Big Ten Announces Tiebreaker Rule Changes for CFB Title Game After Redistricting | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats & Rumors

The Big Ten has established its new tiebreaker guidelines after expanding the number of teams to 18 and eliminating divisions starting with the 2024 college football season.

Head-to-head matchups are the first and easiest way to determine a representative for the championship game when two teams have the same conference record. Things branch out from there, culminating in a random drawing if no distinguishing factor can be found.

There was a time when splitting the Big Ten into two divisions caused some controversy, as officials struggled to balance the depth of the two while trying to maintain a long-standing rivalry.

The latest round of expansion has presented officials with a new set of challenges. In addition to maintaining existing traditions, there are the logistical concerns of having schools spread across both coasts.

Last fall, the Big Ten announced the Flex Protect XVIII model, which will cover conference schedules for the 2024-2028 seasons.

There are 12 “protected matchups” that are essentially annual rivalries, such as Michigan vs. Ohio State, Michigan State vs. Michigan, and UCLA vs. USC. Other than those games, each school is guaranteed to meet twice (home and away) in the next five years.

Below is the full 2024 Big Ten schedule. From the moment this was announced, fans were debating who had the easiest and hardest route to Indianapolis on December 7th.

Week 7 might be the week to circle on your calendar. On Oct. 12, Oregon hosts Ohio State and USC welcomes Penn State. Iowa vs. Washington could also have Finals implications if the conference’s top teams trade blows and take themselves out of the race.