Big Ten goes to 9 conference games in 2017

• gorocks99

  

  http://twitter.com/#!/B1Gfootball
  
  Big Ten returns to full 9-game conference schedule for first time since 1983 & 1984; played partial nine-game schedule in 70s and 80s.
  
  2017 (and all odd-numbered years) schedule will include five conference home outings for ILL, IND, IOWA, MSU, NEB and OSU.
  
  2018 schedule (and all even-numbered years) will feature five Big Ten home games for MICH, MINN, NU, PSU, PUR, WIS.
• krambman

  

  gorocks99;851559 wrote:http://twitter.com/#!/B1Gfootball
  
  Big Ten returns to full 9-game conference schedule for first time since 1983 & 1984; played partial nine-game schedule in 70s and 80s.
  
  2017 (and all odd-numbered years) schedule will include five conference home outings for ILL, IND, IOWA, MSU, NEB and OSU.
  
  2018 schedule (and all even-numbered years) will feature five Big Ten home games for MICH, MINN, NU, PSU, PUR, WIS.

  
  I think that it's probably more likely that the Big Ten will expand again and that this will change before we ever get to 2017.
• enigmaax

  gorocks99;851559 wrote: Big Ten returns to full 9-game conference schedule

  
  This would be a true statement if the Big Ten was really "ten".
• krambman

  

  Look for OSU to try and schedule their big out of conference game at home in even years and on the road in odd years to have eight home games every year.
• Bigdogg

  One less shitty MAC game is good for me.
• dave

  this is stupid, the way it is this year is better.
• Hb31187

  

  dave;852645 wrote:this is stupid, the way it is this year is better.

  
  I like seeing conference games more than beating the shit out of MAC teams for 1 more week
• dazedconfused

  

  all for it...those fcs/mac beat downs get old real fast
• dave

  Hb31187;852695 wrote:I like seeing conference games more than beating the shit out of MAC teams for 1 more week

  
  Don't kid yourself, this just makes it an easier excuse for teams to play softer OOC schedules. I doubt Michigan will ever have a year with the likes of Bama/ND/Air Force again.
• ts1227

  

  I'm surprised they're waiting until 2017 (well not that surprised, the Big Ten is slow with everything they do).
  
  Had they decided it earlier and really forced it, I would like to think 2013 maybe and 2014 definitely would have been a possibility.
  Even just up to those years, many teams don't have a full schedule filled yet (most have one opening still). Even if they were filled, the schools in the Big Ten could afford to buy out a MAC/1-AA contract to do it. The first year or 2 may not have been 9 conference games in a row to end the season (though some date shuffling with some of the OOC would have been possible too), but whatever.
• krambman

  

  ts1227;852733 wrote:I'm surprised they're waiting until 2017 (well not that surprised, the Big Ten is slow with everything they do).
  
  Had they decided it earlier and really forced it, I would like to think 2013 maybe and 2014 definitely would have been a possibility.
  Even just up to those years, many teams don't have a full schedule filled yet (most have one opening still). Even if they were filled, the schools in the Big Ten could afford to buy out a MAC/1-AA contract to do it. The first year or 2 may not have been 9 conference games in a row to end the season (though some date shuffling with some of the OOC would have been possible too), but whatever.

  
  My guess is that this delay is because of future OCC commitments that teams already have scheduled, and (more likely) because of TV contracts. This probably has something to do with the Big Ten Network and with their ESPN contract and how that extra conference game will get dividing among the two carriers.