Big Ten Football Championship Game: Difference between revisions
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The '''Big Ten Football Championship Game''' is a [[college football]] game that will be held by the [[Big Ten Conference]] each year to determine the conference's season champion. The inaugural game will be held on December 3, 2011. The two games following will be held on December 7, 2013 and December 6, 2014. |
The '''Big Ten Football Championship Game''' is a [[college football]] game that will be held by the [[Big Ten Conference]] each year to determine the conference's season champion. The inaugural game will be held on December 3, 2011. The two games following will be held on December 7, 2013 and December 6, 2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bigten.org/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/040611aaa.html |title=Big Ten Announces 2013 and 2014 Conference Football Schedules |publisher=BigTen.org: The Big Ten Conference Official Site |date=April 6, 2011 |accessdate=April 6, 2011}}</ref> The championship game will pit the division champions from the conference's Legends and Leaders divisions in a game held after the regular season has been completed. |
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The winner of this game will earn the Big Ten's automatic berth in the [[Rose Bowl Game]], unless the team finishes in the top two of the final [[Bowl Championship Series]] standings. If this is the case, the team will compete in the [[BCS National Championship Game]]. The winner of this game will also receive the [[Amos Alonzo Stagg|Stagg]]-[[Joe Paterno|Paterno]] Championship Trophy, and the most valuable player of this game will receive the [[Red Grange|Grange]]-[[Archie Griffin|Griffin]] Championship Game Most Valuable Player Trophy. |
The winner of this game will earn the Big Ten's automatic berth in the [[Rose Bowl Game]], unless the team finishes in the top two of the final [[Bowl Championship Series]] standings. If this is the case, the team will compete in the [[BCS National Championship Game]]. The winner of this game will also receive the [[Amos Alonzo Stagg|Stagg]]-[[Joe Paterno|Paterno]] Championship Trophy, and the most valuable player of this game will receive the [[Red Grange|Grange]]-[[Archie Griffin|Griffin]] Championship Game Most Valuable Player Trophy. |
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Revision as of 19:06, 6 April 2011
| Big Ten Football Championship Game | |
|---|---|
| Sport | Football |
| Conference | Big Ten Conference |
| Current stadium | Lucas Oil Stadium (2011) |
| Current location | Indianapolis, Indiana (2011) |
| TV partner(s) | FOX Sports (2011-16) |
| Official website | BigTen.org Football |
The Big Ten Football Championship Game is a college football game that will be held by the Big Ten Conference each year to determine the conference's season champion. The inaugural game will be held on December 3, 2011. The two games following will be held on December 7, 2013 and December 6, 2014.[1] The championship game will pit the division champions from the conference's Legends and Leaders divisions in a game held after the regular season has been completed.
The winner of this game will earn the Big Ten's automatic berth in the Rose Bowl Game, unless the team finishes in the top two of the final Bowl Championship Series standings. If this is the case, the team will compete in the BCS National Championship Game. The winner of this game will also receive the Stagg-Paterno Championship Trophy, and the most valuable player of this game will receive the Grange-Griffin Championship Game Most Valuable Player Trophy.
History
Prior to the 2011 college football season, the Big Ten Conference determined its champion through regular season play, and, as there were only 11 member schools, there was no possibility for a conference championship game. In 2010, the Big Ten Conference added the University of Nebraska, bringing the membership total to 12 teams. Thus, with the creation of two six-team divisions, the conference was able to create a football championship game. It was announced by the Big Ten Conference Commissioner James Delany on August 5, 2010 that the Big Ten Conference had chosen Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis as the proposed site for the inaugural Big Ten Football 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.[2]
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.[3] 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 minority 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.[4] The Big Ten Football Championship Game will be FOX's first non-Cotton Bowl Classic game covered since the 2010 Orange Bowl, as FOX lost the rights to the Bowl Championship Series to ESPN starting in 2010.
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, and Cleveland.[5]
Conference expansion
The Big Ten expanded to 11 schools by adding Penn State in 1990[6], 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[7], and later Notre Dame[8]) 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 wasn't until December 2009, when Commissioner Delany announced that the league would explore the possibility of adding one or more teams, 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 would become effective July 1, 2011.[9]
Team selection
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 the two divisions.[10] 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.[11] 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.
Divisions
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Leaders Division |
Legends Division
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Selection criteria
Division standings are based on each team's overall conference record. In the event that two teams are tied, the head-to-head results between those two teams determines the tiebreaker.
Three or more-team procedure
- Collective head-to-head record among all tied teams.
- Record of the tied teams within the division.
- BCS Component.
See also
References
- ^ "Big Ten Announces 2013 and 2014 Conference Football Schedules". BigTen.org: The Big Ten Conference Official Site. April 6, 2011. Retrieved April 6, 2011.
- ^ "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. Retrieved August 5, 2010.
- ^ "Soldier Field good bet to host Big Ten title game". ChicagoBreakingSports.com. November 18, 2010. Retrieved November 18, 2010.
- ^ "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. Retrieved November 17, 2010.
- ^ "Soldier Field good bet to host Big Ten title game". ChicagoBreakingSports.com. November 18, 2010. Retrieved November 18, 2010.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Kansas, Big 10 a good fit?". Chicago Tribune. December 10, 1993. Retrieved November 24, 2010.
- ^ "Notre Dame shuns Big Ten, fears losing `distinctiveness'". National Catholic Reporter. February 19, 1999. Retrieved November 24, 2010.
- ^ "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. Retrieved November 24, 2010.
- ^ "Big Ten sets new divisions; splits up Illinois-NU". ChicagoBreakingSports.com. September 1, 2010. Retrieved November 24, 2010.
- ^ "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.