It is getting real now. Big 10 opponents revealed through 2028
Posted: Thu Oct 05, 2023 6:24 pm
The wait is over.
(One wait, at least.)
Sixty-two days after Washington and Oregon announced moves to the Big Ten Conference in 2024, the Big Ten unveiled the Huskies’ league opponents for the next five seasons Thursday. The dates of each game have yet to be announced.
The Huskies’ list of looming match ups looks like this:
2024 season
Home games: Michigan, Northwestern, UCLA, USC
Road games: Indiana, Iowa, Oregon, Penn State, Rutgers
2025 season
Home games: Illinois, Ohio State, Oregon, Purdue, Rutgers
Road games: Maryland, Michigan, UCLA, Wisconsin
2026 season
Home games: Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Penn State
Road games: Michigan State, Nebraska, Oregon, Purdue, USC
2027 season
Home games: Maryland, Michigan State, Nebraska, Oregon, USC
Road games: Minnesota, Northwestern, Penn State, Rutgers
2028 season
Home games: Michigan, Northwestern, UCLA, Wisconsin
Road games: Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Ohio State, Oregon
UW’s opponents were designated via the Big Ten’s “Flex Protect XVIII model,” which balances both protected rivals and other rotating foes. Outside of selected rivals, a team will play every other conference opponent at least twice — once home and once away — and no more than three times in a five-year period. The Huskies will continue to play nine conference games.
Twelve protected match ups — “a combination of historic and geographic rivalries, as well as trophy games,” according to a Big Ten release — will be played annually as well.
The guaranteed match ups — “finalized in conjunction with all 18 member institutions” — are UW-Oregon, Illinois-Northwestern, Illinois-Purdue, Indiana-Purdue, Iowa-Minnesota, Iowa-Nebraska, Iowa-Wisconsin, Maryland-Rutgers, Michigan-Michigan State, Michigan-Ohio State, Minnesota-Wisconsin and UCLA-USC.
The Dawgs and Ducks will still play every year.
But beyond that, prepare to travel.
For comparison’s sake, UW will log roughly 7,528 round trip miles for Pac-12 conference road games at Arizona, Stanford, USC and Oregon State in 2023.
Here’s how UW’s conference travel distances project over the next five seasons.
2024 (five games): 19,772 round trip miles
2025 (four games): 16,220 round trip miles
2026 (five games): 15,128 round trip miles
2027 (four games): 18,378 round trip miles
2028 (five games): 19,638 round trip miles
The Big Ten, meanwhile, listed the following “primary objectives” in assembling future schedules:
Balance of annual travel by distance, regions of the conference, and time zones.
Maintaining control and flexibility as the college football postseason format evolves, with the goal to create access for programs into an expanded College Football Playoff.
Balance of historic competitiveness and recent competitive trends, including home/away balance of traditionally competitive schools.
Washington will enter a new world next fall.
Start saving your airplane membership miles.
