Big Ten Conference Football

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Welcome to Big Ten Football Online

Big Ten Football Online is a fan site dedicated to collecting Big Ten Conference Football facts and information. We are not affiliated with the Big Ten Conference, but we are huge fans. The official website of the Big Ten Conference is BigTen.org.

The Big Ten Conference was founded on January 11, 1895 and is the oldest Division I NCAA college athletic conference. There are currently twelve member universities from across the Midwest that compete in the Big Ten Conference.

Big Ten Football Facts and Figures

2023 Big Ten Football Schedule

2022 Big Ten Football Schedule

Past Big Ten Football Schedules

Big Ten Conference Football Divisions

The Big Ten Conference was divided into two divisions, known as the Legends and Leaders Divisions, until July 1, 2014 when the Big Ten added the University of Maryland and Rutgers University.

Big Ten Legends Division

Big Ten Leaders Division

Permanent Inter-divisional Rivals during Legends and Leaders Division pre-2014

Legends Division-Leaders Division

  • Minnesota-Wisconsin
  • Michigan-Ohio State
  • Northwestern-Illinois
  • Iowa-Purdue
  • Michigan State-Indiana
  • Nebraska-Penn State

Under the current divisional format, each Big Ten school plays a total of eight Big Ten conference football games, consisting of the five other teams in its division, two schools from the other division on a rotating basis, and one school that is its inter-division rival. The Big Ten instituted this policy to try and keep some of the long standing football rivalries intact.

Big Ten Football Rivalry Games

Some of the longest Big Ten Football rivalries include:

  • Minnesota-Wisconsin since 1890
  • Indiana-Purdue since 1891
  • Iowa-Minnesota since 1891
  • Illinois-Northwestern since 1892
  • Iowa-Wisconsin since 1894
  • Michigan-Ohio State 1897
  • Michigan-Michigan State since 1898
  • Michigan-Minnesota since 1903

New Members of the Big Ten Conference

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In 2014, the Big Ten Conference officially added two new members to its ranks. Joining the conference on July 1, 2014 was the University of Maryland and Rutgers University.

New Big Ten Division Realignment

Other changes added 2014 included a new divisional structure. Under the new Big Ten Football Division plan, all Big Ten schools located in the Central Time Zone and Purdue University will compete in the West Division. The schools in the Eastern Time Zone will be in the East Division.

Big Ten West Division Big Ten East Division
University of Illinois Fighting Illini Indiana University Hoosiers
University of Iowa Hawkeyes University of Maryland Terrapins
University of Minnesota Golden Gophers University of Michigan Wolverines
University of Nebraska Cornhuskers Michigan State University Spartans
Northwestern University Wildcats Ohio State University Buckeyes
Purdue University Boilermakers Penn State University Nittany Lions
University of Wisconsin Badgers Rutgers University Scarlet Knights

Future Members of the Big Ten Conference

Big changes are in store for America’s Oldest Football Conference. On June 30, 2022, the Big Ten Conference announced that the UCLA Bruins and the USC Trojans will join the Big Ten Conference effective August 2, 2024 giving the B1G a huge presence in Los Angeles, California TV markets and on the West Coast of the United States.

Big Ten Football Championship Game

The Big Ten Football Championship Game is held every year to determine which team receives the automatic bid to play in the Rose Bowl. The game features the champion from the Big Ten West Division versus the champion from the Big Ten East Division. The inaugural Big Ten Football Championship Game was played on December 3, 2011 between the Michigan State Spartans and the Wisconsin Badgers at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

The only protected inter-divisional matchup will be the Indiana-Purdue game. Also, the Big Ten approved a nine game conference football schedule beginning in 2016. To keep everything even, the East Division schools will have five home conference games in even numbered years and the West Division schools will play five home games in odd numbered years.

Listen live or watch Big Ten Football Games Online

The Big Ten Conference offers fans many different opportunities to watch their favorite Big Ten teams on Internet-enabled devices throughout the year.