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Jun 8, 2023, 04:01 PM ET

The Big Ten has unveiled its football schedule model for the 2024 and 2025 seasons when the league expands to 16 members with the arrivals of UCLA and USC.

All hail Flex Protect Plus!

The league’s new model features no divisions and 11 protected annual games that are not evenly spread between the teams. The Big Ten focused on preserving the games its schools cared about most, from the obvious (Ohio State-Michigan, USC-UCLA, Michigan-Michigan State, Indiana-Purdue) to the historic (Minnesota-Wisconsin) to recent regional rivalries (Iowa-Nebraska) to matchups for odd trophies (Illinois-Purdue, where the Purdue Cannon is at stake).

Every Big Ten matchup will take place twice in a four-year span, once at each team’s home site. USC and UCLA will face every Big Ten team at least once before the end of 2025, and every Big Ten team will play once in Los Angeles in the same span.

Flexibility is at the core of the Big Ten’s approach, and the league wants to — get this, SEC — play each other more often as both the membership and the CFP expand in 2024. But there are also some drawbacks and items to debate.

ESPN’s Bill Connelly, Adam Rittenberg, Paolo Uggetti and Tom VanHaaren break down what the Big Ten’s announcement means.

What are the ramifications of eliminating divisions?

Connelly: The primary effect is simply that the two best teams will actually play for the conference title. Looking at my SP+ rankings, the top two teams in the conference were East division teams eight of the past 10 years, and the East boasted the top three in four years during that span. It was certainly fun writing about unique division title runs — Northwestern’s in 2018 and 2020, for instance, and Purdue’s (nearly Illinois’) in 2022 — but only three of the past 11 Big Ten Championships have been decided by single digits, and Michigan has won the past two by a combined 85-25. Division imbalance isn’t the only thing that produces title-game blowouts, but it doesn’t help.

On the downside, you get messy new issues when it comes to tiebreakers and the odd idea of, say, Michigan and Ohio State playing each other in back-to-back weeks. But it’s hard to complain too much about anything that produces better conference championship matchups and results and everyone in the conference actually playing each other semiregularly.

Rittenberg: There likely will be repeat Ohio State-Michigan matchups in Indianapolis. But the league still gets a more compelling title game in most seasons, even if both teams likely will have CFP spots already confirmed. Although fewer teams realistically will be in the conference title mix, you also should have a few more that are still in CFP contention as the regular season winds down. The big upside with eliminating divisions is the removal of annual games that don’t need to be played. A more robust schedule rotation is a win for fans, players and TV. Every player will have an opportunity to play in every Big Ten venue before his career ends. Also, the number of weeks with three or four nationally significant games goes up significantly in the new format.

Uggetti: From the vantage point of newcomers USC and UCLA, divisions could have been beneficial if both were inserted into the historically weaker West division. As Adam, Tom and Bill have pointed out, the East has dominated the title game and by extension the CFP conversation in recent years and so there could have been a world in which we’d be getting USC-Ohio State Big Ten title games. Of course in this new, division-less format that still might happen, which is why it’s ultimately the best move as part of the conference’s new look. USC got a taste of this last year after the Pac-12 eliminated divisions — instead of facing the best team in the division formerly known as the North (Washington), the Trojans had to face Utah again in the conference title game. That turned out poorly for USC.

Is the Big Ten format fair?

VanHaaren: It depends on how you look at the current format. I think the current setup was unfair because we didn’t always get the two best teams in the conference championship game. That being said, if there were no divisions in the past, we would have had a ton of Michigan-Ohio State games, which some fans might not like. I don’t think there’s a perfect way to do this, but I don’t think the current format makes sense. Had the conference evened out the divisions, that might be a good solution.

Rittenberg: Usually, schedule formats are all about uniformity and trying to achieve an image of evenness/fairness. The Big Ten’s stands out because there are notable differences in the number of protected games per team. Iowa has three while Penn State has none. I wonder over time how Penn State, which has been vocal about repeatedly opening Big Ten play on the road, views having a more active overall schedule rotation than other teams, including Michigan (two protected games) and Ohio State (one). The Big Ten says it polled all of its members about the games that really mattered and ones that could rotate in and out. But schools could change their positions once the format goes into effect.

Connelly: The new format is certainly more fair to teams in the East! Not including the abbreviated 2020 season, Maryland and Rutgers have each played all of Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State every season since they joined in 2014. In that same range, Nebraska has played those three teams a combined eight times. The new format creates familiarity among all opponents but avoids a natural schedule imbalance based on division lines. Win-win.

What games are we losing and would like to keep?

Connelly: The good thing about this format is that we aren’t really LOSING any games: Even the ones that aren’t played annually still happen every other year on average. That’s great for familiarity and continuity. That said, if we’re preserving Illinois-Purdue (and hey, hooray for the continued relevance of the Purdue Cannon), I hate that we’re whiffing on a chance to make Michigan-Minnesota annual again — I want my Little Brown Jug!

Rittenberg: The model’s overall flexibility really helps, but any year when Ohio State and Penn State don’t play feels a bit strange. Since I started covering the Big Ten for ESPN in 2008, the Ohio State-Penn State game has had more leaguewide significance than any other annual pairing, even Ohio State-Michigan. Both environments are electric and the field always contains a good number of future NFL players. Here’s hoping OSU-PSU doesn’t rotate off for two seasons very often.

Games we’re most excited for?

VanHaaren: I would have liked to see an Ohio State-USC game, but the Bruins and the Buckeyes should still be a good one. The one I have my eye on, though, is Michigan-USC, who haven’t faced each other since the 2007 Rose Bowl. That game could have major ramifications for the conference title and for the playoff if both teams stay on their current track. USC’s high-powered offense against a Michigan defense should be fun to watch and Michigan will travel to USC to play the game. I also like getting Penn State and Ohio State in 2024. The Nittany Lions are on an upward trajectory and will have a third-year quarterback in Drew Allar and third-year running backs in Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen in 2024. That could be fun to watch.

Connelly: I agree about Ohio State-USC — if you’re going to make a move like adding USC and UCLA to a conference of eastern and midwestern programs, I would have figured you would aim to get the most recognizable helmets playing each other as frequently as possible and make that an annual rivalry. They’re obviously still going to be playing a lot, but that omission was a surprise. But obviously with USC at Penn State, Michigan at USC, UCLA at Michigan, Ohio State at UCLA, etc., we’re still getting lots of super-intriguing helmet games right off the bat.

Rittenberg: I really wanted both USC and UCLA to visit one of the mega stadiums in Year 1, which is achieved with the Trojans going to Penn State and the Bruins headed to Michigan. I agree with the others that waiting until 2025 for Ohio State-USC is a mini bummer, and USC’s overall 2024 Big Ten road schedule lacks much pizazz outside of Penn State. The 2024 Big Ten home schedules for both USC and UCLA jumped out, as the Trojans get Michigan, Wisconsin and Iowa, while the Bruins will host Ohio State and Nebraska. Those fan bases love to travel and already have solid alumni bases in Los Angeles.

What does the travel schedule look like for USC and UCLA and who else is traveling a lot?

VanHaaren: It would’ve been helpful for either UCLA or USC to get Nebraska as an away game, but neither did. In 2024, USC has to go to Maryland, Northwestern, Penn State, Purdue and UCLA, which is a rough slate of travel. Outside of the UCLA game, that’s roughly 32 hours of flying time round trip to the other four games. That is a lot of travel for one season and it will be interesting to see if it impacts the players toward the end of the season. Outside of the California teams, Nebraska is somewhat in the middle geographically, so they also have an interesting travel schedule. The Huskers travel to Iowa, Northwestern, Penn State, Purdue and UCLA.

Connelly: In the end, there’s nothing the conference could do to make the travel situation good for USC and UCLA. That’s just the hazard of bringing in two schools that are at least two time zones away from the other 14 schools. The flex rivalry approach is fun; I was good with creating three permanent rivalries for everyone and rotating six other opponents from year to year, but one of the downsides of that was creating random permanent matchups like, say, UCLA-Nebraska or something. This makes sure that no one from the east/midwest is traveling out west more than anyone else.

Uggetti: All right, I’ve crunched the numbers and USC’s road slate in its debut Big Ten season will feature nearly 20,000 miles of travel with all of its road games outside of UCLA requiring a 2,000-plus mile trek each leg of the trip. It’s not ideal, to say the least, but for both the Trojans and the Bruins, this is a small-ish price to pay for what they’re getting financially by joining the conference. It’s also important to remember that while travel for the football teams will be brutal during the season, the nonrevenue sports, which have to travel east as well, will be just as affected, if not more.

Rittenberg: I’m a bit surprised that USC has to visit both Penn State and Maryland in 2024, and both Rutgers and Ohio State in 2025. Those are some long trips. But ultimately we need to see where the games fall in the actual schedules. My sense is USC and UCLA often will get open dates either before or after their longest road trips. They won’t be traveling often — or at all — for midweek games, like they do in the Pac-12. Rutgers seemingly gets the toughest east-to-west travel schedule in 2025, as the Scarlet Knights visit both UCLA and Nebraska.

What would division-less title games have looked like over the past five years?

Connelly: We obviously don’t know what specific schedules would have looked like and how tiebreakers might have come into effect, but based purely on my SP+ rankings, we’d have gotten Ohio State vs. Michigan in 2018, Ohio State vs. Penn State in 2019, Ohio State vs. Iowa in the abbreviated 2020, and Ohio State vs. Michigan again in 2021 and 2022. That none of those matchups actually happened in real life certainly reinforces how the divisional structure held this conference back, but the presence of three extra Buckeyes-Wolverines games is certainly noteworthy.

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How proposed CEO could dole out punishments in college sports

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May 19, 2025

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How proposed CEO could dole out punishments in college sports

With a long-awaited ruling in the settlement of the House case expected this week, college sports are on the precipice of a major overhaul.

While Judge Claudia Ann Wilken still needs to issue a final approval on the long-awaited settlement, a decision is expected to arrive in the near future.

Changes will come quickly to the way college sports work if the settlement is formalized. Most prominent among them will be a change in how enforcement works, as the NCAA will no longer be in charge of traditional enforcement, and a CEO will soon be put in place with powers that never existed prior.

The CEO of college sports’ new enforcement organization — the College Sports Commission — will have the final say in doling out punishments and deciding when rules have been violated, according to sources, a level of singular power that never existed during the NCAA’s era of struggling to enforce its rules.

The CEO’s hire is expected to come quickly after the House settlement is finalized and has been spearheaded by the Power 4 commissioners from the SEC, Big Ten, Big 12 and ACC. Their pick to lead the new agency will quickly become one of the most powerful and influential people in college sports. The hiring of a new CEO of the College Sports Commission already is deep in the process, per ESPN sources. The conducting of the search process before the job can officially be created is indicative of how quickly the entire billion-dollar industry will have to transform before games are played again in August. Nothing can happen formally until the judge’s decision, but the process is well underway.

The CEO of the commission will be one of the faces of this new era of college athletics. Sources have told ESPN to expect the person to come from outside college athletics and not to be a household name to college sports fans. The CEO is expected to make seven figures and, once the settlement is in place and they are hired, will have significant authority.

“All the institutions are going to have new membership agreements that we’re all agreeing to these new rules,” said an industry source familiar with the process. “The CEO is going to have responsibility to make sure everything is enforced and the governance model is sound. It’s a critically important role for the future of college sports and college football.”

The CEO is expected to report to a board, which is expected to include the power conference commissioners. The CEO will also be in charge of essentially running the systems that have been put in place — LBi Software and accounting firm Deloitte have been lined up to handle salary cap management and to manage the clearinghouse for name, image and likeness.

With the NCAA no longer involved with traditional enforcement, it will mark a distinct industry shift. (The NCAA will still deal with issues such as academics and eligibility.)

According to sources, a vision of what this leader could look like, and the extent of the position’s powers, is illustrated in drafts of so-called association documents that all schools are expected to sign to formalize the new enforcement entity. Basically, the schools need to agree that they’ll follow the rules.

While sources caution the documents that have been circulated are still in draft stage, sources say the draft includes language that the CEO will make “final factual findings and determinations” on violations of rules. The CEO will also “impose such fines, penalties or other sanctions as appropriate,” in accordance with the rules.

The schools have to accept these rulings “as final,” with the exception being if a school or athlete wants to challenge the discipline. They’d be required, per sources, “to engage in the arbitration process,” which is expected to be the sole recourse.

Per sources, when cases do end up in arbitration, under the procedures that govern arbitration, subpoena power is a potential option via the discovery process — an authority that was not available during NCAA investigations.

As college sports have zigzagged to where they are thanks to the direction of myriad lawsuits and rulings, the association agreement could also include a clause where the schools “agree to waive any right to a jury trial with respect to all disputes arising out of or relating to this agreement.” That notion would still need to be accepted by all the schools, and it’s not expected to prevent lawsuits from entities outside of the schools.

It’s worth noting that the lawsuits that have brought major changes to NCAA rules in recent years have started with attorneys general or with athletes. Congress is expected to still be needed to help create a legal framework for the new system to function without being tripped up by the current patchwork of state laws.

Enforcement has long been a thorn for the NCAA, which is now offloading one of its most controversial and least effective departments. All schools agree with enforcement as an ideal, but the issues come once the enforcement is enacted on them or their athletes.

Few coaches this generation have seen NCAA enforcement as an effective threat to follow the rules.

“It all starts with enforcement, and I’ve said this for a long time, ‘Until we have an enforcement arm put into place, we’re always going to be working sideways,'” Ohio State coach Ryan Day told ESPN on the “College GameDay” podcast recently. “I feel like before we set a rule, before we do anything, we have to put a structure in place where we can enforce rules on and off the field.”

The new organization looks to have expedited timelines and a highly compensated CEO to be the face of the decisions. (The NCAA used a committee on infractions.)

The drumbeat leading to the settlement is indicative of the past generations of behavior, as schools have been rushing to spend outside of the expected cap, with frontloading so significant that the highest-paid basketball roster is expected to have compensation totaling close to $20 million and football rosters are expected to be in the $40 million range.

Will schools fall in line once rules are put into place? Will the threat of enforcement be enough to settle down the landscape? It’s difficult for coaches to imagine player salaries going backward for 2026.

The ultimate deterrent will be stiff and consistent penalties to deter rule-breaking behavior, which have been elusive historically because of lack of NCAA enforcement prowess and the lengthy process of enforcement.

Purdue AD Mike Bobinski told ESPN in March that the punishments need to “leave a mark,” and he mentioned the New Orleans Saints’ Bountygate sanctions as an example of the type of punishment that changed behavior. (Then-Saints coach Sean Payton was suspended for the entire 2012 season as part of the penalties.)

“We’ve screwed this thing up now to the point where we have to be willing to draw a line in the sand, and that will create some pain,” Bobinski said. “There’s no two ways about it, and we’ll find out who’s just going to insist on stepping over the line. But if they do, you got to deal with it forcefully and quickly.”

He added that the Big Ten has put a lot of thought and conversation into this, as he said the mindset has to be changed to where coaches and programs can’t consider breaking the rules “worth it.”

Bobinski added: “People are working hard on this thing. That doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy or it’s going to be accepted right out of the box, but I’d like to think we’ve got a chance at least to do it well.”

ESPN reporter Dan Murphy contributed.

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Who wins the Eastern Conference finals? Early look at keys to Hurricanes-Panthers

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May 19, 2025

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Who wins the Eastern Conference finals? Early look at keys to Hurricanes-Panthers

Following the Florida Panthers‘ Game 7 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday, the NHL’s final four is official: The defending Stanley Cup champion Panthers will take on the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference finals, while the Dallas Stars face the Edmonton Oilers in the Western Conference finals.

This Eastern matchup is a rematch of the 2023 conference finals, won by the Panthers in a sweep. Can Carolina win this time, or will Florida head back to the Stanley Cup Final for a third straight year?

To help get you up to speed before the series begins Tuesday, we’re here with key intel from ESPN Research, wagering info from ESPN BET and more.

Paths to the conference finals:

Hurricanes: Defeated Devils in five, Capitals in five
Panthers: Defeated Lightning in five, Maple Leafs in seven

Leading playoff scorers:

Hurricanes: Seth Jarvis (four goals, six assists), Sebastian Aho (three goals, seven assists)
Panthers: Brad Marchand (three goals, nine assists), Eetu Luostarinen (three goals, nine assists)

Schedule:

Game 1: Panthers at Hurricanes | May 20, 8 p.m. (TNT)
Game 2: Panthers at Hurricanes | May 22, 8 p.m. (TNT)
Game 3: Hurricanes at Panthers | May 24, 8 p.m. (TNT)
Game 4: Hurricanes at Panthers | May 26, 8 p.m. (TNT)
Game 5: Panthers at Hurricanes | May 28, 8 p.m. (TNT)
Game 6: Hurricanes at Panthers | May 30, 8 p.m. (TNT)
Game 7: Panthers at Hurricanes | June 1, 8 p.m. (TNT)

Series odds:

Panthers: -125
Hurricanes: +105

Stanley Cup odds:

Panthers: +250
Hurricanes: +300

Matchup notes from ESPN Research

Hurricanes

The Hurricanes reached the conference finals for the sixth time in franchise history and third time in the past six years. Carolina’s three conference finals appearances since 2019 are tied with the Edmonton Oilers, Tampa Bay Lightning and Vegas Golden Knights for the second most in the NHL. The Dallas Stars have gone four times in the past six years.

Logan Stankoven is expected to make his Eastern Conference finals debut, after he appeared in the Western Conference finals with the Stars last year in his first NHL season. He will join Ville Leino (2009 and 2010) as the only players to play in both the Eastern and Western Conference finals in their first two seasons in the NHL (since 1994).

The Hurricanes have lost 12 straight games in the conference finals round. Their last win was Game 7 in 2006 vs. the Buffalo Sabres, when now-coach Rod Brind’Amour scored the eventual winning goal on a power play with 8:38 left in the third period after a puck-over-glass penalty. That 12-game losing streak includes being swept by the Panthers in 2023.

Carolina won its 10th playoff series under Brind’Amour since 2019; only the Lightning (11) have more series wins during that span.

Andrei Svechnikov‘s series-clinching goal 18:01 into the third period is the second-latest series-clinching goal in regulation in franchise history. Eric Staal scored 19:28 into the third period in Game 7 of the 2009 first round at the New Jersey Devils.

With their series win over Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals in the second round, the Hurricanes became the first team to eliminate the NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer since the 1997 Philadelphia Flyers, who ousted Wayne Gretzky and the New York Rangers in the conference finals. Brind’Amour, then with the Flyers, had the series-clinching goal.

Panthers

The Panthers advanced to their third straight conference finals with a 6-1 win over the Maple Leafs in Game 7 in Toronto. Florida joins the Dallas Stars in 2023-25, Tampa Bay Lightning in 2020-22, Chicago Blackhawks in 2013-15, Los Angeles Kings in 2012-14 and Detroit Red Wings from 2007-09 as the only teams in the salary cap era (since 2005-06) to make it to three straight conference finals.

Florida trailed 2-0 in the series before coming back to win 4-3, marking the first time in franchise history they’ve overcome a 2-0 series deficit in a best-of-seven playoff series (they had previously been 0-5). The Panthers are the seventh reigning Stanley Cup champions in the NHL’s expansion era (since 1967-68) to win a best-of-seven playoff round after facing a 2-0 series deficit.

The Panthers now have a 4-1 record in Game 7s, including 3-0 on the road, becoming the third franchise to win each of its first three road Game 7s (along with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Minnesota Wild).

Brad Marchand had three points for the Panthers (one goal, two assists), giving him 10 career points in Game 7s, moving ahead of Alex Ovechkin (eight) for the most Game 7 points among active players, and tied him with Paul Stastny and Jari Kurri for 10th place on the all-time list. Marchand’s three-point total gives him 37 career playoff points vs. the Maple Leafs, passing Alex Delvecchio (35) for the second most by any player against Toronto in their playoff history, behind Gordie Howe (53). Marchand improved to 5-0 against the Maple Leafs in Game 7s for his career, becoming the first player in NHL history to defeat one franchise in five winner-takes-all games.

Panthers coach Paul Maurice also stayed perfect in Game 7s as a head coach, improving to 6-0. He is one of two head coaches in NHL history to win each of his first six career Game 7s, along with current Dallas bench boss Peter DeBoer (9-0).

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Marchand continues Game 7 mastery over Leafs

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May 19, 2025

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Marchand continues Game 7 mastery over Leafs

  • Greg WyshynskiMay 18, 2025, 10:22 PM ET

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      Greg Wyshynski is ESPN’s senior NHL writer.

No player in Stanley Cup playoff history has tormented an opponent the way Florida Panthers winger Brad Marchand has tormented the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Panthers eliminated the Maple Leafs 6-1 in Game 7 on Sunday night in Toronto, advancing to the Eastern Conference finals against the Carolina Hurricanes. Marchand became the first player in NHL history to defeat the same opponent in at least five winner-take-all games. He moved to a perfect 5-0 in Game 7s against the Maple Leafs — winning with the Boston Bruins in 2013, 2018, 2019 and 2024, before winning with the Panthers on Sunday.

Marchand had a goal and two assists in the victory.

“I grew up a Leafs fan. I enjoy playing against the Leafs. I enjoy interacting with fans. Like, it’s fun. It’s not something I’ll forever get to do,” he said after Game 7, which was Toronto’s seventh straight loss in a Game 7.

Marchand said that he hadn’t historically played well against Toronto in Game 7s. “It wasn’t me that beat them, it was our team,” he said. But Marchand was anything but a bystander in Florida’s Game 7 win. Marchand set up two goals — including the primary assist on Eetu Luostarinen‘s critical third-period goal just 47 seconds after Max Domi scored for the Maple Leafs — and tallied an empty-net dagger for his third goal of the playoffs.

With his three-point effort, Marchand is now second all time in career playoff scoring against the Maple Leafs with 37 points, trailing only Hockey Hall of Famer Gordie Howe (53).

“I think the thing about Toronto is that their fans are very in your face. They’re aggressive. They let you hear it all the time. So it’s just fun to interact [with them]. I interact with a lot of fans and I enjoy that part of it,” said Marchand, who also passed Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin (8) for the most career Game 7 points (10) among active players.

Boston traded Marchand, its captain, to Florida at March’s NHL trade deadline, ending a 16-year run with the Bruins that included a Stanley Cup championship in 2011 and two other trips to the Stanley Cup Final.

“It was his personality that I didn’t know,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. “He’s moved into that Matthew Tkachuk ‘hate them’ [role]. That’s a horrible word, but it’s close. And then they get here and they’re the exact opposite person that you thought they were. He’s just a wonderful human being.”

The Panthers dominated the Leafs from the opening draw, carrying play in Game 7 after Toronto extended the series with a Game 6 road victory Friday night. After two periods, the Panthers held a 70-33 advantage in shot attempts. That included a 39-14 gap in the second period, when Florida scored its first three goals.

Marchand factored into two important ones. Just 4:03 after Seth Jones opened the scoring, Marchand’s shot was deflected by Luostarinen off of goalie Joseph Woll‘s pads, and center Anton Lundell was there to clean it up for his fourth goal of the playoffs to make it 2-0. In the third period, Marchand’s pass was tipped home by Luostarinen.

“There are moments that you need to enjoy. Careers fly by. I’ve been at it a long time. I’m very fortunate. But it’s almost over. I can’t believe how fast it’s gone by. I wish I was able to enjoy more moments,” Marchand said.

With the loss, the Maple Leafs suffered yet another postseason failure. Toronto hasn’t advanced past the second round since 2002. They infamously haven’t won the Stanley Cup since 1967, the longest drought in the NHL for any franchise — including those that have never won a Cup in their existence.

After the game, Marchand was complimentary of this Toronto team. He said of all the Game 7s he has played against the Leafs, he was most nervous about this one because “they competed way harder than they ever have.” He felt criticism of this group, which might have played its last game together, was unwarranted.

“If you look at the heat this team catches, it’s actually really unfortunate. They’ve been working at building something really big here for a while,” he said. “They were a different brand of hockey this year, and they’re getting crucified. I don’t think it’s justified.”

That said, Marchand did have a little fun at Toronto’s expense on the TNT postgame show. When asked what the difference was in the Panthers locker room from Game 6 to Game 7, Marchand said “we just had that be-Leaf” — a winking reference to one of the rallying cries of Toronto fans.

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