Penn State doesn’t have a rival in an expanded Big Ten. Honestly? That might be OK.
Let's argue this new format is a good thing for Penn State. And think about it: What if Penn State’s true 21st century Big Ten rival isn’t even in the league yet?
The first reaction to the Big Ten’s new football scheduling model … huh, whaaat? This is outrageous.
Starting in 2024, every Big Ten school, from sea to shining sea, has at least one designated rival … but for one.
The Penn State Nittany Lions can crow about being unrivaled, but isn’t this at least a little weird?
» READ MORE: New Big Ten football scheduling model announced
You play Ohio State every season since joining the Big Ten in 1993 only to find out three decades later, all those classic “White Outs” be damned, it isn’t really a rivalry?
You get that Ohio State only has one true rival, one of the great rivalries in sports — the same for Michigan, although the Michigan-Michigan State game apparently qualifies, too. (That makes sense, for political reasons alone. No reason the Michigan state legislature needs to set its hair on fire.)
The Big Ten announced Thursday that under its new “Flex Protect Plus” scheduling format (really, that’s what they’re calling it), rival-less Penn State will have home-and-home games in 2024 and ‘25 with Rutgers, Michigan State, and newcomer USC.
As far as opponents guaranteed to be on Penn State’s schedule after 2025 ... yeah, there is no guarantee. The no-divisions format will swing every school through, but none more than others. Penn State will, in fact, host Ohio State in 2024, then visit Michigan in 2025. UCLA also will visit in 2025. Penn State’s ticket office will still be busy enough — that 2024 USC home game will be an event. UCLA showing up won’t mean an empty stadium.
Still … weird.
Advice for Nittany Lions fans: Just take a breath and a deeper look. This, I’d argue, is overall really, really good for Penn State over the long term, since starting in 2024, the regular season is more important for one reason: to find a spot in the new 12-team playoff format.
OK, two reasons, given winning the Big Ten title will always be a big deal.
Both those goals seem a little more attainable under this new format, without having to go through the Buckeyes and Wolverines every single season.
Honestly? Same for those schools, not always having to see Penn State.
The league office must be looking at all this and factoring it in, since getting multiple teams to the playoff should be the conference goal. Since the divisional format is gone, why add to the degree of difficulty by having all the top dogs pinning L’s on each other?
What’s the “Protect” stand for if not the Big Ten’s own overall interests?
Make no mistake, some of these alleged rivalries are forced. Why exactly is Rutgers-Maryland a rivalry game beyond the fact that they came into the Big Ten together, so are lumped together? Let’s theorize that if Rutgers and Penn State were the only two schools that didn’t have rivals, people would suggest, hey, make them rivals. Let’s further theorize that maybe Penn State made it clear that it does not and never will consider Rutgers as a rival.
Rutgers and Penn State will play in 2024 and ‘25, and Rutgers also gets UCLA home-and-home, in addition to the hated rival Terps. But that “Flex Protect Plus” stuff is designed to rotate home-and-homes over time.
In addition to playing Penn State, USC is guaranteed home-and-homes for two seasons with Wisconsin, plus the rivalry game with UCLA. So the Trojans aren’t exactly being welcomed to the league with a free ride.
The smartest feature of “Flex Protect Plus” might be keeping all this to a two-season plan, since who knows what other schools might be joining the Big Ten by 2026. Surely there is a “Flex Protect Double Bonus Plus Plus Plus” secret plan already in somebody’s drawer at league headquarters.
Think about it … What if Penn State’s true 21st century Big Ten rival isn’t even in the league yet?