College football fans, the wait is almost over! The 2014 season officially begins Wednesday night when Georgia State hosts FCS Abilene Christian, while Saturday can’t come soon enough for most FBS schools. The Big Ten is ready to begin play with two new schools in Maryland and Rutgers. With 2014 marking the start of the college football playoff, there could be an opportunity for the league champion to get into one of those semifinals. Here’s how each team will begin their season.

East

Rutgers begins life as a Big Ten school when the Scarlet Knights travel to Washington State on Thursday, while Michigan State begins their quest for a second straight conference championship Friday night vs. FCS Jacksonville State. Saturday’s Big Ten slate begins at 8:30 AM, when Penn State begins Year 1 of the James Franklin era in Dublin, Ireland, against reigning AAC and Fiesta Bowl champions Central Florida. Indiana and Maryland both host FCS schools; the Terrapins welcome James Madison (coached by former Ohio State assistant Everett Withers), and the Hoosiers face off with Indiana State. Ohio State begins a new season away from Columbus for the first time since 1999, when they meet Navy in Baltimore. Michigan gets a chance for redemption when they welcome back Appalachian State to Ann Arbor, seven years after one of the greatest upsets in college football history.

West

One team is in action on Thursday; Jerry Kill begins his fourth year in charge when Minnesota hosts Eastern Illinois. Several other West schools take on FCS teams on Saturday: Iowa hosts Northern Iowa, while Illinois welcomes Youngstown State to Champaign. Darrell Hazell’s second year at Purdue starts with Western Michigan paying a visit to Ross-Ade Stadium, while Nebraska hosts Florida Atlantic. Two schools will take on fellow “Power Five” teams; Northwestern takes on California, while in one of the prime-time matchups, Wisconsin meets LSU in Houston. With the Badgers picked to win the West, can Wisconsin get off to a winning start against an SEC school also ranked in the top 15?

With 14 teams in the conference this season, expect some big changes, but also a lot of excitement. How will Braxton Miller’s absence affect Ohio State over the season? Will Michigan beat the Mountaineers the second time around? Who will win the league, and  will that team make the four-team playoff? Big Ten fans won’t need to wait much longer now.

Click here for my Week 1 preview on the MAC.