Big Ten reveals Rutgers Football opponents for 2024-25 season

The Big Ten is changing and new teams are being thrown into the mix. This means new opponents for Rutgers and the first step to a schedule over the next two years has been shared.

On Thursday, the Big Ten revealed conference opponents for the 2024-25 seasons. The biggest change, aside from the addition of USC and UCLA, is that the conference will do away with divisions. The Big Ten Championship Game will feature the top two teams rather than relying on winners of the East and West divisions.

There are also “protected games,” which will be played annually. Each team has one protected opponent and for Rutgers, it will be Maryland. The Scarlet Knights will also play a home-and-away series with Penn State.

In 2025, Rutgers will not play either Michigan or Ohio State for the first time since joining the Big Ten. USC and UCLA are both on the schedule that year.

The Big Ten Administrators Council approved opponent rotations after considering many points. According to a release by the Big Ten, this included:

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 annual travel by distance, regions of the conference, and time zones.
• Balance of historic competitiveness and recent competitive trends, including home/away balance of traditionally competitive schools.
• Balance and maximization of television inventory each season.

Rutgers Big Ten Opponents

2024

• Home: Illinois
• Home: Iowa
• Home: Michigan
• Home: Penn State
• Home: UCLA
• Away: Maryland
• Away: Michigan State
• Away: Minnesota
• Away: Ohio State

2025

• Home: Maryland
• Home: Purdue
• Home: USC
• Home: Wisconsin
• Away: Indiana
• Away: Nebraska
• Away: Northwestern
• Away: Penn State
• Away: UCLA