Michigan Football: Thoughts on Updated Big Ten Schedule

The Big Ten just announced conference opponents for the 2024-2025 seasons, so how does it look for Michigan football and others?

The Big Ten made an exciting announcement on Thursday as they released each team’s conference opponents for the 2024 and 2025 seasons, along with announcing that they are eliminating divisions following the 2023 season. Combined with the expanded 12-team playoff that’s coming in 2024, College Football will be as exciting as ever.

The new schedule does not come without questions, however. There is still much that needs to be sorted through and figured out, and in this article, I’ll be giving my thoughts on some of these things.

Is the Big Ten now the Hardest Conference?

The conference will be far more competitive. That means more losses and fewer titles for teams like Michigan football, Ohio State, and Penn State.

Obviously, we all want Michigan football to win the Big Ten every year, so that could seem like a negative.

However, as the saying goes, iron sharpens iron. With the 12-team playoff, two or three losses won’t necessarily derail championship dreams. A team like Michigan football will be able to afford to drop a game or two while still competing for a national championship, which is the real goal.

The addition of USC is huge because of their electric offense. As it stands currently, Ohio State is really the only Big Ten team that has successfully put up 50+ points through the air. Enter USC. Michigan football (and other teams) will get to see a wider variety of offensive schemes, along with a higher level of offensive talent.

This will make each team better prepared for the playoffs, giving the Big Ten a better opportunity to win championships and eventually take the throne from the SEC as the best conference.

What will the Impact be on the Ohio State Rivalry?

This is a question that’s currently being debated. With the new setup, the top two teams in the conference will meet in the Big Ten Championship, with both likely making the playoffs. Because of this, it’s very realistic that Michigan football and Ohio State could play 2-3 times in a single season, somewhat diminishing the importance of that last regular season game.

Forever, The Game has been so important because it has been the difference between making the Big Ten Championship or missing out on it. Making the playoffs or missing out on them. But if the two teams are going to play each other the following week, does that make it a bit less significant?

I hate that idea and am very against having the two rivals play in back-to-back weeks. However, since the decision was already made to scrap divisions, the question is: should The Game be played earlier in the season to avoid playing each other in back-to-back weeks?

The thought of playing The Game in October is disgusting, but would it be a better alternative to playing back-to-back weeks some years? To me, no. I’d rather keep the biggest and best game in college football for the last week of the regular season.

As for the chance to meet in the playoffs, that’s a beautiful thought. A Michigan football vs Ohio State playoff game, which is bound to happen at some point, will be the most hyped-up game in a long time. That will be an amazing game.