Big Ten To Add A League Football Game Starting In 2017

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Madison – The face of Big Ten Conference football continues to change.

Big Ten officials announced Thursday the league’s football teams will begin playing a nine-game conference schedule in 2017.

According to the plan:

Three teams each from the Legends Division and Leaders Division will have five league home games during odd-numbered years and the three other teams from each division will have five league home games in even-numbered years.

In 2017, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio State from the Leaders Division will have five league home games. Iowa, Michigan State and Nebraska of the Legends Division will have five league home games.

In 2018, Wisconsin, Penn State and Purdue of the Leaders Division will have five league home games. Michigan, Minnesota and Northwestern of the Legends Division will have five league home games.

UW coach Bret Bielema was unavailable Thursday. However, he acknowledged during the recent league pre-season meetings he preferred to see Big Ten teams continue to play eight league games.

“The SEC still plays eight conference games,” he said of the Southeastern Conference, which has won the last five Bowl Championship Series titles. “For us to jump to nine . . . there is a reason the SEC is always in these conversations.”

That reason, according to Bielema, is that by playing a ninth league game the odds increase that the better teams in the league could suffer a loss. That loss could keep a team out of the BCS title game or a BCS bowl game altogether.

Bielema would like to see Big Ten teams play league games earlier in the season, even the season opener.

“You can have a showcase game every week,” he said.

SEC teams play league games early in the season, in the middle of their non-league schedule. That format allows them to play a lesser, non-league opponent late in the season. That strategy, Bielema says, allows SEC teams to ease the strain on their players late in the season.

This season, 11 SEC teams are scheduled to play a non-league game on Oct. 22 or later. Of those games, seven are against Football Championship Subdivision programs (formerly I-AA).

However, the reconfigured Big 12, which has 10 teams, and the new Pacific 12, which has two divisions and 12 teams, both are set to play nine-game schedules this season.

UW athletic director Barry Alvarez was in favor of the move to nine league games and hoped a second protected rivalry game could be added. UW’s protected rival is Minnesota, which is in the Legends Division.

Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany told ESPN.com during the pre-season meetings a second protected rivalry game was unlikely.

However, under the nine-game format all teams will meet six times in a 10-year span. Under the current format, all teams will meet just four times in a 10-year span.