The 2024 season was huge for the Big Ten, as they played some of the most entertaining games of the season.
Welcome to B1G Thoughts, a weekly column for all the B1G news, happenings, and analysis for the Big Ten Conference. Every week, I will bring you some B1G thoughts on the Big Ten Conference, its coaches, players, and administration as it continues to separate itself from the Power Five into the Power Two. Check out the I-80 Football Show for a more in-depth analysis of the Big Ten Conference.
The Big Ten provided some major moments in the 2024 season, including multiple top-five matchups and a few major upsets. With 18 teams and over 162 games played, I’m taking it upon myself to rank my top 10 games of the 2024 season.
For this article, I am only ranking conference games, but the Big Ten also played some great non-conference games, including Penn State-Notre Dame, USC-LSU, Duke-Northwestern, and Iowa State-Iowa.
Honorable Mentions:
Ohio State vs. Penn State, 20-13
Ohio State vs. Nebraska, 21-17
Creating a top 10 list was harder than I thought, and I wanted to give credit to two games that didn’t quite make the list. Ohio State-Penn State is one of the best games of the season every year. No matter how dominant we think Ohio State is, they always get into a rock fight with the Nittany Lions — and this year was no different. This iteration saw an early pick-six and two goal line stands, and ended on a dominant run heavy drive.
Nebraska played Ohio State when they were reeling from losing their left tackle for the season due to injury. Nebraska took advantage of it and beat Ohio State in the trenches, making life miserable for quarterback Will Howard. Freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola isn’t known as a runner, but he thrived by escaping the pocket up the middle to extend drives. Ohio State needed another goal line stand to avoid an upset that would’ve ended their season.
10. Illinois vs. Nebraska, 31-24
Illinois-Nebraska was a banger between two programs looking to have their best season in years. Dylan Raiola and Luke Altmyer battled in this game, combing for 512 yards and seven touchdowns. After a missed field goal by Nebraska opened the door, Illinois completed a comeback and secured the win in overtime.
9. Maryland vs. USC, 29-28
USC made this list three times, and could have made it a few more times honestly. USC had a roller coaster of a season and almost all of their games involved some sort of comeback, with USC storming back or losing a big lead resulting in a lot of one score games.
USC-Maryland was just one of many which saw USC blow a 14-point fourth quarter lead, as Billy Edwards Jr. and Roman Hemby led Maryland to their first conference win of the season. Miller Moss and Edwards combined for 709 passing yards and five touchdowns in this Big Ten showdown.
8. Michigan vs. USC, 27-24
Michigan scored 27 points and beat USC in a game where their starting quarterback threw for 32 yards. That tells you everything you need to know about both programs in 2024.
USC’s defense was better than previous years, but its offense was also not as strong. Michigan ran the ball down USC’s throat to the tune of 290 yards and three touchdowns on 6.3 yards per carry. Moss didn’t play awful, but it was hard to overcome four sacks and eight tackles for loss as well as a back-breaking pick-six by Michigan corner Will Johnson.
7. Penn State vs. Minnesota, 26-25
What would you say if I told you last summer that James Franklin went for it on fourth down three times in one drive — including a fake punt on his own 34-yard line. You would probably think I was lying, but that’s exactly what he did to run out the clock and secure a one-point victory over Minnesota.
I’m not sure we need any more proof, but this is exactly why you shouldn’t resort to cowardly field goals with the game on the line. Minnesota, down four points, kicked a 26-yard field goal to make it a one-point game with 5:48 minutes left in the fourth… and never saw the ball again.
Penn State survived an upset because James Franklin decided it was time to be aggressive late in the game.
6. Oregon vs. Penn State, 45-37 (B1G title game)
For years we’ve argued that Penn State would be the biggest beneficiary of the 12-team playoff and getting rid of divisions in the Big Ten. They immediately proved that by making the Big Ten championship game and pushing Oregon to its limit.
Allowing Penn State to score 37 points may have been a precursor to their short stint in the CFP, but this was one of the best games of the year to end the Big Ten regular season. This game had a combined 992 yards and 82 points with the No. 1 seed in the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff on the line.
Penn State lost this game off two Drew Allar picks, but they played one of their best games and gained momentum for the playoff.
5. UCLA vs. Rutgers, 35-32
This game was fun. Sure, I may be biased because I attended this game in person, but watching UCLA quarterback Ethan Garbers throw a perfect game to end a five-game losing streak was awesome. Garbers went 32-38 for 383 yards and four touchdowns. He also led UCLA in rushing with nine carries for 48 yards and a touchdown.
Despite losing, Rutgers showed pride on their homecoming, coming back from down 16 points to make it a one-score game late in the fourth. This back and fourth affair showcases one of the beauties of college football: Sometimes the game you overlook ends up being the best game of the weekend.
4. Illinois vs. Rutgers, 38-31
How about a walk off win for drama?
Illinois started the fourth quarter down nine and proceeded to more than double their score by exploding for 23 fourth quarter points, including a walk off 40-yard touchdown reception by tight end Pat Bryant with four seconds left in the game.
Luke Altmyer Myer and Bryant refused to lose this game, Atlmyer threw for 249 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another touchdown and 74 rushing yards. Bryant had one of the best single games of the 2024 season with seven receptions for 197 yards and the walk off score.
These teams combined for 32 points through the first three quarters and 37 in the fourth. Don’t change the channel — anything can happen in college football.
3. Penn State vs. USC 33-30,
2. Illinois vs. Purdue, 50-49
1. Oregon vs. OSU, 32-31
Heading into the 2024 season, many fans and media pundits circled Oct. 12 as one of the best weekends of the season due to all the big matchups. That Saturday featured a top-five showdown in Ohio State-Oregon, as well as two ranked SEC matchups with Texas-Oklahoma and LSU-Ole Miss.
There was also excitement around Penn State-USC, Tennesse-Florida, and Kansas State-Colorado. All of those games delivered and more.
In the Big Ten alone we had three instant classics all decided by a total of five points.
Penn State fell into an early hole after USC went to the half with a 20-6 lead and an offense that scored on four out of six first-half possessions. Penn State bounced back immediately in the second half, scoring on their first two possessions to tie the game. The second half went back and forth, but USC opened the door in overtime after missing a 45-yard field goal. Penn State survived the upset bid despite three Drew Allar interceptions.
Purdue, despite being in the midst of one of the worst seasons in recent memory, decided they didn’t want to be upstaged on this day among all the heavyweight matchups. In one of the most shocking results of the 2024 season, freshman quarterback Ryan Browne threw for 297 yards and three touchdowns along with being the game’s leading rusher with 118 yards on 17 carries.
Altmyer didn’t want to be outdone, throwing for 379 yards and three touchdowns to stave off the upset. With the game on the line, Altmyer found Pat Bryant again, but Purdue wouldn’t go away, matching their overtime touchdown but failing to win the game on a two-point conversion. This game may get forgotten in the story of this season, but it was awesome.
Ohio State-Oregon part one was the best game of the season to me, and this comes from an Ohio State fan who suffered an agonizing defeat. This matchup had everything: player ejections, questionable calls, a massive defensive tackle literally ripping the ball away from the opposing running back. It had big plays, a potentially genius 12 man on the field penalty, and a quarterback who lost track of time while trying to set up a field goal.
Ohio State-Oregon delivered on all the hype as a top-three matchup, and set the table for what we thought would be a rematch in the Big Ten Championship Game. While the rematch had to wait until the Rose Bowl — and it was ultimately a blowout — this game had everyone wanting more.
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