Big Ten Scheduling: Conference Weighs Results-Based Model
Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork said the conference is discussing a schedule that would set opponents based on the previous season's finish.
By Noah Ross ·
The Big Ten is considering an NFL-style way to build schedules.
Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork described the talks on "The Ryan Day Show" on 97.1 The Fan. He said the conference is looking at a results-based model. When the Big Ten added its West Coast teams, the schedule rotations relied on each program's football history. Teams have shifted since then. Indiana's position today differs from where it stood five years ago. "They looked at historical rotations over the course of everyone's football life," Bjork said. "Indiana was not what Indiana is today when they set the model. Same thing with UCLA."
Bjork said a new model is needed because the transfer portal and NIL rules have produced more parity across the league. He said that under a results-based system, a team's placement in the previous season would determine the difficulty of its next schedule. Teams that finished lower would draw easier slates. Teams that finished higher would face tougher opponents. "We're having active conversations that we need to change the way we schedule," Bjork said. ".. There's a lot more parity in the system."
One element would stay fixed. Annual rivalry games would remain on the schedule, including Ohio State against Michigan. "So, next year's schedule, we would not know who we're playing, other than protecting the rivalry games," Bjork said. "Obviously, we have the biggest one. Other than that, the rest of the schedule could be based on how the teams finished the previous year. That's how the NFL does it."
Bjork said the Big Ten could start using the model with the 2028 season. Opponents for that year would not be determined until after the 2027 campaign ends. The conference would use the results of that season to set the matchups.
The proposal also runs against a key difference between college football and the NFL. Transfer portal and NIL rules allow unlimited player movement each offseason. NFL rosters stay more stable because players are under multi-year contracts.
Scheduling is set to draw attention as the 24-team College Football Playoff approaches.
Source: CBS Sports
