After much pondering, fantasizing and some worrying, fans were given an official glimpse of the future of the Big Ten. The conference unveiled its 2024 and 2025 schedules Thursday, which includes several new and exciting matchups in what will be a jarringly different league. One such rivalry that will come with a geographical adjustment period is UCLA and Ohio State football.

The Buckeyes take this brave new leap forward when they visit the Bruins in Rose Bowl Stadium in this first-time Big Ten battle in 2024 (eight previous meetings), per Ross Dellenger of Sports Illustrated. Fellow new addition and Pac-12 defector USC comes to Columbus in 2025. Although there is still a full season of play to go before all of these new changes take effect, the schedule release as well as a new league format must feel surreal for the programs and their fan bases.

The expanded 16-team conference will do away with divisions, which means Big Ten Championships will be contested between the two best teams. That has not often been the case of late, with Ohio State (East Division) being bumped out in favor of division winner Purdue (West) last season. Higher stakes and more schedule variety should enliven a league that has started to feel stale outside of its brand-name rivalries.

Last summer, USC and UCLA football shocked the college football world when it was announced they would join the Big Ten after long being the pillars of the Pac-12. Their pass-happy offenses should create an interesting clash of styles with the ground-and-pound approach that has historically defined the B1G.

Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day and his staff will be tasked with formulating an innovative game plan to combat these fast tempos. Traveling to California will present challenges of its own, but Ohio State football still has more than a year to become mentally prepared for the new-look Big Ten.