travel to Illinois, Iowa, Penn State and Purdue. Dates for all Big Ten games both years are to be determined.
Under a new scheduling model called "Flex Protect Plus," teams were allowed to designate up to three permanent rivalry opponents. In the Gophers' case, Iowa and Wisconsin are designated as permanent rivals, continuing the Floyd of Rosedale and Paul Bunyan's Axe matchups every year.
The Gophers have played Wisconsin 132 times and Iowa 116 times, and Gophers athletic director Mark Coyle and coach P.J. Fleck emphasized their desire to keep those rivalries protected.
