Big Ten announces it will move to a 9-game football schedule for 2017
The Big Ten announced in a press release today it will move to a nine-game football schedule beginning in 2017.
Michigan will play five home league games in even-numbered years, beginning in 2018. It will play four home games in odd-numbered years.
The change from eight conference games to nine had been discussed for the past year, after the Big Ten added Nebraska as its 12th member and introduced division play. The Big Ten has played eight conference games every season since 1985.
In the current model, each Big Ten team faces five divisional opponents and one protected cross-division rival, and doesn't play three teams from the other division each year. That means each team will miss one cross-divisional opponent until 2015.
Michigan's cross-division rival is Ohio State, and won't play Wisconsin until 2015.
The nine-game schedule in 2017 assures all teams will meet at least six times in a 10-year span rather than four times in 10 years.
The nine-game schedule had been anticipated after officials at Purdue said last month they were told by the league to clear some of their 2017 schedule.
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Purdue athletic director Morgan Burke told the Indianapolis Star a nine-game schedule was coming.
Now, it’s a reality.
The 2017 schedule will include five conference home games for Iowa, Michigan State and Nebraska of 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 from the Leaders Division.
The Big Ten last played a nine-game schedule in 1983 and 1984. Eight of 10 conference schools also played nine-game schedules from 1981-82, and two of 10 from 1971-72 and 1977-80.
Kyle Meinke covers Michigan football for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at 734-623-2588, by email at kylemeinke@annarbor.com and followed on Twitter @kmeinke.
Comments
jillclubb
Mon, Aug 8, 2011 : 6:22 a.m.
This year's campaign will feature the return of a solid Huskers nucleus bannered by senior Brooke Delano, a first-team All-America middle blocker. <a href="http://bit.ly/nkYjBZ" rel='nofollow'>http://bit.ly/nkYjBZ</a>
RWBill
Sat, Aug 6, 2011 : 12:56 a.m.
Mick, there is a lot of logic the "B1G" has screwed up all the way along. I give them credit for a great addition in Nebraska, but they've screwed up everything since then.
Max Peters
Fri, Aug 5, 2011 : 10:02 a.m.
Do people really think the conferences are stable enough after the last year to think that the Big10 will really only have 12 teams in 2017? I realize schedules get made far in advance, but that is a long time away. The kids that will play in those games are still in elementary school!
Nick Pirce
Thu, Aug 4, 2011 : 9:25 p.m.
Good news for big ten
Wally the Wolverine
Thu, Aug 4, 2011 : 9:09 p.m.
I don't like the idea of losing any of my confidence-boosting creampuff games!
Macabre Sunset
Fri, Aug 5, 2011 : 3:32 a.m.
Back before our failed regime change in 2008, the cream-puffs were the bottom half of the conference. The goal is to return to those days, then that higher strength of schedule will get the Big Ten winner into the national championship game.
Terry Star21
Fri, Aug 5, 2011 : 1:42 a.m.
You're trying so hard to prove your not Michigan...good job !
Terry Star21
Thu, Aug 4, 2011 : 8:24 p.m.
I like it, as long as we keep ND on the schedule and an occasional Bama ect. Look it the bright spot, we will be going for our seventh straight Big Ten title in 2017 !!!!! MgoBlueForTiM............on the way to seven straight when we go nine.....
bluemax79
Thu, Aug 4, 2011 : 7:36 p.m.
this is beyond stupid when we ahd 10 teams it made sense to play 9 conference games, everyone would have played eachother. now for Michigan in odd numbered years with ND at home we can have max 7 home games, even # years we always travel to ND so 7 home games. neve again will we have 8 game home schedule to help pay the bills, you think the suite holders will be happy with alway paying 85G and only getting 7 home games every year? they pay more per game now as do PSL seats in the stadium. we just added 2 sports and now will only have 7 games to pay for them all. you want to have it fair have every team play each other so 1 OOC game and 11 BT games. Delany must go, he is inept and incompetent.
johnnya2
Thu, Aug 4, 2011 : 7:50 p.m.
A little bit over the top in your analysis. Delany is not hired by YOU. He was the FIRST commission to come up with a conference network. He has been VERY successful as a commissioner. If box holders and PSL licensees do not want to continue doing it, they are free to stop giving that money and not buy tickets. The other variable you seem to forget is Delany added one HUGE game that will take care of a lot of revenue for the conference.
Mick
Thu, Aug 4, 2011 : 6:28 p.m.
Just unbelievable, The B1G is really screwing this up, I suggested what I'm about to type a few months ago. They should schedule every team in a particular division with 5 home games and the other division 4 home games and switch that every year. Again, all Legends foes should have the same amount of home games every year and the same with the Leaders Division, why is this such a difficult concept to enact. Why will there be a disparity between teams of the same division in the same year? This is mind-boggling and idiotic! My suggestion is an easy one to execute, get it together B1G, please, you still have time to correct this.
Macabre Sunset
Thu, Aug 4, 2011 : 6:25 p.m.
Because slots in the National Championship game and at-large slots in the BCS bowls are worth millions to the Big Ten, and strength of schedule often makes the difference between two schools with the same record. The Big Ten has fallen behind other conferences in strength of schedule. One or maybe two cupcakes a year is acceptable, but the conference has gotten on too much of a sugar diet since the switch to a 12-game schedule.
West of Main
Thu, Aug 4, 2011 : 6:10 p.m.
What's wrong with playing the occasional cupcake MAC team? This is college football, after all, not the junior-NFL.
Macabre Sunset
Thu, Aug 4, 2011 : 6:02 p.m.
It's a great move, but I question why they need six years to make it. Scheduling deals all have how to negotiate changes built in. The Big 12 was able to move to nine conference games for this season. And most schools don't fill those non-conference games until 1-2 years out. There are just one or two long-term arrangements, like we have with Notre Dame. I was hoping for 2013.
Terry Star21
Thu, Aug 4, 2011 : 8:19 p.m.
It's a great move, we'll be going for our seventh straight B10 title..
bluemax79
Thu, Aug 4, 2011 : 7:38 p.m.
how exactly is this a great move?
scott
Thu, Aug 4, 2011 : 5:57 p.m.
Can anyone here let Dave Brandon know that playing ND sucks, what a great opportunity to schedule someone fun to play for the first time in a while!
Blue Marker
Thu, Aug 4, 2011 : 10:28 p.m.
I hear you Scott! Let's break it up a bit more. DB said something about the ND contract never being signed when he first took the job. It gave me hope they would find other quality opponents for the schedule. I don't know what ever happened with that. Personally, I love the UM vs. ND series but I'd like to add some variety. Plus, the reason ND won't join a conference is the Big Ten keeps giving them one for free. I hate to give OSU credit but they've done a much better job scheduling. USC, Miami, Texas, Oklahoma, have or will be on the OSU schedule.
MichFanTex
Thu, Aug 4, 2011 : 10:21 p.m.
How much do you suppose ND will demand from Michigan to break the current contract?
scott
Thu, Aug 4, 2011 : 9:28 p.m.
Not at all, their stadium is weak, their team usually is weak, and they're making a ton of money off of us. It's not a tradition game, play it 5 times a decade and start doing some home and homes.
Terry Star21
Thu, Aug 4, 2011 : 8:17 p.m.
This a joke right ?
redwingshero
Thu, Aug 4, 2011 : 5:49 p.m.
Of course, scheduling......
West of Main
Thu, Aug 4, 2011 : 5:32 p.m.
I'm sure this has everything to do with scheduling, and nothing to do with making more money.