Who should Big Ten football teams face on their schedule? Our experts break down the votes

Big Ten conference and school officials meet next week to perhaps decide the Big Ten’s scheduling model in 2024 when USC and UCLA join the conference.

The Big Ten appears set to end 13 years of divisional play, including 10 involving geography, following the 2023 season. League brass appears likely to select a 3-6-6 scheduling plan during a four-year period. It would allow every Big Ten team to play three opponents annually for four years and the other 12 twice (once home and away) in four years. The annual opponents would involve a mix of permanent rivalries (Ohio State-Michigan) that extend indefinitely while some series will change every four years.

Last week, The Athletic asked readers to choose three teams each program should face annually. With 1,708 responses, most of the results were not surprising: Michigan and Ohio State paired up as did Indiana–Purdue, Northwestern–Illinois, USC-UCLA, Maryland–Rutgers, Minnesota–Wisconsin and Nebraska–Iowa. There were other interesting impressions, such as Michigan State and Penn State fans selecting Michigan and Ohio State, respectively, as their top choice. When tabulating the results, Iowa’s were by far the closest in all three categories.

Our panel of Big Ten experts broke down the votes and offered their analysis on every school. That group includes Austin Meek (Michigan), Audrey Snyder (Penn State), Cameron Teague Robinson (Ohio State), Jesse Temple (Wisconsin), Mitch Sherman (Nebraska), Antonio Morales (USC) and Scott Dochterman (Iowa and others).

Michigan

Top vote totals: Ohio State 1,674; Michigan State 1,504; Penn State 505; Minnesota 417

Choice 1: Ohio State 1,438; Michigan State 210; Illinois 20

Choice 2: Michigan State 1,184; Ohio State 208; Penn State 115; Minnesota 53

Choice 3: Penn State 390; Minnesota 364; USC 318; UCLA 165

The top two spots broke down exactly as you might expect for Michigan: Ohio State No. 1, Michigan State No. 2, with a decent gap in between. Meanwhile, Michigan was far and away the No. 1 choice for Michigan State, a result that speaks to the uneven dynamic of that rivalry.

The 2022 Michigan-Ohio State game reached 17 million viewers on Fox, making it the highest-rated regular season college football game in 11 years. The Michigan-Michigan State game doesn’t draw the same audience, but it’s still one of the Big Ten’s longest-running annual rivalries. That game needs to stay on the schedule, even if there’s an argument for a cooling-off period after last year’s tunnel incident.

The third spot gets interesting for Michigan. Penn State is the most popular choice, with Minnesota not far behind. From an audience perspective, there’s also a case for playing Michigan-USC or Michigan-UCLA on an annual basis. Since there’s no clear consensus, maybe the right move is to give Michigan two protected rivals and rotate the rest. — Meek

Rutgers

Top vote totals: Maryland 1,609; Penn State 1,239; UCLA 370; Indiana 339

Choice 1: Maryland 1,334; Penn State 213

Choice 2: Penn State 866; Maryland 219; Indiana 130; Northwestern 93; UCLA 90

Choice 3: UCLA 365; Indiana 187; Northwestern 175; Penn State 160; Michigan State 160

There are two teams Rutgers fans want to see the Scarlet Knights play annually: Maryland and Penn State. They both make sense geographically. Maryland and Rutgers entered the conference together in 2014 and are located just 200 miles from one another. Penn State is the most prestigious program in the Northeast, and the teams played each other as independents before the Nittany Lions joined the Big Ten in 1993.

As for the rest, it’s a mix. For a third foe, Indiana, Northwestern and UCLA have the most votes after Maryland and Penn State. Perhaps a coast-to-coast series with UCLA might bring intrigue. — Dochterman

Penn State

Top vote totals: Ohio State 1,288; Maryland 868; Michigan State 707; Rutgers 701; Michigan 598

Choice 1: Ohio State 630; Maryland 307; Michigan State 305; Michigan 197; Rutgers 127

Choice 2: Ohio State 410; Rutgers 278; Michigan 264; Maryland 259; Michigan State 227

Choice 3: Maryland 302; Rutgers 296; Ohio State 248; USC 223; Michigan State 175

Who is Penn State’s rival? It’s the question the Nittany Lions have faced since joining the Big Ten and one that the conference has tried to fill with Rutgers and Maryland. Penn State will never be Ohio State’s rival (thanks, Michigan), but voters do want to play the Buckeyes, and I’m not surprised. Penn State has played Ohio State better than most in recent memory, even if the record is still lopsided in those games. Surely, Ohio State would like to stop being on the receiving end of the Beaver Stadium White Out.

Maryland as the second choice surprises me a bit. I suppose the Terrapins could help soften the schedule, and regionally I absolutely could see players enjoying playing Maryland because of so many familiar faces on the other side. In that regard, it seems right, even if the most notable moment between teams since Maryland joined the conference likely had to do with a pregame handshake. — Snyder

Ohio State

Top vote totals: Michigan 1,657; Penn State 1,378; USC 834; Michigan State 402; Illinois 227

Choice 1: Michigan 1,623; Penn State 22

Choice 2: Penn State 962; USC 276; Michigan State 225; Illinois 84

Choice 3: USC 558; Penn State 374; Michigan State 177; Illinois 127

There were no shockers in Ohio State’s top two choices. Michigan at No. 1 is no surprise with the rating success of the rivalry game last year. Ohio State is in a peculiar spot going into next season after losing two games in a row in the series. It needs to take control of the rivalry again.

Penn State was second for the first choice but ran away with the second-choice votes. The Nittany Lions have played Ohio State well recently, but the Buckeyes have still won the past six contests. This is also an important game for Ohio State. It gives it an important game on its College Football Playoff resume every year.

The third option was a Big Ten newcomer, USC. This game would draw national interest every year. There were a few other programs mentioned, and even UCLA got votes. The two games that are a must should be Penn State and Michigan, but the third option is up in the air. Michigan State makes sense regionally, but it might be hard for the Big Ten to pass up the annual USC-Ohio State ratings. — Robinson

Maryland

Top vote totals: Rutgers 1,624; Penn State 1,463; Ohio State 437; UCLA 302; Indiana 279

Choice 1: Rutgers 1,077; Penn State 495

Choice 2: Penn State 877; Rutgers 485; Indiana 69; UCLA 66

Choice 3: Ohio State 379; Michigan State 238; UCLA 219; Indiana 186

If this poll included all schools, the Terrapins’ choices surely would include Virginia and a few North Carolina schools. But within the Big Ten, fellow 2014 newcomer Rutgers sits at the top with Penn State second. That makes sense geographically. From there, the vote is all over the place. Among No. 3 choices, Ohio State leads, but there were plenty of votes for Michigan State, UCLA and Indiana. The latter two, in particular, are basketball-first schools, which have plenty in common with Maryland. — Dochterman

Big Ten divisional rival projections

Michigan State

Top vote totals: Michigan 1,587; Penn State 1,082; Ohio State 621; Indiana 379

Choice 1: Michigan 1,489; Penn State 89; Indiana 25

Choice 2: Penn State 646; Ohio State 351; Indiana 153

Choice 3: Penn State 347; Ohio State 248; Indiana 201

Paul Bunyan’s trophy means a ton to the Spartans, who overwhelmingly selected Michigan as their top choice. Penn State was next in line, and the on-and-off Land Grant series appears more important to outside observers than the two fan bases. Michigan State also values its series with Ohio State and Indiana enough to warrant consideration. It was strange not to see Northwestern on the list after Michigan State brass fought so hard to play the Wildcats annually in Legends and Leaders. But the poll shows Spartans fans want to see them play the Wolverines every year, and the rest is negotiable. — Dochterman

Indiana

Top vote totals: Purdue 1,607; Illinois 1,171; Michigan State 473; Northwestern 451

Choice 1: Purdue 1,385; Illinois 228

Choice 2: Illinois 650; Michigan State 222; Northwestern 175; Ohio State 126; Purdue 111; Iowa 111

Choice 3: Illinois 293; Northwestern 258; Michigan State 235; Maryland 156; Ohio State 150

The Hoosiers’ rivalry with Purdue is considered untouchable, which is why it currently is the only protected series overlapping the East and West divisions. In this vote, Indiana fans agreed in a landslide. What’s fascinating is Illinois had the second-most votes in the top category and led both the second and third choices. Indiana-Illinois was an annual series from 1995 to 2010 but surprisingly is only the Big Ten’s 29th most-played series. Northwestern and Michigan State were a distant third to the Boilers and Illini. The Old Brass Spittoon between Indiana and Michigan State is an underrated but interesting traveling trophy. — Dochterman

Wisconsin

Top vote totals: Minnesota 1,531; Iowa 1,391; Nebraska 690; Illinois 351

Choice 1: Minnesota 1,101; Iowa 389; Illinois 59

Choice 2: Iowa 785; Minnesota 340; Nebraska 161; Illinois 99

Choice 3: Nebraska 483; Iowa 217; Illinois 193; Northwestern 174

The first two voter choices are absolute no-brainers. The Wisconsin-Minnesota game is the most-played rivalry in the FBS, and the battle for Paul Bunyan’s Axe is fierce. Wisconsin and Iowa traditionally have succeeded with similar approaches and have been the most consistent programs in the West Division.

The third choice of Nebraska is interesting because it’s the rivalry people have hoped for that hasn’t materialized. Wisconsin has won nine straight games in the series, and Nebraska has yet to become relevant in the Big Ten. Illinois, which has split the past four games with Wisconsin and is led by former Badgers head coach Bret Bielema, would be an intriguing choice (and finished fourth in the voting behind Nebraska). — Temple

Illinois

Top vote totals: Northwestern 1,526; Indiana 982; Purdue 721; Iowa 592

Choice 1: Northwestern 1,232; Indiana 232; Iowa 95

Choice 2: Indiana 420; Purdue 355; Iowa 250; Northwestern 194

Choice 3: Indiana 330; Purdue 325; Iowa 247; Wisconsin 228

The Illini are like many of their Big Ten competitors. There’s one series that’s historic (Northwestern) and a handful of others that are important but kind of blend together. The Illini and Wildcats have played 115 times, tied for the fourth most in Big Ten history. Illinois also has 103 meetings with Ohio State and 98 with Purdue, which is its closest geographic competitor. But Indiana, which was considered a permanent rival from 1995 to 2010, picked up the second-most votes while longtime basketball rival Iowa also received quite a few. — Dochterman

Minnesota

Top vote totals: Wisconsin 1,547; Iowa 1,475; Nebraska 761; Michigan 496

Choice 1: Wisconsin 1,081; Iowa 418; Michigan 66

Choice 2: Iowa 835; Wisconsin 335; Nebraska 170; Michigan 121

Choice 3: Nebraska 547; Michigan 309; Iowa 222; Illinois 139; Wisconsin 131

There’s no surprise on the first two choices. Wisconsin and Minnesota have the most-played series in FBS. The Iowa-Minnesota rivalry is tied for fourth in Big Ten longevity. Both rivalries boast iconic trophies. To lose either series would rip apart the seams of what makes college football special.

The third choice is the most interesting. The oldest traveling trophy belongs to Minnesota-Michigan, and it once was the league’s signature rivalry. But its importance waned in the 1950s, and it cycled off as an annual series in the 1990s. Still, there’s a tug of war among Gophers fans between resuming yearly games with Michigan for the Little Brown Jug or continuing a regional series with Nebraska. — Dochterman

Nebraska

Top vote totals: Iowa 1,580; Minnesota 825; Wisconsin 763; USC 557; UCLA 508

Choice 1: Iowa 1,379; Wisconsin 63; Minnesota 61; USC 56

Choice 2: Minnesota 519; Wisconsin 339; UCLA 225; USC 166

Choice 3: Wisconsin 361; USC 335; UCLA 256; Minnesota 245

Quite a statement by Nebraska voters to rate Iowa as the resounding top choice, by a margin of more than 20-to-1 over Wisconsin. The recent history of competitive games against Iowa — and close Nebraska losses until 2022 — no doubt factored in. And while Nebraska also topped the list of Iowa fans, earning nearly as many overall votes as the Hawkeyes did from the Nebraska fans, the Huskers got less than half as many first-place votes from their rival to the east as Iowa received from fans of the Huskers.

The simple analysis is that Iowa has more rivals from which to choose. Minnesota over Wisconsin as the second choice of Nebraska fans surprised me a bit. Blame P.J. Fleck, who turned into a villain in Lincoln with his four consecutive wins against the Huskers.

USC and UCLA both showed strong in the Nebraska voting. It’s a safe bet that the Big Ten will feel similarly in building schedules. — Sherman

Iowa

Top vote totals: Nebraska 1,445; Minnesota 1,391; Wisconsin 1,349; Illinois 365

Choice 1: Nebraska 607; Minnesota 592; Wisconsin 334; Illinois 108

Choice 2: Wisconsin 531; Minnesota 526; Nebraska 407; Illinois 80

Choice 3: Wisconsin 484; Nebraska 431; Minnesota 273; Illinois 185

There’s no vote among any of the teams that was as close as Iowa’s. Nebraska edged Minnesota as the top choice by 15 votes, while Wisconsin topped the Gophers at No. 2 by just five votes with the Cornhuskers not far behind. It was nearly as close at No. 3 with Wisconsin on top, too.

What’s clear is Iowa fans want to play historic rivals Minnesota and Wisconsin every year, plus relative Big Ten newcomer Nebraska. Wisconsin is the closest to Iowa City in proximity, Minnesota is the most historic and Nebraska has the most growth potential. Illinois picked up some votes as a strong No. 4, but the Illini still were way behind the other three. — Dochterman

Northwestern

Top vote totals: Illinois 1,650; Indiana 713; Purdue 652; Wisconsin 505; Iowa 308

Choice 1: Illinois 1,557; Indiana 28

Choice 2: Indiana 524; Purdue 286; Wisconsin 252; Iowa 107; Michigan State 101

Choice 3: Purdue 351; Wisconsin 232; Iowa 186; Indiana 161; UCLA 132

There was no surprise with No. 1 for the Wildcats. The teams are on their second traveling trophy, and with 116 meetings, Illinois-Northwestern is tied for fourth in Big Ten history. What’s interesting is how the second and third choices broke down. When each team had two protected foes from 1995 to 2010, Northwestern played Illinois and Purdue every year. In this case, the most votes went to Indiana with border neighbors Purdue, Wisconsin and Iowa picking up quite a few, as well. What was a bigger surprise was Michigan State wasn’t among the top three or four selections in any category. — Dochterman

Purdue

Top vote totals: Indiana 1,654; Illinois 1,158; Northwestern 706; Iowa 306; Michigan State 254

Choice 1: Indiana 1,515; Illinois 110

Choice 2: Illinois 828; Northwestern 245; Indiana 113; Michigan State 111

Choice 3: Northwestern 456; Illinois 220; Iowa 189; Michigan State 143

This vote was straightforward. Purdue-Indiana ranks second in frequency among Big Ten rivalries, and often the Old Oaken Bucket salvages the season for the winner. Illinois and Purdue are located just 90 miles from one another and play for a cannon. Northwestern once was a protected series for the Boilermakers, and the Chicagoland is only a two-hour drive north. Iowa and Michigan State also rate highly for the Boilermakers. — Dochterman

USC

Top vote totals: UCLA 1,535; Ohio State 1,046; Michigan 630; Nebraska 427

Choice 1: UCLA 1,393; Ohio State 108; Michigan 90; Nebraska 29

Choice 2: Ohio State 681; Nebraska 227; Michigan 213; Penn State 176

Choice 3: Michigan 327; Ohio State 257; Penn State 241; Nebraska 221

The results are what you would expect for USC. UCLA is a necessity because it’s a historic rival (and the Trojans need someone to play on the West Coast, too).

Ohio State was the overwhelming No. 2 while Michigan came in third. USC has built a lot of shared history with those two programs thanks to the Rose Bowl. Those are classic helmet games that will be huge ratings draws. USC fans want the program to be relevant nationally — something they thought the Pac-12 hindered — and those matchups would certainly contribute to that.

Nebraska’s program has taken a hit the past two decades, but Trojans fans are in tune with their history, so it’s not a surprise to see Nebraska, a power in the sport at one time, on the list. The two programs had a home-and-home with each other in 2006-2007, which adds familiarity. — Morales

UCLA

Top vote totals: USC 1,585; Nebraska 712; Michigan 547; Ohio State 370; Penn State 328

Choice 1: USC 1,468; Michigan 46; Nebraska 38; Iowa 27

Choice 2: Nebraska 432; Michigan 258; Ohio State 212; Penn State 158

Choice 3: Michigan 243; Nebraska 242; Penn State 153; Ohio State 141

It would be illogical for UCLA fans to select any team but USC for No. 1. What’s most fascinating is how do Bruins fans view the other Big Ten teams and who would they like to see annually? It appears the choices were based on proximity and prestige. UCLA and Nebraska met as nonconference foes in 2012 and 2013 and played in the 2015 Foster Farms Bowl. The Cornhuskers also by far are the Big Ten’s closest campus outside of Southern California. — Dochterman