The Big Ten conference saw even another expansion on August 4, 2023, when Oregon and Washington were included. With the addition of those two teams and the previously announced UCLA and USC, the conference now has eighteen teams.
In addition to adding the four teams, The Big Ten implemented a new football scheduling scheme that called for opponents to be rotated from 2024 to 2028. This was the background against which I considered examining the teams Ohio State will not be participating in 2024 and speculating on the potential season for each of those teams. Given their relative skill levels and the difficulties of their schedules, it would not be unfeasible for one of those teams to end up in The Big Ten Championship Game.
Here are the teams I have already previewed, arranged alphabetically below, before I go any further. To view any of these teams in the past, just click on their name; the link will direct you there.
First place went to the Illinois Fighting Illini, followed by the USC Trojans, Maryland Terrapins, Minnesota Golden Gophers, Rutgers Scarlet Knights, UCLA Bruins, and Illinois Fighting Illini.
I know I’m using this phrase a lot, but I swear this is the last time you’ll see it in one of these posts until Ohio State’s October 12th game against Oregon. Alright, I’ll be honest: I’m going to have to adjust to this.
Like any other West Coast club making this historic transfer, the Washington Huskies cause as much havoc as possible as they enter The Big Ten. Similar to their longstanding foe UCLA, Washington has major personnel losses on both sides of the ball and a brand-new coach in Jeff Fisch.
Ohio State’s next scheduled regular-season game is scheduled to take place in Husky Stadium in 2025. The game’s timing and date have not yet been disclosed.
Principal Employee Losses in 2023: Alright, take a deep breath now. Ten Washington players were selected in the 2024 NFL Draft. What was even more noteworthy was that three of those athletes were chosen among the top twenty players chosen in total. Washington suffered the subsequent losses:
– Michael Penix, Jr., quarterback (ATL Falcons, first round; qualified as THE surprise selection of the first round, but I won’t stray too far from the topic)
– WR Rome Odunze, Chicago Bears, first round
– Troy Fautanu (OT), Pittsburgh Steelers, first round
– Wide Receiver Ja’Lynn Polk, New England Patriots, 2nd round
OT Roger Rosengarten, Baltimore Ravens, 2nd round
– OLB Bralen Trice, Atlanta Falcons, third round
WR Jalen McMillan, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, third round
– Edefuan Ulofoshio, LB, Buffalo Bills, fifth round
– S. Dominique Hampton, Washington Commanders, fifth round
Devin Culp, a tight end, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, seventh round
A starting quarterback, three wide receivers, both starting offensive tackles, a starting tight end, a starting linebacker, and a starting safety are among the talented players that any team would find hard to replace. Add to the chaos of attempting to adjust to a new conference after losing your head coach and hiring a new one. Aw.
Prospects for the 2024 Schedule: The non-conference portion of the schedule features Washington State in The Apple Cup (September 14 at 3:30 pm ET on Peacock), Eastern Michigan (September 7 at 3:30 pm ET on The Big Ten Network), and Weber State (August 31 at 11 pm ET on The Big Ten Network). (Just as I mentioned above, it will take some getting used to considering Washington vs. Washington State as a “non-conference game”).
With Washington hosting Northwestern on September 21 and then going to Rutgers for a Friday night game on September 28 (8 pm ET on FOX), the Big Ten conference portion does not get off to a particularly tough start. The memories of past seasons and the difficulties of the current season begin to surface around October and November when the schedule flips.
This could be a fun repeat of last season’s national championship game between Washington and Michigan on October 5. When the Huskies go to Iowa City on October 12, they will play Iowa for the first time since the 1964 campaign. For the first time since September 23, 1978, Washington will travel to Memorial Stadium to play Indiana on October 26. On November 2, the team will return home to play longtime rival USC.
Washington’s first-ever trip to Beaver Stadium will take place on November 9th when the Nittany Lions play Penn State in a “White Out” game. Although the kickoff time has not yet been announced, it is likely to occur at 3:30 or 7 p.m. ET, so keep an eye out for it. It will be dark when the game is over, even though it kicks off at 3:30 p.m. ET.
The 2024 #PennState White Out is set for Nov. 9 against #Washington.
🎟️: https://t.co/og5R9Ne6h2 #Sponsored pic.twitter.com/40ChhekXe6
— Nittany Central (@NittanyCentral) July 15, 2024
After hosting UCLA on Friday, November 15th (9 p.m. ET kickoff) on FOX, Washington will take a week off before traveling to Autzen Stadium to play Oregon on November 30th to wrap out the regular season. Certainly a bruising introduction to The Big Ten.
Forecast for 2024: Washington cannot be taken into consideration for either the Big Ten Championship Game or the College Football Playoffs because it needs to replace too many important positions. In their non-conference and early conference games, it wouldn’t surprise me if the Huskies got off to a fast start before faltering toward the conclusion of the campaign. A bowl squad that is more suited for the middle of the conference than for the upper echelons. The Huskies will be competitive this season under Jedd Fisch, a capable coach.
Next week, we’ll examine how the Wisconsin Badgers’ 2024 season might pan out in the eighth and final installment of this series. Thank you for reading, and please share your thoughts as always.
