Did the Big Ten one-up the SEC 2024 schedule release?
The Big Ten and SEC will both have additions to the conference in 2024 that could alter the landscape.
The UCLA Bruins and USC Trojans will leave the Pac-12 to join the Big Ten. The Oklahoma Sooners and Texas Longhorns will leave the Big 12 to join the Southeastern Conference.
Let's take a look at which conference has the better model for implementing their incoming programs.
Who will UCLA, USC, Oklahoma and Texas face in conference play in 2024?
The UCLA Bruins will host the Minnesota Golden Gophers, Nebraska Cornhuskers, Northwestern Wildcats, Ohio State Buckeyes and USC Trojans in 2024. They will visit the Indiana Hoosiers, Iowa Hawkeyes, Michigan Wolverines and Rutgers Scarlet Knights.
The USC Trojans will host the Illinois Fighting Illini, Hawkeyes, Wolverines and Wisconsin Badgers in 2024. They will visit the Maryland Terrapins, Wildcats, Penn State Nittany Lions, Purdue Boilermakers and Bruins.
The Oklahoma Sooners will host the Alabama Crimson Tide, South Carolina Gamecocks, Tennessee Volunteers and the Texas Longhorns in 2024. They will visit the Auburn Tigers, LSU Tigers, Missouri Tigers and Ole Miss Rebels.
The Texas Longhorns will host the Florida Gators, Georgia Bulldogs, Kentucky Wildcats and Mississippi State Bulldogs in 2024. They will visit the Arkansas Razorbacks, Texas A&M Aggies, Vanderbilt Commodores and the Sooners in Dallas.
Check out the full Big Ten and SEC conference schedules below:
Big Ten 2024 & 2025 conference opponents https://t.co/C8E4hlxZSj
SEC 2024 conference schedule. SEC joins WAC as only 16-team FBS conferences to only play 8 league games #ItJustMeansMoreNonConferenceGames https://t.co/CG4GEINTvj
Which of the Big Ten and SEC has the better schedule model?
The Big Ten will adopt a 'Flex Protect Model,' which will protect rivalries by giving programs annual opponents. Nicole Auerbach of The Athletic discussed the model, stating:
"The Flex Protect concept is a flexible rivalry scheduling model that would allow schools to play between one and three protected annual opponents while cycling through the rest of the league’s schools over multiple years.
"The new model will begin when the Big Ten grows to 16 members in 2024, officially ending its divisional era. The Big Ten will continue to play nine conference games."
The Big Ten has also implemented two-play opponents, which gives teams a home and away series with different opponents every two years. The two-play opponents will ensure each team faces other opponents twice every four years.
The SEC, on the other hand, faced backlash from fans as they will continue to play eight conference games despite having 16 teams. The league has been accused of prioritizing protecting winning records of lower-level SEC programs over putting forth the best possible product for the fans. Despite the complaints, each team in the SEC will face a gauntlet of an eight-game conference schedule.