Big Ten football returns: Full week-by-week breakdown of new-look 2020 schedule

The Big Ten unveiled its schedule Saturday — the conference's third-different slate of games for the 2020 season.

The conference will play eight games starting Oct. 24, a new schedule that offers a few new wrinkles for 2020. Ohio State — the three-time defending champions — will face rival Michigan in the final week of the season on Dec. 12.

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That would be the end of the road of a successful return to college football — one that features some interesting cross-division games between the Big Ten East and Big Ten West divisions.

Here is a week-by-week breakdown of the best the Big Ten schedule has to offer in 2020:

Big Ten schedule: Week 1

Saturday, Oct. 24

Big takeaways: Nebraska and Ohio State were among the most vocal dissenters of the original Big Ten decision, but it won't be so united on the field. The Buckeyes have averaged 53 points per game against the Huskers in the last five wins. Michigan-Minnesota might be the better game; The Wolverines might face more pressure on the road in that spot for the Little Brown Jug against a talented Gophers team — especially if it’s Joe Milton’s first start.

Big Ten schedule: Week 2

Saturday, Oct. 31

Big takeaways: Ohio State at Penn State won't be a "White Out," but this is the biggest early-season challenge for the Buckeyes, given Penn State is the last Big Ten East team to beat them. Can the Nittany Lions avoid a second-half collapse? Michigan State’s Mel Tucker will get his first taste of a rivalry the Wolverines have taken back. Nebraska faces the toughest two-week start of any Big Ten team, but at least the Badgers are coming to Lincoln. Wisconsin has won seven straight games against the Huskers.

Big Ten schedule: Week 3

Saturday, Nov. 7

Big takeaways: Maryland could be 2-0 and catch Penn State in an emotional letdown situation. That’s a chance for coach Mike Locksley to make a statement. Michigan isn't getting any early-season breaks, knowing Indiana has kept two of the last three meetings in Bloomington within a touchdown. That said, the Hoosiers haven't beat Michigan since 1987. Purdue at Wisconsin would be more exciting if Boilermakers star Rondale Moore returns to the field.

Big Ten schedule: Week 4

Saturday, Nov. 14

Big takeaways: Michigan's schedule is brutal. The Badgers visit Ann Arbor in Week 4, and that’s a series where the home team has won the last four meetings since Jim Harbaugh and Paul Chryst arrived in 2015. Nebraska's brutal cross-division slate continues with a trip to Penn State, and Iowa-Minnesota is an intriguing leg in the Big Ten West race. The Hawkeyes have won the last five meetings in the battle for the Floyd of Rosedale trophy.

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Big Ten schedule: Week 5

Saturday, Nov. 21

Big takeaways: Penn State-Iowa games are always physical. The Nittany Lions have won the last three meetings by a combined total of 13 points. That’s a fun cross-division game. If Northwestern still is in the Big Ten West hunt, then this is the biggest spot on the schedule at home against Wisconsin. The Badgers and Wildcats have split the last six meetings.

Big Ten schedule: Week 6

Saturday, Nov. 28

Big takeaways: If the Wolverines survive the first half of the schedule, then this game against the Nittany Lions will be huge. The home team has won the last four meetingS in this series, and a few of those games have been blowouts. Minnesota-Wisconsin should decide the Big Ten West, and it's a chance for P.J. Fleck to score that signature victory in the battle for Paul Bunyan's Axe. Nebraska-Iowa still is on Thanksgiving weekend, too.

Big Ten schedule: Week 7

Saturday, Dec. 5

Big takeaways: Ohio State travels to East Lansing to face Michigan State in an all-in game for first-year coach Mel Tucker — and a week before "The Game," to boot. The rest of the schedule is ho-hum, though Northwestern-Minnesota could produce one of those patented wild finishes. Purdue has won the last two meetings against Nebraska. Scott Frost has to win this one.

Big Ten schedule: Week 8

Saturday, Dec. 12

Big takeaways: "The Game" is in its rightful spot at the end of the schedule. Michigan travels to Ohio State with the usual storylines at stake. Harbaugh is 0-5 against the Buckeyes, and the Wolverines have not won in Columbus since 2000. It's the game that will generate the most headlines on Dec. 12. Wisconsin at Iowa could decide the Big Ten West, considering how the schedule breaks for both teams. The schedule-makers did an excellent job of preserving the Indiana-Purdue and Illinois-Northwestern rivalries in their proper spots, too. Who is ready for the cross-division schedule in Week 9?