Big Ten strength of schedule rankings 2024: USC, UCLA face tough slates in first year after leaving Pac-12

I’ve been ranking Big Ten strengths of schedule for years now, and every time, I’ve made a point of saying that, while some schedules are easier than others, there’s no such thing as an easy schedule in the Big Ten. It’s a statement that’s even truer now that the league expands to 18 teams.

For years, the East Division was always catching the shorter end of the stick, as programs like Rutgers, Indiana, Maryland and Michigan State couldn’t escape the trio of Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State. While they’re out of that predicament, they now run the risk of running into an Oregon or USC.

Then, there are the programs that were in the West Division. Every year, one of the best ways to determine which program had a leg up in the division race was to find the one that missed at least two of those eastern powers, if not all three. That divisional protection is gone.

Everybody is playing at least nine conference games, and everybody is facing at least two teams who could be in the College Football Playoff. There is nowhere to hide, and this was only driven further home for me as I meticulously dug into each schedule to determine which Big Ten schools have it tougher than everyone else.

We’ll start with the most difficult and work our way to the “easiest.”