Nebraska could end up benefiting if the Big Ten follows through on a scheduling overhaul that would shake up how conference matchups are built.
That possibility came into focus Thursday when Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork said on The Ryan Day Show that the league is discussing a new football scheduling model that could begin in 2028 and be tied to the previous year’s standings.
“What we’re talking about in the Big Ten now is starting probably in 2028, is can we have a different scheduling model that’s based on current year standings?” Bjork said. “So next year’s schedule, we would not know who we’re playing other than protecting the rivalry games."
In that setup, the Big Ten would move away from schedules being locked in years ahead. Instead, the league would build conference slates based on where teams finished the year before, a structure that sounds a lot closer to the NFL.
The biggest teams in the conference would likely draw tougher schedules, while teams that landed near the bottom would get a lighter path the next season. That sort of system would naturally create more high-end matchups between programs like Michigan, Ohio State, Indiana and Oregon.
At the same time, it would also mean some of the teams that usually end up on the easier side of the schedule - Maryland, Purdue and Rutgers among them - could keep drawing the shorter end of the stick from some fans’ perspective.
Bjork said Ohio State would presumably keep its annual rivalry game with Michigan. Nebraska would likely retain Iowa, though that could depend on how the league sorts out which rivalry games it can protect if only one is guaranteed each year.
The idea fits with what Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti said earlier this month. “We need to play more good games,” Petitti said in early October.
“I think we’ve been really clear about that. We think that the season can start way better than it does.
We’re committed to that. If we get to a 24-team playoff, you are going to see many more competitive games scheduled.
That’s my belief."
Bjork stressed that nothing has been finalized, but he also made clear that the conversations are real and ongoing. He said the league is looking at ways to make the schedule more compelling and more valuable for television, especially as money continues to drive college sports and concerns grow that a 24-team playoff could chip away at some rivalry games.
For Nebraska, the timing is interesting. Athletic director Troy Dannen already said earlier this week that the Huskers are preparing to adjust their non-conference schedule if the 24-team playoff becomes reality. Now the Big Ten may be looking at a much bigger change on the conference side, too.
Where Nebraska stands on the idea isn’t clear. But after some brutal conference slates since joining the Big Ten, it’s not hard to imagine the Huskers welcoming a system that could change how often they get stuck with the league’s toughest road.
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