Big Ten Football Championship game - wikipedia Big Ten Football Championship game For the men 's and women 's basketball tournaments, see Big Ten Conference Men 's Basketball Tournament and Big Ten Conference Women 's Basketball Tournament. Big Ten Football Championship Game Conference Football Championship Sport Football Conference Big Ten Conference Current stadium Lucas Oil Stadium Current location Indianapolis, Indiana Played 2011 -- present Last contest 2016 Current champion Penn State Most championships Michigan State, Wisconsin ( 2 ) TV partner ( s ) FOX Sports ( 2011 -- present ) Sponsors Dr Pepper The Big Ten Football Championship Game is a college football game that is held by the Big Ten Conference each year since 2011 to determine the conference 's season champion. The championship game will pit the division champions from the conference 's West and East divisions in a game held after the regular season has been completed. The game is held the first Saturday of December at 8 PM Eastern. The winner of this game will earn the Big Ten 's automatic berth in the Rose Bowl Game, unless the team is selected to play in the four - team College Football Playoff. If this is the case, they will go to one of the bowls hosting the national semifinals. The winner of this game will also receive the Stagg Championship Trophy, and the most valuable player of this game will receive the Grange - Griffin Championship Game Most Valuable Player Trophy. The conference currently has a deal making Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis the site of the championship game through 2021. Contents 1 History 2 Conference expansion 3 Team selection 4 Results 4.1 Results by team 5 Broadcasters 5.1 Television 5.2 Radio 5.3 Local Radio 6 Selection criteria 6.1 Three or more - team tiebreaker procedure 7 See also 8 References History See also : 2010 -- 13 Big Ten Conference realignment Prior to the 2011 college football season, the Big Ten Conference determined its conference representative through regular season play, and, as there were only 11 member schools, there was no possibility for a conference championship game because the NCAA requires ( for holding a conference championship game ) that the conference have 12 teams with two divisions. In 2010, the Big Ten Conference added the University of Nebraska, bringing the membership total to 12 teams. Thus, the conference was able to meet NCAA requirements. On August 5, 2010 Big Ten Conference Commissioner James Delany announced Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis had been chosen as the possible site for the inaugural championship game. The league office began a 30 - day period to negotiate a one - year agreement with Indiana Sports Corp and Lucas Oil Stadium to host the game. Delany also announced that once the 2011 agreement was in place, the conference office would conduct a thorough process over the next year to determine the location of the Big Ten Football Championship Game in 2012 and beyond. On November 17, 2010, the Big Ten Conference announced a media agreement with FOX Sports to serve as the official broadcast partner for the 2011 - 16 Big Ten Football Championship Games. A source at the time stated that the six - year agreement with FOX Sports would be worth between $20 -- $25 million per season, making it one of the most valuable conference championship games in college football. In the league 's press release, it was confirmed that the 2011 event will take place at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. The events will be played in prime time. Because FOX is a majority partner in the Big Ten Network, this may allow for the possibility of more involvement by the Big Ten Network in the event, including the use of Big Ten Network staff in the game coverage. Commissioner Delany also stated at that time that the Big Ten would strongly consider rotating the site of the game, mentioning other possible host cities such as Chicago, Detroit, Minneapolis, Green Bay, and Cleveland. On June 5, 2014 the Big Ten Conference announced via press release that the Big Ten Football Championship game would continue to be held at Lucas Oil Stadium through the 2021 season. Conference expansion The Big Ten expanded to 11 schools by adding Penn State in 1990, but this did not yet meet the NCAA 's requirements for holding a conference championship game ( that the conference have 12 teams with two divisions ). A few other times during that period, there were talks between the Big Ten and other schools ( namely, Kansas, Missouri, and Rutgers, and later Notre Dame ) which might have led to the possibility of a conference with two divisions of at least six teams and a conference championship, but for various reasons, nothing came to fruition. It was not until December 2009, when Commissioner Delany announced that the league would explore the possibility of adding one or more institutions, that the wheels were set in motion that would lead to the Big Ten adding a school for the first time in 20 years. Less than a year later, on June 11, 2010, Nebraska applied for membership and was unanimously accepted by the conference 's 11 member schools. Its membership became effective on July 1, 2011. In November 2012, the Big Ten announced that Maryland and Rutgers would join the conference in 2014, which brought conference membership up to 14 schools. Team selection Illinois Indiana Iowa Maryland Michigan Michigan State Minnesota Nebraska Northwestern Ohio State Penn State Purdue Rutgers Wisconsin -- East division -- West division -- Championship Game site After the addition of Nebraska to the conference, there was much debate over what would be the best division of the 12 schools. Some felt that it would be best to maintain geographical divisions. Others felt that geography should only be a factor insofar as there was competitive balance between the two divisions. Another very important factor for Big Ten schools was the maintenance of long - standing rivalries that the schools held with each other. On September 1, 2010, Commissioner Delany revealed how the teams would be placed into the two divisions. They were provisionally called X and O. Later, on December 13, 2010, Commissioner Delany announced that the two divisions would be called Legends and Leaders. The scheduling arrangement for the schools was that they would face each of the other schools in their division, plus three crossover opponents, one of which would be permanent. The permanent crossover opponent would be used to ensure that long standing historical rivalries would continue. On August 4, 2011, the Big Ten Conference announced that there would be a nine - game conference schedule beginning in 2017, allowing schools to play four crossover opponents. However, the Big Ten and Pac - 12 later announced a multi-sport scheduling agreement that provides for each member school to play one non-conference football game per year against an opponent from the other conference, and with this announcement, the Big Ten backed away from the nine - game conference schedule proposal. Following the 2014 entry of Maryland and Rutgers, the `` Leaders '' and `` Legends '' divisions were set aside and replaced by geographic divisions, with the schools in the Central Time Zone plus Purdue forming the new West Division, and the remaining members forming the East Division. In addition, the conference adopted a nine - game schedule beginning in 2016. Results Season Legends Division Leaders Division Site Attendance MVP 2011 11 Michigan State Spartans 39 15 Wisconsin Badgers 42 Lucas Oil Stadium Indianapolis, IN 64,152 QB Russell Wilson, Wisconsin 2012 14 Nebraska Cornhuskers 31 Wisconsin Badgers 70 41,260 RB Montee Ball, Wisconsin 2013 10 Michigan State Spartans 34 2 Ohio State Buckeyes 24 66,002 QB Connor Cook, Michigan State Season East Division West Division Site Attendance MVP 2014 6 Ohio State Buckeyes 59 11 Wisconsin Badgers 0 Lucas Oil Stadium Indianapolis, IN 60,229 QB Cardale Jones, Ohio State 2015 5 Michigan State Spartans 16 4 Iowa Hawkeyes 13 66,985 QB Connor Cook, Michigan State 2016 8 Penn State Nittany Lions 38 6 Wisconsin Badgers 31 65,018 QB Trace McSorley, Penn State Rankings from the AP Poll released prior to the game In 2012 Wisconsin finished third in the Leaders division, but division champion Ohio State and second place Penn State were banned from postseason play due to sanctions. Results by team Appearances School Wins Losses Pct. Championship Years Wisconsin. 500 2011, 2012 Michigan State. 667 2013, 2015 Ohio State. 500 2014 Penn State 0 1.000 2016 Nebraska 0. 000 Iowa 0. 000 Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Northwestern, Purdue, and Rutgers have yet to make an appearance in an Big Ten Football Championship Game. Broadcasters Television Date Network Play - by - play Color commentator ( s ) Sideline reporter ( s ) December 3, 2011 Fox Gus Johnson Charles Davis Tim Brewster and Dhani Jones December 1, 2012 Fox Gus Johnson Charles Davis Julie Alexandria December 7, 2013 Fox Gus Johnson Charles Davis Erin Andrews and Kristina Pink December 6, 2014 Fox Gus Johnson Charles Davis Molly McGrath December 5, 2015 Fox Gus Johnson Joel Klatt Molly McGrath December 3, 2016 Fox Gus Johnson Joel Klatt Shannon Spake Radio Date Network Play - by - play Color commentator ( s ) Sideline reporter ( s ) December 7, 2013 Compass Media Networks Gregg Daniels Dale Hellestrae December 6, 2014 Compass Media Networks Gregg Daniels Dale Hellestrae Local Radio Date Flagship station Play - by - play Color commentator ( s ) Sideline reporter ( s ) December 7, 2013 WBNS - AM / FM ( Ohio State ) WMMQ / WJIM - AM / WJR ( Michigan State ) Paul Keels George Blaha Jim Lachey Jason Strayhorn Marty Bannister Otis Wiley December 6, 2014 WIBA - AM / FM ( Wisconsin ) WBNS - AM / FM ( Ohio State ) Matt Lepay Paul Keels Mike Lucas Jim Lachey Scott Nelson Marty Bannister December 3, 2016 WQWK AM ( Penn State ) Steve Jones Jack Ham Derrick Williams Selection criteria On September 1, 2011, the Big Ten Conference announced the divisional tiebreaker procedures that will be used to determine the representatives in the championship game. Division standings are based on each team 's overall conference record, excluding teams ineligible for postseason because of sanctions. In the event that two teams are tied, the head - to - head results between those two teams determines the tiebreaker. Unlike the Southeastern Conference, whose rules were established before NCAA overtime and inclement weather concerns are possible, the Big Ten does not have a policy in case the head - to - head result is a tie because of inclement weather. Three or more - team tiebreaker procedure If only two teams remain after any of the following steps, the tiebreaker will revert to the two - team tiebreaker above. The records of the three tied teams will be compared against each other. The records of the three tied teams will be compared within their division. The records of the three tied teams will be compared against the next highest placed teams in their division in order of finish ( 4, 5, and 6 ). The records of the three tied teams will be compared against all common conference opponents. The team with the best overall winning percentage ( excluding exempted games ) will be the representative. The representative will be chosen by random draw. See also List of NCAA Division I FBS Conference Championship games References Jump up ^ http://www.bigten.org/genrel/060514aae.html Jump up ^ `` Indianapolis ' Lucas Oil Stadium Selected as Proposed Site for 2011 Big Ten Football Championship Game ''. BigTen.org : The Big Ten Conference Official Site. August 5, 2010. Archived from the original on 23 August 2010. Retrieved August 5, 2010. ^ Jump up to : `` Soldier Field good bet to host Big Ten title game ''. ChicagoBreakingSports.com. November 18, 2010. Retrieved November 18, 2010. Jump up ^ `` MediaPost Publications Fox Moves to Majority Position in Big Ten Network 08 / 30 / 2011 ''. Mediapost.com. Retrieved 2014 - 06 - 06. Jump up ^ `` Big Ten Announces Media Agreement with FOX Sports to Televise 2011 - 16 Big Ten Football Championship Games ''. BigTen.org : The Big Ten Conference Official Site. November 17, 2010. Archived from the original on 23 December 2010. Retrieved November 17, 2010. Jump up ^ Axson, Scooby ( 2014 - 05 - 13 ). `` Big Ten announces future sites for football championship game, basketball tournaments SI Wire ''. Tracking.si.com. Retrieved 2014 - 06 - 06. Jump up ^ `` Big Ten Announces Extension of Football Championship Games in Indianapolis and Basketball Tournaments in Chicago and Indianapolis - BIG TEN CONFERENCE Official Athletic Site ''. Bigten.org. Retrieved 2014 - 06 - 06. Jump up ^ `` An Ingenious Inception : Penn State Joins the Big Ten Conference ''. BigTen.org : The Big Ten Conference Official Site. September 11, 2006. Retrieved November 24, 2010. Jump up ^ Sherman, Ed ( December 10, 1993 ). `` Kansas, Big 10 a good fit ? ''. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved November 24, 2010. Jump up ^ `` Notre Dame shuns Big Ten, fears losing ` distinctiveness ' ''. National Catholic Reporter. February 19, 1999. Retrieved November 24, 2010. Jump up ^ `` University of Nebraska Approved to Join Big Ten Conference by Council of Presidents / Chancellors ' ''. BigTen.org : The Big Ten Conference Official Site. June 11, 2010. Archived from the original on 22 December 2010. Retrieved November 24, 2010. Jump up ^ `` University Of Maryland To Join The Big Ten Conference '' ( Press release ). Big Ten Conference. November 19, 2012. Retrieved November 19, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Rutgers University To Join The Big Ten Conference '' ( Press release ). Big Ten Conference. November 20, 2012. Retrieved November 19, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Big Ten sets new divisions ; splits up Illinois - NU ''. ChicagoBreakingSports.com. September 1, 2010. Archived from the original on September 4, 2010. Retrieved November 24, 2010. Jump up ^ `` Big Ten Conference Reveals New Logo and Honors Football History with Division Names and Trophies ''. BigTen.org : The Big Ten Conference Official Site. December 13, 2010. Retrieved December 13, 2010. Jump up ^ `` Big Ten Schools to Play Nine Conference Games Beginning With 2017 Season ''. BigTen.org : The Big Ten Conference Official Site. August 4, 2011. Retrieved August 4, 2011. Jump up ^ `` Big Ten Announces Football Division Alignments and Move to Nine - Game Conference Schedules '' ( Press release ). Big Ten Conference. April 28, 2013. Retrieved November 19, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Big Ten Conference Football Divisional Tiebreaker ''. BigTen.org : The Big Ten Conference Official Site. September 1, 2011. Retrieved September 1, 2011. Big Ten Football Championship Game Years 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 Venues Lucas Oil Stadium ( 2011 -- present ) Big Ten Conference football East Division Indiana Hoosiers Maryland Terrapins Michigan Wolverines Michigan State Spartans Ohio State Buckeyes Penn State Nittany Lions Rutgers Scarlet Knights West Division Illinois Fighting Illini Iowa Hawkeyes Minnesota Golden Gophers Nebraska Cornhuskers Northwestern Wildcats Purdue Boilermakers Wisconsin Badgers Championships & awards Champions All - time standings ( 1896 -- 1958 ), ( 1959 -- present ) Championship Game Individual awards Chicago Tribune Silver Football Seasons 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1984 1985 1986 2017 Big Ten Conference championships Baseball Men 's Basketball Women 's Basketball Football Men 's Ice Hockey Men 's Lacrosse Women 's Lacrosse Men 's Soccer Women 's Soccer Softball NCAA Division I FBS conference championship games Current American Athletic Championship Game ( 2015 -- present ) ACC Championship Game ( 2005 -- present ) Big Ten Championship Game ( 2011 -- present ) C - USA Championship Game ( 2005 -- present ) MAC Championship Game ( 1997 -- present ) MW Championship Game ( 2013 -- present ) Pac - 12 Championship Game ( 2011 -- present ) SEC Championship Game ( 1992 -- present ) Future Big 12 Championship Game ( 1996 -- 2010 ; 2017 ) Sun Belt Championship Game ( 2018 ) Former WAC Championship Game ( 1996 -- 1998 ) Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Big_Ten_Football_Championship_Game&oldid=802826337 '' Categories : Big Ten Football Championship Game Sports in Indianapolis Talk Contents About Wikipedia Add links This page was last edited on 28 September 2017, at 18 : 35. 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Question: when did the big ten championship game start
Answer: 2011