Big Ten Football Schedule Rankings: A look at easiest to toughest pathways to CFP in 2024 

In an 18-team cross-country Big Ten, nothing will be easy. That said, it's not as if all 18 teams have the same path to playoff glory. Some schedules are certainly easier than others.

Here's a rundown and rankings of a handful of potentially the easiest and toughest schedules. No. 18 is the easiest and each one is tougher down to No. 1, which is the toughest.

Big Ten Football Schedule Rankings: Easiest to toughest in 2024

Penn State and coach James Franklin will avoid Michigan and Oregon on their 2024 schedule, one of the Big Ten's lightest. (Photo credit: IMAGN)

The easiest schedules

#18. (The easiest) Indiana

Start with an easy non-conference slate of FIU, Western Illinois and Charlotte. Indiana only needs a 3-6 league record to reach six wins. In conference, Indiana misses USC, Penn State and Oregon. Home games include Maryland, Nebraska and Purdue. It should be a competitive slate.

#17. (2nd easiest). Rutgers

The Scarlet Knights do play Virginia Tech on the road as a non-conference game, but Howard and Akron should be easy wins. Rutgers then dials up a league schedule that is missing Ohio State, Michigan, Oregon and Penn State – probably the league's four best teams. Home games with UCLA, Minnesota and Illinois are pretty manageable.

#16. Nebraska

The Huskers can use every break they can get as they try to avoid an eighth straight losing season. The non-conference battle with Colorado is interesting, but UTEP and Northern Iowa should be easy wins. Oregon and Penn State aren't on Nebraska's schedule and home games include Illinois, Rutgers and UCLA. Not too shabby.

#15. Penn State

The Nittany Lions open at West Virginia, but a 3-0 start is easily within range. The first two league matchups are home games with Illinois and UCLA, so a 5-0 start heading into a road game at USC is plausible. Penn State doesn't play Michigan or Oregon this season. A tough midseason run will tell the tale of their season.

14. Michigan

13. Iowa

12. Oregon

11. Minnesota

10. Maryland

9. Ohio State

8. Wisconsin

7. Purdue

6. Northwestern

5. Washington

The toughest schedules

#4. Illinois

Bret Bielema's squad gets one of the league's tougher paths. A pre-conference matchup with Kansas is tough, but even a 2-1 start might not help Illinois. They open at Nebraska and Penn State, which could deflate the team early. They also play Michigan and Oregon in consecutive October weeks. Tough sledding here.

#3. USC

USC makes its most notable stand out of the conference, with an opener against LSU and a finale against Notre Dame. Those are tough, but the Big Ten schedule isn't a picnic either. There are road games at Michigan and Washington and home games include Wisconsin and Penn State.

#2. Michigan State

The Spartans could have used an easier path this season. A week two game at Maryland is a challenge. September ends and October begins with back-to-back games with Ohio State and Oregon. If Sparty isn't deflated, they then play Iowa, followed by a trip to Michigan. Maryland could be the only thing between MSU and an 0-5 Big Ten start.

#1. (The toughest) UCLA

The Bruins should get some nice frequent flyer miles. They open at Hawaii and also play at LSU in non-conference play. In the league, it's tough. After a home game with Indiana to open, they play Oregon and at Penn State to end September and open October. A November run that includes a trip to Washington and the annual battle with USC is pretty serious too. Could be a long year for UCLA.

Which Big Ten schedules do you think are the toughest or easiest? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.