Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference is the United States ' oldest Division I college athletic conference . Its twelve member institutions ( which are primarily flagship research universities in their respective states , well - regarded academically , and with relatively large student enrollment ) are located primarily in the Midwestern United States , stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east , and from Indiana in the south to Minnesota in the north . The conference competes in the NCAA ' s Division I ; its football teams compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision ( FBS ) , formerly known as Division I - A , the highest level of NCAA competition in that sport . Member schools of the Big Ten also are members of the Committee on Institutional Cooperation , a leading educational consortium . Despite the conference ' s name , the Big 10 actually consists of twelve schools , following the addition of Pennsylvania State University in 1993 and the University of Nebraska - Lincoln in 2011 . It is not to be confused with the Big 12 Conference , which , paradoxically , has only ten schools and represents a different region of the country . Members . Big Ten institutions are also , along with charter member the University of Chicago , part of the Committee on Institutional Cooperation , which shares a $ 5 . 6 billion research fund . Sports . The Big Ten sponsors the following 25 sports : History . On January 11 , 1895 , the presidents of University of Chicago , University of Illinois , University of Minnesota , University of Wisconsin , Northwestern University , Purdue University and Lake Forest College met in Chicago to discuss the regulation and control of intercollegiate athletics . The eligibility of student - athletes was one of the main topics of discussion . The Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives was founded at a second meeting on February 8 , 1896 . Lake Forest was not at the 1896 meeting that established the conference and was replaced by the University of Michigan . At the time , the organization was more commonly known as the Western Conference , consisting of Purdue , Michigan , Wisconsin , Minnesota , Illinois , Chicago , and Northwestern . The first reference to the conference as the Big Nine was in 1899 after Iowa and Indiana had joined . Nebraska first petitioned to join the league in 1900 and again in 1911 , but was turned away both times . In January 1908 , Michigan was voted out of the conference for failing to adhere to league rules . Ohio State was added to the conference in 1912 . The first reference to the conference as the Big Ten was in November 1917 after Michigan rejoined following a nine - year absence . The conference was again known as the Big Nine after the University of Chicago decided to de - emphasize varsity athletics just after World War II . Chicago discontinued its football program in 1939 and withdrew from the conference in 1946 after struggling to gain victories in many conference matchups . It was believed that one of several schools , notably Pittsburgh , Nebraska , Michigan State , Marquette , Notre Dame , and Iowa State would replace Chicago at the time . On May 20 , 1949 , Michigan State ended the speculation by joining and the conference was again known as the Big Ten . The Big Ten ' s membership would remain unchanged for the next 40 years . The conference ’ s official name throughout this period remained the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives . It did not formally adopt the name " Big Ten " until 1987 , when it was incorporated as a not - for - profit corporation . In 1990 , the Big Ten universities voted to expand the conference to 11 teams , and extended an invitation to Penn State , which accepted it . When Penn State joined in 1990 , it was decided that the conference would continue to be called the Big Ten , but its logo was modified to reflect the change ; the number 11 is disguised in the negative space of the traditionally blue " Big Ten " lettering . Missouri had shown interest in Big Ten membership after Penn State joined . Around 1993 , the league explored adding Kansas , Missouri , and Rutgers , or other potential schools , to create a 14 - team league with two divisions . These talks died when the Big 8 Conference merged with former Southwest Conference members to create the Big 12 . Following the addition of previously independent Penn State , efforts were made to encourage the University of Notre Dame , the last remaining non - service academy independent , to join the league . Early in the 20th century , Notre Dame briefly considered official entry into the Big Ten but chose to maintain its independence instead . However , in 1999 , both Notre Dame and the Big Ten entered into private negotiations concerning a possible membership that would include Notre Dame . Although the Notre Dame faculty senate endorsed the idea with a near unanimous vote , the ND board of trustees decided against joining the conference and Notre Dame ultimately withdrew from negotiations . 2010 expansion . In December 2009 Big Ten Conference commissioner , Jim Delany , announced that the league was looking to expand . By April of the following year , media outlets speculated an expansion to as many as 14 or 16 teams . Media reports speculated the major motives for expansion were to increase the reach of the Big Ten Network and to launch a potentially lucrative conference championship . The conference reportedly receives as much as 88 cents per month for every Big Ten Network subscriber in Big Ten territory as of June , 2010 . In the 2008 – 09 fiscal year , the Big Ten Network distributed $ 6 . 4 million to each of the conference ' s 11 schools . On June 11 , 2010 the University of Nebraska applied for membership in the Big Ten and was unanimously approved as the conference ' s 12th school , which became effective July 1 , 2011 . The conference retained the name " Big Ten " . On September 1 , Delany revealed the conference ' s divisional split and announced the new division names on December 13 , 2010 : Legends and Leaders . When explaining the names , he said : Contrary to what Delaney expected , the new " Legends " and " Leaders " names were not met with enthusiasm . For one thing , the placement of Northwestern in the Legends Division proved to be massively controversial : this meant that they were in a different division from instate rival Illinois . For the football season , each team plays the others in its division , one " cross - over " game , and two rotating cross - divisional games . The following table shows the permanent inter - divisional opponent for each school , with the rivalries listed by number of games played ( records through the completion of the 2010 season with Legends Division wins listed first ) . Commissioners . The office of the commissioner of athletics was created in 1922 " to study athletic problems of the various member universities and assist in enforcing the eligibility rules which govern Big Ten athletics . " Academics . The Big Ten Conference is known for its academics as well as its athletics . Prior to the addition of Nebraska on July 1 , 2011 , it was the only Division I conference to have all its members in the Association of American Universities ( AAU ) . Nebraska was removed from the AAU in April 2011 , due to the AAU no longer allowing Nebraska to include their Medical Center in the AAU formula and the decreased weight given to agricultural research . Commissioner Jim Delany stated that Nebraska ' s removal from the AAU would have no bearing upon their Big Ten membership . However , Nebraska does lead the NCAA with a record of 291 Academic All - Americans ( followed by Notre Dame with 221 ) . Currently no Division I conference has all its members in the AAU , but a Division III conference , University Athletic Association , is composed of entirely AAU members . The Big Ten also runs the Committee on Institutional Cooperation along with the University of Chicago , which allows schools at participating institutions to take distance courses at other participating institutions . Students at participating schools are also allowed " in - house " viewing privileges at other participating schools ' libraries . They also employ collective purchasing , which has saved member institutions $ 19 million to date . Football . Big Ten Championship Game . With the addition of Nebraska to the Big Ten Conference beginning in the 2011 season , the Big Ten Conference announced on August 5 , 2010 , that the inaugural Big Ten Football Championship Game would be held at the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis . Fox Sports will televise the conference championship games from 2011 – 16 . The first game was on December 3 , 2011 between Michigan State and Wisconsin . Wisconsin won the game 42 - 39 over the Spartans , receiving the Stagg Championship Trophy . Bowl games . Since 1946 , the Big Ten champion has had a tie - in with the Rose Bowl game , now a BCS bowl . The Big Ten also has tie - ins with seven non - BCS bowls . Michigan appeared in the first bowl game , the 1902 Rose Bowl . After that , the Big Ten did not allow their schools to participate in bowl games , until the agreement struck with the Pacific Coast Conference for the 1947 Rose Bowl . From 1946 through 1971 , the Big Ten did not allow the same team to represent the conference in consecutive years in the Rose Bowl with an exception made after the 1961 season in which Minnesota played in the 1962 Rose Bowl after playing in the 1961 Rose Bowl due to Ohio State declining the bid because of Ohio State faculty concerns about academics . It was not until the 1975 season that the Big Ten allowed teams to play in bowl games other than the Rose Bowl . Due to those rules , Big Ten teams such as Michigan and Ohio State have lower numbers of all - time bowl appearances than powerhouse teams from the Big 12 Conference and Southeastern Conference , which always placed multiple teams in bowl games every year . Bowl selection procedures . Although the pick order usually corresponds to the conference standings , the bowls are not required to make their choices strictly according to the won - lost records ; many factors influence bowl selections , including pre - season rankings , especially the turnout of the fans for past bowl games . Picks are made after BCS selections ; the bowl with the # 2 pick will have the first pick of the remaining teams in the conference . The Capital One ( first choice ) and Outback ( second ) Bowls can select any eligible team except a team that has two fewer wins or two more losses , in all games , than another eligible team . If a second conference team is selected for a BCS bowl , the two - win / loss requirement is not applicable for the Outback Bowl . The remaining picks are made in order by the Gator , Insight , Meineke Car Care , TicketCity and Little Caesar ' s Pizza Bowls , picking eligible teams without restrictions . Marching bands . All Big Ten member schools have marching band s which perform regularly during the football season . Ten of the current twelve member schools have won the Sudler Trophy , generally considered the most prestigious honor a collegiate marching band can receive . The first three Sudler trophies were awarded to Big Ten marching bands — Michigan ( 1982 ) , Illinois ( 1983 ) and Ohio State ( 1984 ) . The Big Ten also has more Sudler Trophy recipients than any other collegiate athletic conference . Men ' s basketball . The Big Ten has participated in basketball since 1904 , and has led the nation in attendance every season since 1978 . It has been a national powerhouse in men ' s basketball , having multiple championship winners and often sending four or more teams to the NCAA Men ' s Basketball Tournament . Previous NCAA champions include Indiana with five titles , Michigan State with two , and Wisconsin , Michigan , and Ohio State with one each . Ohio State played in the first NCAA tournament national championship game in 1939 , losing to Oregon . Despite this , Jimmy Hull of Ohio State was the first NCAA tournament MVP . The first three tournament MVPs came from the Big Ten ( Marv Huffman of Indiana in 1940 and John Katz of Wisconsin in 1941 ) . Big Ten teams have also experienced success in the postseason NIT . Since 1974 , 13 Big Ten teams have made it to the championship game , winning eight championships . NIT champions from the Big Ten include Michigan and Ohio State with two , and Indiana , Minnesota , Penn State , and Purdue with one each . In addition , the Helms Athletic Foundation recognizes Illinois as the 1915 National Champions , Minnesota as the 1902 and 1919 National Champions , Northwestern as the 1931 National Champion , Purdue as the 1932 National Champions , and Wisconsin as the 1912 , 1914 and 1916 National Champions . Since 1999 , the Big Ten has taken part in the ACC – Big Ten Challenge with the Atlantic Coast Conference . The ACC holds an 10 – 3 record against the Big Ten , Ohio State is the only Big Ten school without a losing record in the challenge . NCAA tournament champions , runners - up and locations . " † denotes overtime games . Multiple † ' s indicate more than one overtime . " Women ' s basketball . Women ' s basketball teams have played a total of nine times in the NCAA Women ' s Division I Basketball Championship ( since 1982 ) and Women ' s National Invitation Tournament ( since 1998 ) . Big Ten women ' s teams have also led conference attendance from 1993 – 1999 . Rivalries . Football . The members of the Big Ten have longstanding rivalries with each other , especially on the football field . Each school has at least one traveling trophy at stake . From 1993 through 2010 , the Big Ten football schedule was set up with each team having two permanent matches within the conference , with the other eight teams in the conference rotating out of the schedule in pairs for two - year stints . Permanent matches were as follows : This system was discontinued after the 2010 season , as teams became grouped into two divisions , and would play all teams in their division once , with one protected cross - over game , and two games rotating against the other five opponents from the opposing division . Most of the above permanent rivalries were maintained . By virtue of the new alignment , a handful of new permanent divisional opponents were created , as all pairs of teams within the same division would face off each season . Furthermore , three new permanent inter - divisional matches resulted from the re - alignment : Purdue - Iowa , Michigan State - Indiana , and Penn State - Nebraska . The following past permanent matches were maintained across divisions : Minnesota - Wisconsin , Michigan - Ohio State , and Illinois - Northwestern . The new alignment , however , caused some of the above permanent rivalries to be discontinued . These were : Iowa - Wisconsin , Northwestern - Purdue , and Michigan State - Penn State . These matchups would continue to be played , but only twice every five years on average . Extra - conference rivalries . Three Big Ten teams — Purdue , Michigan State and Michigan — have rivalries in football with Notre Dame . After the University of Southern California with 33 wins , the Michigan State Spartans have the most wins against the Irish , with 27 . The Purdue Boilermakers follow with 26 . Penn State had a longstanding rivalry with Pittsburgh of the Big East , but the two schools have not met since 2000 . Penn State also had long histories with independent Notre Dame ; West Virginia , Syracuse , and Rutgers of the Big East ; Maryland and Boston College of the ACC ; and Temple of the Mid - American Conference ( MAC ) . Penn State also has strong intrastate rivalries with Patriot League universities Bucknell in men ' s basketball and men ' s lacrosse , and Lehigh in wrestling . Most of these rivalries were cultivated while Penn State operated independent of conference affiliation ; the constraints of playing a full conference schedule , especially in football , have reduced the number of meetings between Penn State and its non - Big Ten rivals . Iowa has an in - state rivalry with Iowa State , with the winner getting the Cy - Hawk Trophy in football . Iowa and Iowa State also compete annually in the Cy - Hawk Series sponsored by Hy - Vee ( as of 2011 his game is now sponsored by The Iowa Corngrowers Association ) , the competition includes all head - to - head regular season competitions in all sports . Iowa also holds rivalries in basketball with the state ' s other two Division I programs , Drake and Northern Iowa . Indiana has an out - of conference rivalry with Kentucky . While the two schools played in football for many years , the rivalry was rooted in their decades of national success in men ' s basketball . The two no longer play one another in football , but their basketball rivalry continues to this day . Most recently , unranked Indiana defeated then - # 1 ranked Kentucky 73 - 72 at Assembly Hall . Illinois has a longstanding basketball rivalry with Missouri , with the two men ' s teams squaring off annually in the " Braggin ' Rights " game in St . Louis . This rivalry has been carried over into football as " The Arch Rivalry " with games played at the Edward Jones Dome in St . Louis in 2002 and 2003 and four games scheduled from 2007 to 2010 . Wisconsin has a long - standing , in - state basketball rivalry with Marquette . The series has intensified as of late with both teams having made the Final Four in recent years . The schools also played an annual football game before Marquette abandoned its football program in 1961 . In the early days of the Big Ten , the Chicago - Michigan game was played on Thanksgiving , usually with conference championship implications and was considered one of the first major rivalries of the conference . Also in the early days of the conference , and at Knute Rockne ' s insistence , Northwestern and Notre Dame had a yearly contest , with the winner taking home a shillelagh , much like the winner of the USC - Notre Dame and Purdue - Notre Dame contests now receive . The Northwestern - Notre Dame shillelagh was largely forgotten by the early 1960s and is now solely an element of college football ' s storied past . Conference facilities . The Big Ten has the distinction of being the conference with the most stadiums seating over 100 , 000 , at three of the stadiums ( Beaver Stadium , Michigan Stadium , and Ohio Stadium ) . Only three other college football stadiums have such a capacity : Neyland Stadium at the University of Tennessee and Bryant – Denny Stadium of the University of Alabama in the Southeastern Conference , and Darrell K . Royal - Texas Memorial Stadium at the University of Texas at Austin in the Big 12 Conference . The three stadiums are the three largest stadiums in the List of American football stadiums by capacity , as well as , third , fourth , and sixth in the list of the largest sports stadiums in the world . Media . As of 2010 , the Big Ten has carriage agreements with the following broadcast and cable networks .