Big Ten football announced today that the conference will move to a nine-game Big Ten schedule beginning in 2017.
“Today’s announcement is another significant step for the Big Ten,” Purdue athletics director Morgan Burke said. “Nothing beats two conference teams getting after one another on Saturdays, and I know our fans will embrace the additional Big Ten matchup.”
Only one team in history (the 1983 Illinois Fighting Illini Rose Bowl team) has gone 9-0 in conference. In those days, the league had 10 teams and played every other team once every year. That team will go down as the only squad ever to defeat all other league teams in nine games.
But we’ll see in ’17 if anyone can go 9-0 with 11 other teams in the conference. Here’s how it breaks down:
Three teams each from the Legends Division and Leaders Division will feature five conference home games during odd-numbered years, while the other three schools from each division will host five conference contests during even-numbered years. The 2017 schedule will include five conference home outings for Iowa, Michigan State and Nebraska from the Legends Division and Illinois, Indiana and Ohio State from the Leaders Division. The 2018 schedule will feature five Big Ten home games for Michigan, Minnesota and Northwestern of the Legends Division and Penn State, Purdue and Wisconsin of the Leaders Division.
From 2017 to 2021, Purdue’s schedule will be sequenced such that the Boilermakers will play five home Big Ten games in those years they play at Notre Dame (2018 and 2020) and four home conference contests when the Fighting Irish come to Ross-Ade Stadium (2017, 2019 and 2021). The Purdue-Notre Dame series currently is set through 2021.
“It’s an exciting time to be a part of the Big Ten Conference,” Purdue head coach Danny Hope said. “The addition of Nebraska, the Legends and Leaders Divisions, the championship game in Indianapolis and now a nine-game league schedule in the future gives fans a lot to look forward to.”
The Big Ten will return to a full nine-game conference schedule for the first time since the 1983 and 1984 seasons. Eight of 10 conference schools played nine-game schedules during the 1981 and 1982 seasons, while two of 10 teams featured nine-game schedules from 1971-72 and 1977-80.
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