Which Big Ten football team has the toughest schedule in 2024?

Even in the ever-changing world of college football that we live in, where teams are changing conferences and players are jumping from team to team like never before, one thing will always remain a constant: fans complaining that their path to the finish line is harder than anyone else.

That’s something that we constantly saw over the years in the Pac-12, and with the Oregon Ducks entering a new conference, we will undoubtedly see similar complaints going forward as well.

But are the complaints warranted?

It’s somewhat tough to tell with the new-look Big Ten now featuring an influx of competitive teams from the West Coast, seeing schools like Oregon, Washington, USC, and UCLA join the likes of Ohio State, Michigan, and Penn State at the top. Beyond matchups with those teams, though, does anything really stand out as daunting?

That’s something that I really wanted to find out once and for all. With the help of ESPN’s SP+ ratings that came out this week, courtesy of Bill Connelly, we were able to group every team in the nation, give them a grade, and figure out whose schedule is the toughest on paper. Here’s a breakdown of how we assigned grades to each individual team using a tier system:

• ESPN’s SP+ ranks every FBS team from 1-134. We broke those 134 teams into 20 tiers, giving the best teams in the nation a score of 10, all the way down to the worst teams in the nation getting a score of 0.

• After going through each Big Ten team’s schedule, we are able to add up their total opponent score, and determine who has the highest opponent grade for the year.

• Note: FCS opponents, such as Idaho and South Dakota were given a score of 0, along with the bottom-tier FBS schools.

For reference, here’s how the Big Ten teams graded out:

Don’t worry, it’s not as confusing as it might seem at first. With all of that being said, here’s a look at which teams have the toughest schedules on paper going into the 2024 season, and who has the easiest path to the expanded College Football Playoff.

USC Trojans

Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Total Opponent Score: 91

Average Opponent Score: 7.6

Toughest Games (Opponent Score 8 or Higher)

• LSU

• Michigan

• Wisconsin

• Penn State

• Washington

• Notre Dame

Easiest Games (Opponent Score 5 or Lower)

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Analysis: This schedule for USC is brutal. Based on our metrics, it is the most difficult in the conference by a large margin, with Utah State being the lone game that is considered “easy.” Even without Oregon on the schedule, USC has games against LSU, Michigan, Penn State, and Notre Dame. We’ll see what Lincoln Riley can do with that.

UCLA Bruins

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Total Opponent Score: 83.5

Average Opponent Score: 7

Toughest Games (Opponent Score 8 or Higher)

• LSU

• Oregon

• Penn State

• Iowa

• Washington

• USC

Easiest Games (Opponent Score 5 or Lower)

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Analysis: Oof, that’s a lot of tough games and not many easy games. While only Hawaii and Indiana classify as “easy” for UCLA, they have to face LSU, Oregon, and Penn State at the top of the schedule. With a new coaching staff, that might be tough.

Michigan Wolverines

Total Opponent Score: 79.5

Average Opponent Score: 6.6

Toughest Games (Opponent Score 8 or Higher)

• Texas

• USC

• Washington

• Oregon

• Ohio State

Easiest Games (Opponent Score 5 or Lower)

• Arkansas State

• Illinois

• Michigan State

• Indiana

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Analysis: Life without Jim Harbaugh won’t be easy for Michigan, with games against Oregon and Ohio State in the conference, while they also play Texas in the non-conference. If Michigan can be good with this schedule, it will be really impressive.

Purdue Boilermakers

Jamie Sabau-USA TODAY Sports

Total Opponent Score: 77.5

Average Opponent Score: 6.5

Toughest Games (Opponent Score 8 or Higher)

• Notre Dame

• Wisconsin

• Oregon

• Ohio State

• Penn State

Easiest Games (Opponent Score 5 or Lower)

• Indiana State

• Illinois

• Michigan State

• Indiana

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Analysis: This is the part of the list where these schedules start to get really tough. Notre Dame, Oregon, Ohio State, Penn State, and Wisconsin? Sure Purdue misses Michigan and Washington, but those top games are brutal.

Iowa Hawkeyes

Reese Strickland-USA TODAY Sports

Total Opponent Score: 76

Average Opponent Score: 6.3

Toughest Games (Opponent Score 8 or Higher)

• Iowa State

• Ohio State

• Washington

• Wisconsin

Easiest Games (Opponent Score 5 or Lower)

• Illinois State

• Troy

• Michigan State

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Analysis: Iowa misses most of the top teams in the conference, with no Oregon, Michigan, or Penn State on the schedule, but they do have a tough non-conference game against Iowa State, and a lot of solid matchups to go along with the big one vs. Ohio State.

Wisconsin Badgers

Total Opponent Score: 75

Average Opponent Score: 6.25

Toughest Games (Opponent Score 8 or Higher)

• Alabama

• USC

• Penn State

• Oregon

Easiest Games (Opponent Score 5 or Lower)

• Western Michigan

• South Dakota

• Purdue

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Analysis: Sure, no Michigan or Ohio State on the schedule, but a non-conference game against Alabama will be tough, and then matchups against Oregon and Penn State will be hard to win as well.

Minnesota Golden Gophers

Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY Sports

Total Opponent Score: 74.5

Average Opponent Score: 6.2

Toughest Games (Opponent Score 8 or Higher)

• Iowa

• Michigan

• USC

• Penn State

• Wisconsin

Easiest Games (Opponent Score 5 or Lower)

• Rhode Island

• Nevada

• Illinois

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Analysis: No Ohio State or Oregon is pretty nice, but there aren’t a ton of easy games for Minnesota. Instead, a lot of the matchups come against solid to above-average teams.

Northwestern Wildcats

Jamie Sabau-USA TODAY Sports

Total Opponent Score: 74

Average Opponent Score: 6.2

Toughest Games (Opponent Score 8 or Higher)

• Washington

• Wisconsin

• Iowa

• Ohio State

• Michigan

Easiest Games (Opponent Score 5 or Lower)

• Eastern Illinois

• Indiana

• Purdue

• Illinois

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Analysis: Northwestern misses out on Oregon and Penn State, but they’ve got several really solid opponents in Washington, Wisconsin, and Iowa. The easy games are winnable, but there are definitely some losses on the schedule.

Washington Huskies

(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Total Opponent Score: 74

Average Opponent Score: 6.2

Toughest Games (Opponent Score 8 or Higher)

• Michigan

• Iowa

• USC

• Penn State

• Oregon

Easiest Games (Opponent Score 5 or Lower)

• Weber State

• Eastern Michigan

• Indiana

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Analysis: While Washington misses Ohio State, they do have to play Michigan, Oregon, and Penn State. The non-conference schedule shapes up pretty nicely, though, so they should be good to start the year.

Oregon Ducks

(Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)

Total Opponent Score: 73.5

Average Opponent Score: 6.1

Toughest Games (Opponent Score 8 or Higher)

• Ohio State

• Michigan

• Wisconsin

• Washington

Easiest Games (Opponent Score 5 or Lower)

• Idaho

• Michigan State

• Purdue

• Illinois

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Analysis: Oregon’s schedule looks pretty good, especially if they’re as good as many people think they will be. Games against Ohio State and Michigan will be tough, and Wisconsin and Washington may be able to put up a fight, but there are a lot of games on the docket that Dan Lanning and his team should be big favorites in.

Michigan State Spartans

Total Opponent Score: 73

Average Opponent Score: 6.05

Toughest Games (Opponent Score 8 or Higher)

• Ohio State

• Oregon

• Iowa

• Michigan

Easiest Games (Opponent Score 5 or Lower)

• Florida Atlantic

• Boston College

• Indiana

• Illinois

• Purdue

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Analysis: Michigan State’s schedule is of two extremes; they play the three top teams in the conference with Oregon, Ohio State, and Michigan, but they also get three of the bottom teams in the conference, along with a pretty easy non-conference slate as well.

Penn State Nittany Lions

Total Opponent Score: 71.5

Average Opponent Score: 6

Toughest Games (Opponent Score 8 or Higher)

• USC

• Wisconsin

• Ohio State

• Washington

Easiest Games (Opponent Score 5 or Lower)

• Bowling Green

• Kent State

• Illinois

• Purdue

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Analysis: Penn State misses both Oregon and Michigan this year, but they’ve got to play both USC and Washington, so we will see what form those two teams are in. The non-conference schedule is very workable, though.

Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Total Opponent Score: 71.5

Average Opponent Score: 6

Toughest Games (Opponent Score 8 or Higher)

• Virginia Tech

• Washington

• Wisconsin

• USC

Easiest Games (Opponent Score 5 or Lower)

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Analysis: No Ohio State, no Oregon, no Michigan, no Penn State. Rutgers also gets Howard and Akron in the non-conference. Feels pretty great to me.

Illinois Fighting Illini

Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

Total Opponent Score: 69.5

Average Opponent Score: 5.8

Toughest Games (Opponent Score 8 or Higher)

Easiest Games (Opponent Score 5 or Lower)

• Eastern Illinois

• Central Michigan

• Purdue

• Michigan State

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Analysis: The tough games on Illinois’ schedule are pretty hard, but for the most part they face the middling teams of the conference, which should be pretty manageable in the end.

Maryland Terrapins

Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Total Opponent Score: 65

Average Opponent Score: 5.4

Toughest Games (Opponent Score 8 or Higher)

Easiest Games (Opponent Score 5 or Lower)

• UCONN

• Michigan State

• Virginia

• Villanova

• Indiana

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Analysis: Maryland gets the benefit of missing Michigan and Ohio State, and their non-conference schedule is full of very winnable games. They should be able to find a way into the top half of the conference.

Nebraska Cornhuskers

Reese Strickland-USA TODAY Sports

Total Opponent Score: 64

Average Opponent Score: 5.3

Toughest Games (Opponent Score 8 or Higher)

• Ohio State

• USC

• Wisconsin

• Iowa

Easiest Games (Opponent Score 5 or Lower)

• UTEP

• Colorado

• Northern Iowa

• Illinois

• Purdue

• Indiana

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Analysis: While Nebraska does have to play the likes of Ohio State and USC, they are missing Oregon, Michigan, and Penn State, with a non-conference schedule that is very manageable.

Ohio State Buckeyes

Total Opponent Score: 61.5

Average Opponent Score: 5.1

Toughest Games (Opponent Score 8 or Higher)

• Iowa

• Oregon

• Penn State

• Michigan

Easiest Games (Opponent Score 5 or Lower)

• Akron

• Western Michigan

• Marshall

• Michigan State

• Purdue

• Indiana

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Analysis: It doesn’t seem fair that a team as good as Ohio State has a schedule this easy… While the Buckeyes do play the top three teams in the Big Ten, their non-conference slate is as easy as it can be, and they miss the likes of USC and Washington as well.

Indiana Hoosiers

Total Opponent Score: 60.5

Average Opponent Score: 5.05

Toughest Games (Opponent Score 8 or Higher)

• Washington

• Michigan

• Ohio State

Easiest Games (Opponent Score 5 or Lower)

• Florida International

• Western Illinois

• Charlotte

• Michigan State

• Purdue

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Analysis: Playing against Ohio State and Michigan is certainly tough, but outside of those two teams, Indiana doesn’t have the toughest string of opponents, missing the likes of Oregon, Penn State, Iowa, USC, etc. They also get expected cakewalks against Western Illinois, Charlotte, and Florida International.

Story originally appeared on Ducks Wire