Helena Frye
The Big Ten Conference is one of the oldest in the nation, predating the NCAA by a decade. It was also one of the first collegiate conferences to sponsor men's basketball. The conference schedule for men's basketball includes 20 contests for each school, while the women's schedule includes 18. Single-play home/away locations rotate annually, and two-play opponents are determined based on competitive balance, geography, and rivalries. For example, Penn State has a longstanding rivalry with Pittsburgh, and Iowa has an in-state rivalry with Iowa State. The Big Ten Conference also includes historic rivalries like Michigan-Ohio State and Illinois-Northwestern. The conference recently expanded to include Oregon, Washington, UCLA, and USC, bringing the total number of teams to 15.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of teams | 15 |
| Number of contests for each school | Men's: 20 |
| Women's: 18 | |
| Home/away locations | Rotate annually |
| Two-play opponents determined by | Competitive balance, geography, and rivalries |
| Protected matchups | 12 |
| Teams playing conference opponent | Twice (once home and once away) |
| Teams playing rotating opponents | No more than three times in a five-year period |
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What You'll Learn
- Home and away rotations are determined by competitive balance, geography, and rivalries
- Teams play every conference opponent twice, once at home and once away
- Rotating opponents are played no more than 3 times in 5 years
- Penn State has a longstanding rivalry with Pittsburgh, playing home and away since 2016
- Iowa has an in-state rivalry with Iowa State, with the winner receiving the Cy-Hawk Trophy
Home and away rotations are determined by competitive balance, geography, and rivalries
The Big Ten Conference is one of the oldest in the nation, predating the founding of the NCAA. The conference schedule for basketball includes 20 contests for men's basketball and 18 contests for women's basketball for each school. Single-play home/away locations rotate annually, and two-play opponents are determined with consideration for competitive balance, geography, and rivalries.
The Big Ten Conference includes several longstanding rivalries, such as Penn State's rivalry with Pittsburgh, which dates back to 2000, and their long history with independent Notre Dame, Temple, Syracuse, and Boston College. Iowa has an in-state rivalry with Iowa State, with the winner receiving the Cy-Hawk Trophy in football. The conference also includes protected matchups between regional rivals such as Michigan–Ohio State, Illinois–Northwestern, Illinois–Purdue, Indiana–Purdue, Iowa–Minnesota, Maryland–Rutgers, Michigan–Michigan State, Minnesota–Wisconsin, and several others.
The schedule ensures that teams will play every other conference opponent at least twice – once at home and once away – and will play rotating opponents no more than three times in a five-year period. This allows for a balance between maintaining longstanding rivalries and providing variety in the schedule.
Additionally, the expansion of the conference to include Oregon, Washington, UCLA, and USC in 2024 eliminated the East and West divisions for football. This change further emphasized the importance of geography and competitive balance in the scheduling, as each team would now play at least two games against every other team within a four-year period, maintaining a consistent approach to home and away rotations.
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Teams play every conference opponent twice, once at home and once away
The Big Ten Conference is one of the oldest in the nation, predating the founding of the NCAA by a decade. It was also one of the first collegiate conferences to sponsor men's basketball.
The conference schedule for men's and women's basketball will remain at 20 and 18 contests, respectively, for each school. This allows for flexibility in non-conference scheduling and is consistent with peer schedule formats.
The Big Ten has announced that teams will play every conference opponent twice, with one game at home and one away. This ensures that all teams have an equal opportunity to compete for postseason invitations and maximizes the chances for NCAA postseason berths.
This format also applies to the East and West divisions for football, where each team will play nine conference games and three non-conference games. Within a four-year period, each team will play at least two games against every other team, maintaining the balance of home and away games.
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Rotating opponents are played no more than 3 times in 5 years
The Big Ten Conference is one of the oldest in the nation, predating the founding of the NCAA by a decade and being one of the first collegiate conferences to sponsor men's basketball. The conference schedule for both men's and women's basketball will remain at 20 and 18 contests, respectively, for each school. This allows for non-conference scheduling flexibility, is consistent with peer schedule formats, and maximizes opportunities for NCAA postseason berths.
Single-play home/away locations will rotate annually, and two-play opponents will be determined with consideration for competitive balance, geography, and rivalries. The schedule was updated so that teams will play every other conference opponent at least twice—once at home and once away—and will play rotating opponents no more than three times in a five-year period.
This plan includes 11 protected matchups each year, such as Michigan–Ohio State, and ten other regional rivalries. The addition of Oregon and Washington created one more protected matchup, bringing the total to 12: Illinois–Northwestern, Illinois–Purdue, Indiana–Purdue, Iowa–Minnesota, Iowa–Nebraska, Iowa–Wisconsin, Maryland–Rutgers, Michigan–Michigan State, Minnesota–Wisconsin, Oregon–Washington, and UCLA–USC.
Penn State, which has rivalries with Pittsburgh, Notre Dame, Temple, Syracuse, and Boston College, is the lone school without a protected matchup. 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.
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Penn State has a longstanding rivalry with Pittsburgh, playing home and away since 2016
Penn State and Pittsburgh have a long history of rivalry, dating back to the first game played between the two schools on November 6, 1893, in State College, Pennsylvania. Penn State won this inaugural meeting 32-0, and the rivalry between the two schools has persisted for over a century.
The rivalry between Penn State and Pittsburgh, known as the "Keystone Classic", was renewed in 2016 after a 16-year hiatus. From 2016 to 2019, the two schools played an alternating home-and-home series, with the first game taking place at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh in 2016. The rivalry game attracted significant attention and attendance, with the 2016 matchup drawing the largest crowd for a sporting event in Pittsburgh's history.
The series was a back-and-forth affair, with Pitt winning the first game in 2016 and Penn State taking the next three matchups. The rivalry was branded as "The Keystone Classic" and was sponsored by Peoples Natural Gas. The 2019 game marked the 100th edition of the rivalry, showcasing the long-standing nature of the competition.
However, there are no future games planned between Penn State and Pittsburgh as of 2019. Differences in understanding about the rivalry's future direction have contributed to this pause. Additionally, Penn State's focus on non-conference opponents and the constraints of playing a full conference schedule have reduced the frequency of meetings with non-Big Ten rivals.
While the Penn State-Pittsburgh rivalry is currently dormant, there have been recent efforts and proposals to revive it. The expansion of the College Football Playoff to 12 teams may also provide an opportunity for the rivalry to resume, as teams will have more flexibility in their scheduling.
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Iowa has an in-state rivalry with Iowa State, with the winner receiving the Cy-Hawk Trophy
Iowa and Iowa State have a long-standing rivalry in American college football, with the winner receiving the coveted Cy-Hawk Trophy. The rivalry between these two teams is considered one of the nation's top rivalries, with the teams battling it out for the trophy and year-long bragging rights. The Iowa Hawkeyes and Iowa State Cyclones first started playing each other way back in 1894, and their rivalry has only grown since.
The Cy-Hawk Trophy was established in 1977 and is awarded to the winner of the annual game between the two schools. The trophy was conceived and created by the Greater Des Moines Athletic Club in 1976 and was first presented to the winner by Iowa Governor Robert D. Ray in 1977. The original trophy design featured a football, a running back in a classic stiff-arm pose, and the likenesses of the two schools' mascots: Iowa State's Cy the Cardinal and Iowa's Herky the Hawk.
The trophy underwent a redesign and was replaced after the 2010 game. The new trophy, donated by the Iowa Corn Growers Association, featured a sculpture of a farm family with small children huddled around a basket of corn. While it was meant to symbolize the hard-working people of Iowa, the new design was widely ridiculed and criticized by the public and prominent figures, including retired Iowa head coach Hayden Fry.
Following the negative response, the 2012 game debuted yet another new trophy. This version featured the mascots of both universities, a raised football, and a background of corn. The rivalry game has been played annually since 1978, alternating between the campuses of Iowa State University in Ames and the University of Iowa in Iowa City. The series has seen some memorable moments, with many games decided by less than seven points, regardless of the teams' rankings.
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Frequently asked questions
Single-play home/away locations rotate annually.
Each team will play at least two games against every other team—one at home and one away—within a four-year period.
Beginning in the 2023-24 season, both tournaments will expand to 15 teams, up from 14.
Teams will play rotating opponents no more than three times in a five-year period.
Some rivalries include Michigan–Ohio State, Illinois–Northwestern, and Penn State–Pittsburgh.
