Big Ten Conference facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Big Ten Conference

Formerly	Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives (officially, 1896–1987) Western Conference (1896–1899) Big Nine (1899–1917, 1946–1950)
Association	NCAA
Founded	1896; 129 years ago (1896)
Commissioner	Tony Petitti (since 2023)
Sports fielded	28 men's: 18 women's: 18
Division	Division I
Subdivision	FBS
No. of teams	18
Headquarters	Rosemont, Illinois, U.S.
Region	Midwest East North Central West North Central Northeast Mid-Atlantic West Pacific
TV partner(s)	Fox/FS1/Big Ten Network CBS NBC
Streaming partner(s)	Peacock Paramount+ B1G+
Official website	bigten.org
Locations

The Big Ten Conference (also called B1G) is a group of colleges in the United States that compete in sports. It is one of the oldest sports conferences in the country, starting way back in 1896. The Big Ten is even older than the NCAA, which is the main organization for college sports!

For a long time, the conference had ten main universities, which is how it got its name. But now, it has grown to include 18 schools. These schools are mostly big research universities with lots of students and strong academic programs. Most of them are public universities, meaning they are supported by the state.

The Big Ten used to be mostly in the Midwest. But in recent years, it has added schools from the East Coast and even the West Coast. This means teams now travel across the country to play each other!

Member Universities: Who's in the Big Ten?

The Big Ten Conference has 18 full member universities. These schools compete in many different sports.

Full Members: The Main Teams

Where are the Big Ten Schools?

This map shows where all the Big Ten schools are located across the United States.

Affiliate Members: Special Teams

Some schools are "affiliate members." This means they only play certain sports in the Big Ten, not all of them.

Former Members: A Look Back

Only one school has left the Big Ten Conference permanently.

Timeline of Big Ten Members

This timeline shows when different schools joined or left the Big Ten Conference.

Full members  Full members (non-football)  Sport affiliate  Other conference  Other conference 

History: How the Big Ten Grew

The Big Ten Conference has a long and interesting history, changing and growing over the years.

Early Days: Starting Strong

In the 1890s, college football was becoming very popular. But it was also a rough sport, with many injuries. To make the game safer, leaders from several universities met in Chicago in 1896. They formed the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives. This group was also known as the Western Conference. The first seven members were Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Chicago, Purdue, and Northwestern.

The conference was one of the first to have men's basketball. In 1899, Iowa and Indiana joined, and people started calling the group the Big Nine.

Michigan left the conference for a while in 1907 because of disagreements about rules. Ohio State joined in 1912. When Michigan came back in 1916, people started calling it the Big Ten.

Mid-1900s: Changes in Membership

After World War II, the University of Chicago decided to focus less on sports. They left the conference in 1946. This made the group the Big Nine again.

In 1949, Michigan State joined, and the conference became the Big Ten once more. The group kept its 10 members for the next 40 years. The official name stayed the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives until 1987, when it officially became the Big Ten.

Growing to 11 and 12 Teams

Big Ten logo (1990–2011). The number 11 was hidden in the logo when Penn State joined.

In 1990, Penn State joined the Big Ten. Even though there were now 11 teams, the conference decided to keep the name Big Ten. They even changed their logo to cleverly hide the number 11 in the letters!

For many years, the Big Ten tried to get Notre Dame to join, but Notre Dame wanted to keep its special TV deals for football. So, they never became a full member.

In 2010, the University of Nebraska joined, making the Big Ten have 12 teams. The conference still kept the name "Big Ten."

Football Divisions: Legends and Leaders

When Nebraska joined, the Big Ten created two football divisions: the "Legends Division" and the "Leaders Division." This was to make the games fair, but it meant some old rivals, like Ohio State and Michigan, were in different divisions. This setup lasted for three seasons.

More Growth: Maryland and Rutgers Join

In 2012, Maryland and Rutgers joined the Big Ten, bringing the total to 14 teams. These schools helped the conference reach new areas on the East Coast.

New Football Divisions: East and West

In 2013, the Big Ten changed its football divisions again. They created "East" and "West" divisions based on geography. This helped keep some rivalries together. This setup was used for ten football seasons.

New Affiliate Members for Lacrosse and Hockey

To add more sports, the Big Ten invited Johns Hopkins University to join for men's lacrosse in 2014. Johns Hopkins is famous for its lacrosse team. Later, Johns Hopkins also joined for women's lacrosse.

In 2017, Notre Dame joined the Big Ten for men's ice hockey. This helped them play against old rivals and save on travel.

The conference's headquarters in Rosemont, Illinois

The Big Ten also moved its main office to Rosemont, Illinois, in 2013.

Big Expansion to the West Coast

In 2022, UCLA and USC announced they would join the Big Ten in 2024. This was a huge change, bringing the conference to the West Coast.

In 2023, Oregon and Washington also joined the Big Ten, making the conference even bigger with 18 teams.

Football: No More Divisions!

With 18 teams, the Big Ten decided to get rid of football divisions starting in 2024. Now, the top two teams in the conference standings play each other for the championship. They also made sure that many important rivalries still happen every year.

Academics: Smart Athletes!

Big Ten universities are known for being strong in academics, not just sports. Most of them are part of a special group called the Association of American Universities (AAU), which means they do a lot of important research.

Here's how some Big Ten schools rank nationally for academics:

Commissioners: The Leaders of the Big Ten

The commissioner is like the main boss of the Big Ten Conference. They help make sure all the rules are followed and that the sports run smoothly.

Sports: What Do They Play?

The Big Ten Conference offers championships in many different sports for both men and women. There are 14 men's sports and 14 women's sports.

Rivalries: Who Plays Who?

Many Big Ten teams have long-standing rivalries, especially in football. These games are often very exciting!

Football Rivalries within the Conference

Here are some of the biggest football rivalries between Big Ten teams. Many of these games have special trophies that the winner gets to keep until the next game.

Protected Matchups: Keeping Rivalries Alive

Even without divisions, the Big Ten makes sure certain rivalries are played every year. These are called "protected matchups."

• Illinois: Northwestern, Purdue
• Indiana: Purdue
• Iowa: Minnesota, Nebraska, Wisconsin
• Maryland: Rutgers
• Michigan: Michigan State, Ohio State
• Michigan State: Michigan
• Minnesota: Iowa, Wisconsin
• Nebraska: Iowa
• Northwestern: Illinois
• Ohio State: Michigan
• Oregon: Washington
• Purdue: Illinois, Indiana
• Rutgers: Maryland
• UCLA: USC
• USC: UCLA
• Washington: Oregon
• Wisconsin: Minnesota, Iowa

Facilities: Big Stadiums and Arenas!

The Big Ten has some of the biggest and best sports facilities in the country.

Three Big Ten football stadiums can hold over 100,000 fans: Michigan Stadium, Beaver Stadium (Penn State), and Ohio Stadium. These are some of the largest stadiums in the world! UCLA's home stadium, the Rose Bowl, is also very famous.

Big Ten schools also have some of the largest college basketball arenas. Many of them can hold over 15,000 people.

Football: Gridiron Glory

Big Ten football is very popular. Teams compete for the conference championship and a chance to play in important bowl games.

All-Time School Records: Who's the Best?

Here's a look at how Big Ten football teams have done over time.

Bowl Games: Postseason Fun

Big Ten teams often play in exciting bowl games after the regular season. The Rose Bowl Game is a very famous one that the Big Ten champion often plays in.

Men's Basketball: Hoops Action

The Big Ten has a strong history in men's basketball. Many teams have won national championships and are known for having huge crowds at their games.

All-Time School Records: Basketball Greats

Here's how Big Ten men's basketball teams rank by their overall winning percentage.

National Championships: Winning the Big One

Big Ten teams have won 10 NCAA men's basketball championships while being members of the conference. UCLA has won 11 national titles, Indiana has won five, and Michigan State has won two. Wisconsin, Michigan, and Ohio State each have one.

Women's Basketball: Court Queens

Big Ten women's basketball teams have also had great success. Purdue is the only Big Ten member to have won the NCAA women's basketball national title while in the conference. Maryland and Rutgers won national titles before joining the Big Ten.

Volleyball: Spiking for Titles

Big Ten women's volleyball teams have won many national championships. Penn State has won 8 national titles, and Nebraska has won 5.

Field Hockey: Scoring Goals

Big Ten field hockey teams have won 12 national championships. Maryland has won 8 national titles, and Northwestern has won 2.

Men's Lacrosse: Stick Skills

The Big Ten started sponsoring men's lacrosse in 2015. Teams in the Big Ten have won 13 national championships. Johns Hopkins and Maryland have a very famous rivalry in this sport.

Women's Lacrosse: Top Teams

Women's lacrosse became a Big Ten sport in 2015. Big Ten women's lacrosse teams have won 23 national championships! Maryland has won 14 titles, and Northwestern has won 8.

Men's Soccer: Kicking for Wins

Big Ten men's soccer teams have won 19 national championships. Indiana has won 8 national titles, and UCLA has won 4.

Women's Soccer: Goal Getters

Big Ten women's soccer teams have also had national success. Penn State and USC have each won 2 national championships, and UCLA has won 2.

National Titles: Overall Success

The Big Ten Conference has many schools that have won national championships across all sports. UCLA has the most national titles with 124, and USC is second with 112.

2024–25 Champions: Recent Winners

Here are the champions for the 2024–25 season in various Big Ten sports.

See also

In Spanish: Big Ten Conference para niños