USC hosts a Nebraska team that could be a sleeper to contend, especially if five-star quarterback Dylan Raiola succeeds immediately.

Even if this game does not matter for the Big Ten race, the conference’s year will be partly defined by how newcomers USC, UCLA, Washington and Oregon perform.

The clash in styles between Washington and Iowa will be a fascinating test case for what works in the modern era of the sport.

Washington will not be a contender if it can’t dominate the Iowa-tier teams. And I predict the Huskies don’t do so in 2024.

This is a late-season game, so the situation may change before the game takes place. Right now, Penn State is entering the 2024 season as a conference favorite and it needs to get past Ohio State and Michigan (and Oregon, now).

Washington, meanwhile, has a new coach and an entirely new team after 2023’s national runner-up finish. The Huskies could be interesting in Year 1 under Jedd Fisch, but these high-profile matchups will need to be wins.

A Washington win means the program belongs. On the other hand, Penn State needs a win to reach expectations.

Objectively, this is not one of the Big Ten’s best games of the season. Neither will it decide the conference race.

But it is a significant measuring stick for both programs, even if the Big Ten West no longer exists. Wisconsin needs to consistently beat Iowa if it is to join the top contenders in the Big Ten.

Washington defeated Oregon twice in 2023 despite the Ducks having the better team. The Huskies are rebuilding in 2024, so the Ducks should win this one. But it’s a late-season trap scenario for one of the projected top teams in the country.

This would fall under the Iowa vs. Washington category, but Wisconsin doesn’t play its classic style anymore. It is now a contest between mirror images on the field.

Wisconsin and USC both badly need a win. USC needs to establish itself in the new conference after a disappointing 8-5 2023 season. Wisconsin, on the other hand, needs signature wins under Luke Fickell as it looks to reestablish itself.

This shouldn’t play into the conference race. But it will be an important game.

Penn State is more established than Wisconsin entering 2024, but it can’t afford to drop games like this one. A consistent thought stands: Wisconsin needs signature wins, Penn State needs to contend.

Plus games between these two programs are always fantastic.

It’s a rematch of the 2024 national championship. It’s also a contest between two programs that look nothing like they did at the end of the 2023 season.

Washington has a new head coach, Jedd Fisch, and an entirely new team. Michigan is in a similar boat with Sherrone Moore taking over for Jim Harbaugh. This game will be sold as a rematch of the title game, but in reality, it isn’t.

One of the two can help its quest at avoiding a hangover season with a win in this contest.

Wisconsin is seen throughout this ranking because the variance in its potential performance is one of the greatest in the conference. The Badgers could play spoiler to Oregon, Penn State and USC, or the program could struggle and be pushed to another 7-6 season.

This is a big game on Oregon’s schedule. It is one of the Ducks’ toughest trips to the Midwest and to a place that is notoriously tough to play. Oregon is way better on paper, but maybe this becomes a close game.

Who can forget the legendary 2017 Rose Bowl won by USC on a last-second field goal.

This matchup between traditional powers should be one of the better-sold television games of the year. Two iconic programs and two potential contenders in the conference in Penn State’s first big trip out West.

It’s also a game between two contenders (we think).

This game can be played up as a battle of titans regardless whether Michigan is still a true contender. This is one of the games where the uniform matchup means it’s a big-time matchup.

Michigan and USC occupy a similar area of the power ranking entering 2024. Both could contend, but both could also experience a significant down season.

The last four are the games that will define the conference race and determine who makes the trip to Indianapolis, Indiana, in December.

Penn State gets this game at home again and needs to topple the Buckeyes. Ohio State, meanwhile, returns a stellar roster, but settled for QB Will Howard in the transfer portal. The Buckeyes could be the most talented team on the field, but they could be vulnerable.

Sign me up for any Oregon vs. traditional Big Ten contender matchup. I picked the Ducks to win the conference in their first year, which would mean traveling to Ann Arbor and winning this game.

Michigan may be vulnerable this year in the first season under Sherrone Moore. But Oregon will need to win these tough road contests if it is to win the Big Ten.

The sport’s biggest rivalry game still means a great deal and would be No. 1 on this list if Harbaugh had returned to Michigan.

I’m afraid the Wolverines will struggle too much early in the season to make this contest not a win-and-in scenario for the Big Ten championship game. Either way, this game can be sent to the top of the ranking every year.

Michigan vs. Ohio State is No. 2 because Ohio State visits Oregon in a battle of (maybe) two of the top three teams in the sport.

This contest could happen in Week 7, in the Big Ten Championship and then again in the College Football Playoff. Both teams appear to be that good. This game will decide the conference race.