Taking a look at Northwestern's future Big Ten schedules

The Big Ten welcomes four new programs to the conference next season, and Northwestern will get the chance to play all four of them over the next two seasons.

The Big Ten unveiled its conference schedules for the next five seasons on Thursday, and Northwestern gets an early look at all four schools that are joining from the current Pac-12 conference.

The Wildcats will travel to Washington in 2024. Then, the following season, they will make a trip out to USC, and host both Oregon and UCLA.

Under the Big Ten's 'Flex Protect XVIII Model', Northwestern's rivalry against Illinois for the Land of Lincoln Trophy is protected, so the Wildcats will take on the Illini every season. The East and West divisions will be eliminated next after this season, but the model ensures that each school will play all other members at least two times, and no more than three times, within a five-year cycle.

Here's a look at each of the next five conference schedules for the Wildcats:

Ohio State's visit will be the marquee game on Northwestern's home schedule -- no matter where the Wildcats are playing their home games next season as Ryan Field is (presumably) being renovated. The Wildcats also get Washington on the road, the program's first trip to Seattle since 1984.

This is a bit of a stalemate from Northwestern's original draw. They dropped a road matchup with Penn State and hosting USC, but will now have road games at Michigan and Washington. OSU will also now come to Ryan Field, rather than the Wildcats heading to the Horseshoe.

The Wildcats will play coast-to-coast with games at Maryland and Washington.

Both Oregon and UCLA will come to Northwestern in 2025. It will be the Ducks' first game against the Wildcats since 1974, and UCLA's first since the 2005 Sun Bowl. Northwestern also gets its first matchup with USC since the 1996 Rose Bowl.

The Wildcats had another Ohio State in 2025 in the June version, but the Cats avoid the Buckeyes now. There won't be much reprieve though; Michigan stepped up into that spot. 2025 is a thunderdome for Northwestern, plain and simple. Four teams on the slate currently rank in the AP Top 10: No. 2 Michigan, No. 6 Penn State, No. 8 Oregon and No. 9 USC.

Welcome to the first year at the new Ryan Field! (City council votes pending.)

The Wildcats should have their home field back and a much easier home slate to smooth the transition. Northwestern gets Penn State at home, so fans will get a chance to impress Nittany Lion head coach James Franklin with its home-field advantage after his remarks and Braun's response last week.

The Wildcats have to go to Ohio State and make one trip west to Oregon.

It's an 18-team league but Northwestern just can't ditch the Buckeyes. They'll play for the third time in four years. The home slate should be pretty good for ticket sales, with Nebraska and Ohio State, and Washington takes its first trip to Northwestern since 1983.

On the flip side, the Wildcats will make their return to the Rose Bowl against UCLA. They'll play coast-to-coast, again, with the Bruins and Scarlet Knights on the schedule. But on aggregate, it's a quiet conference travel season with neighbors Illinois and Wisconsin to even it out.

The last time the Trojans played the Wildcats in Evanston, OJ Simpson was their tailback in 1968. The Wildcats will have to make trips to play in three stadiums difficult for visitors at Michigan, Nebraska and Washington.

It's hard to predict where teams will be five years from now, if the Big Ten's Flex Protect XVIII model will be tweaked as teams rise or fall, and if the Big Ten itself will stay at 18 teams. But the Wildcats still have their place in one of the two most powerful conferences in college football.