The Big Ten Conference (formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference, among others) is a collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives in 1896, it predates the founding of its regulating organization, the NCAA; it is the oldest NCAA Division I conference. It is based in Rosemont, Illinois. For many decades the conference consisted of ten prominent universities, which accounts for its name. On August 2, 2024, the conference expanded to 18 member institutions and two affiliate institutions. The conference competes in the NCAA Division I and its football teams compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), the highest level of NCAA competition in that sport.
Big Ten member institutions are major research universities with large financial endowments and strong academic reputations. A large student body is a hallmark of its universities, as 15 members enroll more than 30,000 students. They are all public universities except Northwestern University and the University of Southern California, both private universities. Collectively, Big Ten universities educate more than 520,000 total students and have 5.7 million living alumni. The members engage in $9.3 billion in funded research each year; 17 are members of the Association of American Universities (except Nebraska) and the Universities Research Association (except USC). All Big Ten universities are also members of the Big Ten Academic Alliance, formerly the Committee on Institutional Cooperation.
Although the Big Ten was primarily a Midwestern conference for nearly a century, the conference's geographic footprint has extended from the Mid-Atlantic to the Great Plains since 2014. In 2024, the conference gained a presence in the West Coast with the addition of four former Pac-12 Conference schools.
Contents
Member universities
Full members
Notes:
Affiliate members
Notes
Former member
The University of Chicago is the only full member to have permanently left the Big Ten Conference.
Notes
Membership timeline
Full members Full members (non-football) Sport affiliate Other conference Other conference
History
1890s: The conference's founding
On January 11, 1895, Purdue University president James Henry Smart invited the presidents of the University of Chicago, University of Illinois, Lake Forest College, University of Minnesota, Northwestern University, and University of Wisconsin to a meeting in Chicago, to create policies aimed at regulating intercollegiate athletics. The eligibility of student-athletes was one of the main topics of discussion, with it being decided that student-athletes must be full-time students in good standing. The conference was officially founded at a second meeting on February 8, 1896. Lake Forest was not at the 1896 meeting and was replaced by the University of Michigan. Henceforth the seven attendees of this second meeting would be the founding members of the organization more commonly known as the Western Conference.
The conference is one of the nation's oldest, predating the founding of the NCAA by a decade and was one of the first collegiate conferences to sponsor men's basketball. The first reference to the conference as the Big Nine was in 1899 following the admission of Iowa and Indiana.
1900s: Becoming the Big Ten
Nebraska first petitioned to join the league in 1900 and again in 1911, but was turned away both times. Notre Dame applied twice as well, first at the conference's founding and again in 1908, but like Nebraska was rejected both times. In 1905, the conference was officially incorporated as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives.
In 1906, Michigan president James Burrill Angell called for a series of conference meetings to further regulate football, leading to new rules such as limiting football teams to no more than five games and players to three years of eligibility. One of the new rules would require the football coach to be a full-time employee of the university, leading to Michigan's football head coach, Fielding Yost, to oppose the changes. Ultimately Yost won out and convinced Michigan's board to support him over Angell and against the conference. In April 1907, Michigan was voted out of the conference for refusing to adhere to the new league rules. Ohio State joined in 1912, and as a result could no longer play Michigan until the school rejoined the conference after a nine-year absence. The first known references to the conference as the Big Ten were then made in December 1916 as a result.
In 1926, Notre Dame was again rejected for admittance to the conference.
1940s: Chicago leaves and Michigan State joins
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. In 1939, UChicago President Robert Maynard Hutchins made the decision to abolish the football program, based on his negative views of big-time college football's excesses and associated problems of the time. Chicago completely withdrew from the conference in 1946 after struggling to obtain victories in many conference matchups.
Several schools sought to replace Chicago and obtained support from current members: Michigan State with support from Minnesota, Nebraska with support from Iowa, and Pittsburgh with support from Ohio State. Ultimately, on December 12, 1948, it was announced that the conference had voted 9–0 to approve Michigan State's joining the conference, which would again be known as the Big Ten. The school's non-football sports commenced conference play in 1950, with football joining three years later. 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.
1990s: Penn State joins, Notre Dame declines
In 1990, the Big Ten universities voted to expand the conference to 11 teams and extended an invitation to Atlantic 10 Conference member and football independent Pennsylvania State University, which accepted. When Penn State joined in 1990, it was decided the conference would continue to be called the Big Ten, but its logo was modified to reflect the change; the number 11 was disguised in the negative space of the traditionally blue "Big Ten" lettering.
Missouri showed 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 football divisions. These talks died when the Big Eight Conference merged with former Southwest Conference members to create the Big 12.
Following the addition of Penn State, efforts were made to encourage Notre Dame, at that time the last remaining non-service academy independent, to join the league. In 1999, Notre Dame, then a member of the Big East Conference and football independent, and the Big Ten entered into private negotiations concerning a possible membership that would include Notre Dame. Although Notre Dame's faculty senate endorsed the idea, the school's board of trustees decided against joining the conference. Notre Dame subsequently joined the Atlantic Coast Conference in all sports except football (and hockey), in which Notre Dame maintains its independent status as long as it plays at least five games per season against ACC opponents. This was believed to be the major stumbling block to Notre Dame joining the Big Ten, as Notre Dame wanted to retain its independent home game broadcasting contract with NBC Sports, while the Big Ten insisted upon a full membership with no special exemptions.
2010s: From 11 to 14
In December 2009, Big Ten Conference commissioner Jim Delany announced that the league was looking to expand in what would later be part of a nationwide trend as part of the 2010–2014 NCAA conference realignment. 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". This briefly led to the interesting and ironic result of the Big Ten consisting of twelve teams, and the Big 12 consisting of ten teams (with fellow former Big 12 member Colorado's move to the Pac-12 Conference). As part of the agreement to join the Big Ten, Nebraska would not receive a full share of the media revenue for the first six years of its membership, until fall 2017.
On September 1, 2010, Delany revealed the conference's football divisional split, but noted that the division names would be announced later. Those division names, as well as the conference's new logo, were made public on December 13, 2010. For its new logo, the conference replaced the "hidden 11" logo with one that uses the "B1G" character combination in its branding. Delany did not comment on the logo that day, but it was immediately evident that the new logo would "allow fans to see 'BIG' and '10' in a single word."
For the new football division names, the Big Ten was unable to use geographic names, because they had rejected a geographic arrangement. Delany announced that the new divisions would be known as the "Legends Division" and "Leaders Division". In the Legends division were Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska and Northwestern. The Leaders division was composed of Illinois, Indiana, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue and Wisconsin. Conference officials stated they had focused on creating competitive fairness rather than splitting by geographical location. However, the new "Legends" and "Leaders" divisions were not met with enthusiasm. Some traditional rivals, including Ohio State and Michigan, were placed in separate divisions.
For the football season, each team played the others in its division, one "cross-over" rivalry game, and two rotating cross-divisional games. At the end of the regular season the two division winners met in a new Big Ten Football Championship Game. The Legends and Leaders divisional alignment was in effect for the 2011, 2012 and 2013 football seasons.
2020s: Pacific expansion
On June 30, 2022, UCLA and USC announced that they would be joining the Big Ten Conference effective August 2, 2024, enabling both schools to remain in the Pac-12 Conference for the duration of the Pac-12's existing media rights agreements. Unlike the prior expansion with Nebraska, Rutgers, and Maryland, USC and UCLA would join with a full share of the media revenue from the start of their Big Ten tenure.
In August 2022, the conference reached new media rights deals with CBS, Fox, and NBC totaled at an estimated $7 billion.
On August 4, 2023, Oregon and Washington announced that they would join the Big Ten Conference alongside UCLA and USC. Unlike UCLA and USC, the two schools would receive a reduced media revenue share of $30 million each, with the share increasing by $1 million for each school each year, through the 2029–30 season. Rather than reducing the other conference members' revenue shares, Fox would contribute the necessary money. The schools will receive a full share with the next media deal.
In June 2023 – after UCLA and USC were confirmed as incoming members but before Oregon and Washington were added – the conference announced that starting in 2024, the East and West divisions for football would be eliminated. Each team would play nine conference games and three non-conference games, as before. Within a four-year period, each team would play at least two games against every other team – one at home and one away. This plan called for 11 protected matchups to take place every year; these included Michigan–Ohio State and ten other regional rivalries. At the end of each season, the top two teams in the conference standings would oppose each other in the Big Ten Football Championship Game.
The addition of Oregon and Washington added one more protected matchup to this count, bringing the total to 12 protected matchups: Illinois–Northwestern, Illinois–Purdue, Indiana–Purdue, Iowa–Minnesota, Iowa–Nebraska, Iowa–Wisconsin, Maryland–Rutgers, Michigan–Michigan State, Michigan–Ohio State, Minnesota–Wisconsin, Oregon–Washington and UCLA–USC, leaving Penn State as the lone school with no protected matchups. The schedule was also updated so that teams will play every other conference opponent at least twice – once home and once away – and will play rotating opponents no more than three times in a five-year period.
Academics
All current members of the Big Ten are doctorate-granting universities.
Former conference commissioner Jim Delany said in 2010 that membership in the Association of American Universities is "an important part of who we are." All current members of the Big Ten, other than the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, are members of the AAU. Nebraska was a member of the AAU when it was admitted to the Big Ten, but lost this status shortly afterwards.
The following table shows National University rank by U.S. News & World Report as of 2025.
Also indicated is membership in the Association of American Universities.
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."
All Big Ten members are members of the Big Ten Academic Alliance, formerly known as the Committee on Institutional Cooperation. The University of Chicago, a former Big Ten Conference member, was a member of the CIC from 1958 to June 29, 2016.
Financials
Conference distributions
The following table shows Big Ten Conference distributions during the fiscal year beginning 07-01-2024 ending 06-30-2025 as reported by ProPublica using Schedule A of the Big Ten Conference tax filing submitted on April 30, 2026.
CNBC list of the most valuable Big Ten schools
Rankings as of December 19, 2025 (2024–25 academic year)
Athletic department revenue by school
Total revenue includes ticket sales, contributions and donations, rights and licensing, student fees, school funds and all other sources including TV income, camp income, concessions, and novelties.
Total expenses includes coach and staff salaries, scholarships, buildings and grounds, maintenance, utilities and rental fees, recruiting, team travel, equipment and uniforms, conference dues, and insurance.
The following table shows institutional reporting to the United States Department of Education as shown on the DOE Equity in Athletics website for the 2024–25 academic year.
Broadcasting and media rights
Fall 2007 – Spring 2017
Commissioner Jim Delany began to explore the formation of a Big Ten-specific channel in 2004 after a failed attempt to seek a significantly larger rights fee from ESPN to renew its existing agreements. This came to fruition in 2006, when the conference announced the formation of a dedicated cable network, Big Ten Network, in a 20-year partnership with Fox Sports, which would officially launch in 2007. The network carries coverage of Big Ten athletics (including events not carried by the Big Ten's other media partners), studio shows, as well as other original programs and documentaries profiling the conference and its members. The impact of Big Ten Network influenced the conference's expansion in the 2010s, with some of its newer members being located in proximity to major media markets such as Baltimore and Washington, D.C. (Maryland), and the New York metropolitan area (Rutgers).
Accompanying the new network announcement was a new ten-year media rights agreement beginning with the 2007–08 season and ending with the 2016–17 season that would split Big Ten coverage among the ESPN networks, CBS Sports, and Big Ten Network, thus ending Comcast Chicago's regional coverage of the conference.
ABC Sports:
17 football games per season
ESPN/ESPN2:
24 football games per season
43 men's basketball games per season
Rights to the first three rounds of the Big Ten men's basketball tournament, to be shared with Big Ten Network
5 women's basketball games per season
ESPN Other (U,360):
13 men's basketball games per season
CBS Sports:
15 men's basketball games per-season
Fall 2017 – Spring 2023
In 2016, the conference announced a new six-year media rights deal worth $2.64 billion with Fox Sports, CBS Sports, and ESPN to take effect with the start of the 2017–18 season and ending with the 2022–23 season. The size of the deal translated to a near tripling of the per-school media revenue share.
The new deal would see regular season Big Ten football games airing on Fox and Fox Sports 1 for the first time. As part of the deal, Fox would retain its coverage of the Big Ten Championship as well as obtain priority over ESPN when drafting regular season football games prior to each season. It would also put an end to ESPN's coverage of the Big Ten men's basketball tournament.
Fall 2023 – Spring 2030
On August 18, 2022, the Big Ten announced that it had reached seven-year broadcast rights deals with Fox, CBS, and for the first time, NBC Sports, beginning in the 2023–24 academic year, ending an association between the conference and ESPN dating back to the 1980s. A major goal for the new contracts was to establish specific broadcast windows for Big Ten football games across its three partners, with Fox, CBS, and NBC primarily holding rights to Noon ET, 3:30 p.m. ET, and primetime games, respectively, and the three broadcasters alternating first pick of games. The contracts were estimated to be worth at least $7 billion, but also reportedly includes an "escalator clause" that will raise the value of the contracts if the Notre Dame Fighting Irish specifically were to join the Big Ten.
Fox Sports:
24 to 32 football games per season:
Will primarily air in a Noon ET window (Big Noon Saturday), but with the option for games in other windows after the West Coast schools join in 2024.
Rights to the Big Ten championship game in 2023, 2025–2027, and 2029.
At least 45 men's basketball games per-season on Fox and FS1.
Selected women's basketball games and Olympic sport events.
CBS Sports:
14 to 15 football games per season on CBS and Paramount+:
Will primarily air in a 3:30 p.m. ET window beginning in 2024, once CBS's contract with the SEC expires (CBS will air seven games in other timeslots during the 2023 season).
Includes one Friday afternoon game on Thanksgiving weekend.
Rights to the Big Ten championship game in 2024 and 2028.
Sports
The Big Ten Conference sponsors championship competition in 14 men's and 14 women's NCAA sanctioned sports.
Men's sponsored sports by school
Notes:
Notre Dame joined the Big Ten in the 2017–18 school year as an affiliate member in men's ice hockey. It continues to field its other sports in the ACC except in football where it will continue to compete as an independent.
Johns Hopkins joined the Big Ten in 2014 as an affiliate member in men's lacrosse, with women's lacrosse following in 2016. It continues to field its other sports in the NCAA Division III Centennial Conference.
Men's varsity sports not sponsored by the Big Ten Conference that are played by Big Ten schools
Women's sponsored sports by school
Women's varsity sports not sponsored by the Big Ten Conference that are played by Big Ten schools
Rivalries
Intra-conference football rivalries
The members of the Big Ten have longstanding rivalries with each other, especially on the football field. Each school, except Maryland and Rutgers, has at least one traveling trophy at stake. The following is a list of active rivalries in the Big Ten Conference with totals & records through the completion of the 2024 season.
Protected matchups
Beginning in 2024, the conference will eliminate divisions but will protect certain matchups. The following are the conference's 12 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
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:
Illinois: Indiana, Northwestern
Indiana: Illinois, Purdue
Iowa: Minnesota, Wisconsin
Intra-conference basketball rivalries
Illinois: Indiana, Iowa, Northwestern
Indiana: Illinois, Purdue
Iowa: Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin
Maryland: Penn State
Michigan: Michigan State, Ohio State
Michigan State: Michigan, Ohio State, Wisconsin
Minnesota: Iowa, Wisconsin
Northwestern: Illinois
Ohio State: Michigan, Penn State, Michigan State
Oregon: Washington
Penn State: Maryland, Ohio State
Purdue: Indiana
UCLA: USC
USC: UCLA
Washington: Oregon
Wisconsin: Iowa, Michigan State, Minnesota
Extra-conference basketball rivalries
Illinois: Missouri
Indiana: Kentucky
Iowa: Iowa State, Iowa Big Four
Maryland: Duke, Georgetown, Virginia
Michigan: Duke
Michigan State: Duke, Oakland
Nebraska: Creighton
Penn State: Bucknell, Pittsburgh
Oregon: Oregon State
Rutgers: Princeton, Seton Hall
UCLA: Arizona, Notre Dame
Washington: Gonzaga, Washington State
Wisconsin: Green Bay, Marquette, Milwaukee
Other sports
Michigan-Michigan State
Minnesota-Wisconsin
Minnesota-North Dakota
Minnesota-Minnesota Duluth
Minnesota-St. Cloud State
Michigan-Notre Dame
Maryland-Johns Hopkins
Penn State-Bucknell
Rutgers-Princeton
Michigan-Michigan State (Big Bear Trophy)
Penn State–Lehigh
Iowa-Penn State
Iowa–Iowa State
Iowa-Oklahoma State
Rutgers-Princeton
Extra-conference rivalries
Four Big Ten teams-Purdue, Northwestern, Michigan State and Michigan-had rivalries in football with Notre Dame. After the University of Southern California with 35 wins (including a vacated 2005 win), the Michigan State Spartans have the most wins against the Irish, with 28. The Purdue Boilermakers follow with 26, and Michigan ranks fourth all-time with 24. 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.
Penn State has a longstanding rivalry with Pittsburgh of the ACC, but the two schools did not meet from 2000 until renewing the rivalry with an alternating home-and-home series from 2016 to 2019. Penn State also has long histories with independent Notre Dame; Temple of The American; Syracuse, and Boston College of the ACC; and West Virginia, of the Big 12 Conference. Additionally, Penn State maintains 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 of the Big 12, 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 this series 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 of the SEC (see Indiana–Kentucky rivalry). 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 continued until a dispute about game sites ended the series after 2011. In the last season of the rivalry (2011–12), the teams played twice. During the regular season, then-unranked Indiana defeated then-#1 ranked Kentucky 73–72 at Assembly Hall. The Wildcats avenged the loss in the NCAA tournament, defeating Indiana 102–90 in the South Regional final in Atlanta on their way to a national title. The teams next played in the 2016 NCAA tournament, with Indiana winning.
Facilities
Three Big Ten football stadiums seat over 100,000 spectators: Michigan Stadium (Michigan), Beaver Stadium (Penn State), and Ohio Stadium (Ohio State). Only five other college football stadiums have a capacity over 100,000 (as of the 2024 season, all in the Southeastern Conference (SEC)). Michigan Stadium and Beaver Stadium, respectively, are the two largest American football stadiums by capacity in the United States, and all three of the Big Ten's largest venues rank among the ten largest sports stadiums in the world. UCLA plays in the Rose Bowl as its home stadium, which is the location of the Rose Bowl Game for the Big Ten champion. USC plays in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, a publicly owned stadium that is managed and operated by the university, which has hosted two summer Olympic Games in 1932 and 1984, and will again in 2028.
Big Ten schools also play in two of the 10 largest on-campus basketball arenas in the country: Ohio State's Value City Arena and Maryland's Xfinity Center. Additionally, arenas at Indiana, Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, and Penn State rank among the 20 largest on-campus basketball facilities in the United States. As of the upcoming 2024–25 season, the Big Ten Conference has the most on-campus basketball arenas with seating capacities of 15,000 or more of any NCAA conference, with seven. (Of the other so-called power conferences in men's basketball, the ACC has two such arenas, the Big East none, the Big 12 four, and the SEC five. Outside of these conferences, the Mountain West Conference has four such arenas.)
Football
When Maryland and Rutgers joined the Big Ten in 2014, the division names were changed to "East" and "West", with Purdue and the six schools in the Central Time Zone in the West and Indiana joining the remaining six Eastern Time Zone schools in the East. The only protected cross-division game is Indiana–Purdue. Beginning in 2016, the Big Ten adopted a nine-game conference schedule. All teams have one cross-division opponent they play annually that changes every six years except for Indiana and Purdue, whose crossover is permanent. The other six opponents are played every three years during that cycle. For 2016–2021, the pairings are Maryland–Minnesota, Michigan-Wisconsin, Michigan State–Northwestern, Ohio State-Nebraska, Penn State–Iowa, and Rutgers–Illinois, and for 2022–2023 the pairings are Maryland–Northwestern, Michigan–Nebraska, Michigan State–Minnesota, Ohio State–Wisconsin, Penn State–Illinois, and Rutgers–Iowa. In 2016, the Big Ten no longer allowed its members to play Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) teams and also requires at least one non-conference game against a school in the Power Five conferences (ACC, Big 12, Pac-12, SEC). Contracts for future games already scheduled against FCS teams would be honored. However, in 2017, the Big Ten started to allow teams to schedule an FCS opponent during years in which they only have four conference home games (odd-numbered years for East division teams, even-numbered years for West division teams). At the time this policy was first announced, games against FBS independents Notre Dame and BYU would count toward the Power Five requirement. ESPN, citing a Big Ten executive, reported in 2015 that the Big Ten would allow exceptions to the Power Five rule on a case-by-case basis, and also that the other FBS independent at that time, Army, had been added to the list of non-Power Five schools that would be counted as Power Five opponents.
In 2024, the addition of Oregon, UCLA, USC, and Washington expanded the Big Ten to 18 teams, resulting in the elimination of football divisions. A schedule consisting of nine conference games and three non-conference games was maintained. At the end of the season, the top two teams in the conference standings will play each other in the Big Ten Football Championship Game. For at least 2024 and 2025, the conference was to adopt what it called the "Flex Protect Plus" model, which called for each conference member to play all the others at home and away at least once during a four-year cycle. Initially, the 11 "protected" matchups were to be played each season. The announcement was made before Oregon and Washington were announced as incoming members. After the expansion to 18 teams was announced, the scheduling model was tweaked into the "Flex Protect XVIII" model, which will maintain the original 11 protected rivalries while adding Oregon–Washington. This model is planned to operate from 2024 to 2028.
All-time school records
This list goes through January 20, 2025. The number of claimed national championships, as well as win–loss–tie records, include all seasons played, regardless of conference membership.
† Ohio State vacated 12 wins and its Big Ten title in 2010 due to NCAA sanctions.
†† Numbers of division and conference championships shown reflect Big Ten history only and do not include division and conference championships in former conferences. Washington, Oregon, USC and UCLA joined the Big Ten in 2024, Maryland and Rutgers joined in 2014, and Nebraska joined in 2011.
Conference record in the College Football Playoff
† Does not include record prior to joining the conference in 2024.
Bowl games
Since 1946, the Big Ten champion has had a tie-in with the Rose Bowl game. Michigan appeared in the first bowl game, the 1902 Rose Bowl. After that, the Big Ten only allowed one other team to participate in the Rose Bowl (the 1920 Ohio State Buckeyes football team), until the agreement struck with the Pacific Coast Conference for the 1947 Rose Bowl. The spread of civilian air travel plus the fact that the US military had publicly encouraged college football during World War II were primary causes of the Big Ten finally allowing the 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. Michigan, which had been shut out of the postseason the previous three years, was the first beneficiary of the new rule when it played in the Orange Bowl vs. Oklahoma. Due to the pre-1975 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 (previously Big Eight and Southwest Conferences) and Southeastern Conference, which always placed multiple teams in bowl games every year.
If additional B1G teams are selected to participate in the College Football Playoff, all other bowl-eligible teams move up one spot in the order.
Although the pick order usually corresponds to the conference standings, the bowls are not required to make their choices strictly according to the win–loss records; many factors influence bowl selections, especially the likely turnout of the team's fans. Picks are made after CFP selections; the bowl with the #2 pick will have the first pick of the remaining teams in the conference.
For all non-College Football Playoff partners, the bowl partner will request a Big Ten team. The Big Ten will approve or assign another team based on internal selection parameters.
When not hosting a semifinal, the Orange Bowl will select the highest-ranked team from the Big Ten, SEC or Notre Dame to face an ACC opponent. (However, in an 8-game cycle [12 years due to not counting when the Orange Bowl is a semifinal], the Big Ten must be selected at least three times and no more than four times; the SEC similarly will be selected between three and four times while Notre Dame may be selected up to two times.) The Big Ten Champion cannot play in the Orange Bowl. If a Big Ten team is not selected by the Orange Bowl, the Citrus Bowl will submit a request for a Big Ten team.
Head coach compensation
Guaranteed compensation is due to the coaches regardless of performance. Though most of the pay is directed from the university, some also comes in the form of guaranteed endorsements and other income streams. Most coaches also have performance-based bonuses that can significantly raise their salaries.
In 2025, three Big Ten member schools—Northwestern and USC, private institutions, and Penn State, exempt from most open records laws due to its status as what Pennsylvania calls a "state-related" institution—are not obligated to provide salary information for their head coaches. Both Penn State and Northwestern typically choose to provide this information, although Northwestern has not announced the salary of its current coach.
Marching bands
All Big Ten member schools have marching bands which perform regularly during the football season. Eleven of the member schools have won the Sudler Trophy, generally considered the most prestigious honor a collegiate marching band can receive. Ten of the 11 have won the award while Big Ten members; the other is UCLA, which received the award when it was in the Pac-12 Conference. The first three Sudler trophies were awarded to Big Ten marching bands—Michigan (1982), Illinois (1983) and Ohio State (1984). The Big Ten has more Sudler Trophy recipients than any other collegiate athletic conference.
Conference individual honors
Coaches and media of the Big Ten Conference award individual honors at the end of each football season.
Men's basketball
The Big Ten has participated in basketball since 1904, and has led the nation in attendance every season since 1978. Although, they have slightly higher average capacity basketball venues, the attendance edge is largely because Big Ten Conference fans fill a higher percentage of seats than other conferences. 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 and Michigan State each with two, and Wisconsin and Ohio State with one each. Maryland, which joined the Big Ten in 2014, won one NCAA championship as a member of the ACC. UCLA, which joined the conference in 2024, won eleven NCAA championships (1964–65, 1967–73, 1975, 1995) as a member of the Pac8/10. 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 National Invitation Tournament (NIT). Since 1974, 13 Big Ten teams have played in the championship game, winning nine championships. Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, and Minnesota have won two NIT championships, while Indiana and Purdue have won one each. Three other members, Maryland, UCLA, and Nebraska, won NIT titles before they joined the Big Ten. In addition, in 1943 the defunct Helms Athletic Foundation retrospectively awarded national titles to Northwestern for 1931 and Purdue for 1932; then in 1957, it selected Illinois for 1915, Minnesota for 1902 and 1919, and Wisconsin for 1912, 1914 and 1916. Former member Chicago won a post-season national championship series in 1908.
Conference Challenges
From 1999 to 2022, the Big Ten took part in the ACC–Big Ten Challenge with the Atlantic Coast Conference. The ACC held a 13–8–3 record against the Big Ten; Minnesota, Nebraska, Penn State, Purdue, and Wisconsin are the only Big Ten schools without losing records in the challenge.
From 2015 to 2023, the Big Ten took part in the Gavitt Tipoff Games with the Big East Conference. The Big Ten did well in the challenge, holding a 3–1–4 record against the Big East, only losing the challenge in 2021.
All-time school records
This list is updated through April 6, 2026 and is listed by win percentage in NCAA Division I men's college basketball.
† Minnesota vacated its 1997 Big Ten Conference regular season title, Michigan vacated its 1998 Big Ten tournament title, and Ohio State vacated its 2002 Big Ten tournament, as well as 2000 and 2002 regular season titles, due to NCAA sanctions. Minnesota was retroactively selected as a national champion by the Helms Athletic Foundation for 1902 and 1919.
National championships, Final Fours, and NCAA tournament appearances
Big Ten Conference basketball programs have combined to win 11 NCAA men's basketball championships as Big Ten members: Indiana has won five, Michigan and Michigan State has each won two, while Ohio State and Wisconsin have won one national championship each as Big Ten members. Maryland won one national championship while a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2002, Oregon won the first NCAA tournament in 1939, and UCLA won eleven championships between 1964 and 1995. Fifteen teams have advanced to the Final Four at least once in their history. Ten Big Ten schools (Indiana, Michigan State, Illinois, Purdue, Ohio State, Maryland, Iowa, Michigan, Wisconsin, and UCLA) are among the national top 50 in all-time NCAA tournament appearances.
Seasons are listed by the calendar years in which they ended. Italics indicate honors earned before the school competed in the Big Ten.
Big Ten NCAA tournament champions, runners-up and locations
† denotes overtime games. Multiple †'s indicate more than one overtime.
Teams in bold represented the Big Ten at the time of their appearance. Those in bold italics made appearances before joining the conference.
Head coach compensation
Guaranteed compensation is due to the coaches regardless of performance. Though most of the pay is directed from the university, some also comes in the form of guaranteed endorsements and other income streams. Most coaches also have performance-based bonuses that can significantly raise their salaries.
In 2024, three Big Ten member schools—Northwestern and USC, private institutions, and Penn State, exempt from most open records laws due to its status as what Pennsylvania calls a "state-related" institution—are not obligated to provide salary information for their head coaches. Despite this, both Penn State and Northwestern typically choose to provide this information.
Women's basketball
Big Ten women's basketball teams have played a total of 18 championship games of the three most prominent national postseason tournaments—seven in the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament (since 1982), one in the Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament (since 2024), and 10 in the Women's National Invitation Tournament (since 1998). Three other championship game appearances (five in the NCAA, three in the WNIT) were made by Big Ten members before they joined the conference.
Purdue (1999) and UCLA (2026) are the only Big Ten members to have won the NCAA women's basketball national title while a member of the conference. UCLA, Rutgers, USC and Maryland won national titles before joining the Big Ten. UCLA won the 1978 AIAW championship as a member of the WCAA, Rutgers won the final AIAW championship in 1982 as a member of the Eastern 8, USC won the first two NCAA-sponsored titles back-to-back in 1983 and 1984 as a member of the WCAA, and Maryland won the NCAA title in 2006 as a member of the ACC. Big Ten women's basketball led conference attendance from 1993 to 1999.
Like the men's teams, the women's basketball teams in the Big Ten participated in the Big Ten–ACC Women's Challenge, which was founded in 2007 and ended in 2022. The Big Ten's record in the challenge was 1–11–3, with Indiana, Maryland, and Michigan being the only Big Ten teams without a losing record in the challenge.
National championships, Final Fours, and NCAA tournament appearances
Seasons are listed by the calendar years in which they ended. Italics indicate seasons before the school competed in the Big Ten.
Big Ten NCAA tournament champions, runners-up and locations
Bold type indicates teams that competed as Big Ten members. Bold italics indicates teams that later became Big Ten members.
Big Ten Women's National Invitation Tournament championship games
Bold type indicates teams that competed as Big Ten members. Bold italics indicates teams that later became Big Ten members.
Volleyball
National championships, Final Fours, and NCAA tournament appearances
Seasons are listed by the calendar years in which they ended. Italics indicate seasons before the school competed in the Big Ten.
NCAA volleyball champions, runners-up, and scores
Note: Teams in bold are current Big Ten members who advanced to the championship while in the conference. Teams in bold italics are current Big Ten members who were either in another conference or an independent at the time of their appearance.
Field hockey
Big Ten field hockey programs have won 12 NCAA Championships, although only four of these titles were won by schools as Big Ten members. Maryland won eight national championships as a member of the ACC, second most in the sport all-time. Penn State also has two AIAW championships won before it became a Big Ten member and before the NCAA sponsored women's sports.
National championships, Final Fours, and NCAA tournament appearances
Seasons are listed by the calendar years in which they ended. Italics indicate seasons before the school competed in the Big Ten.
NCAA field hockey champions, runners-up, and scores
Note: Teams in bold are current Big Ten members who advanced to the championship while in the conference. Teams in bold italics are current Big Ten members who were either in another conference or an independent at the time of their appearance.
Men's gymnastics
The Big Ten fields five of the remaining 15 NCAA men's gymnastics teams. The most successful program is Penn State, which has won 12 NCAA men's gymnastics championships.
NCAA championships and runners-up
†–Chicago left the Big Ten in 1946.
††–Finishes prior to Penn State and Nebraska joining the Big Ten.
†††–Iowa, Michigan State and Minnesota no longer competes in men's gymnastics.
Men's ice hockey
The Big Ten began sponsoring men's ice hockey in the 2013–14 season, the only Power Five conference to do so. The inaugural season included six schools: Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State joined from the then disbanded (revived in the 2021–22 season) CCHA; Minnesota and Wisconsin joined from the WCHA (men's division disbanded after the 2020–21 season); and Penn State joined after playing its first NCAA Division I season (2012–13) as an independent. Notre Dame joined the league as an affiliate member beginning with the 2017–18 season. Arizona State had a scheduling agreement with the conference for the 2020–21 season as an all-away game team, playing all seven Big Ten squads four times, but was not part of the conference and therefore was ineligible for the conference tournament or associated NCAA tournament automatic berth. ASU joined the National Collegiate Hockey Conference effective in 2024–25.
Conference records
Team's records against conference opponents (as of the end of the 2018–19 season).
Games where one or more of the programs was not a varsity team are not included.
Awards
At the conclusion of each regular season schedule the coaches of each Big Ten team, as well as a media panel, vote which players they choose to be on the three All-Conference Teams: first team, second team and rookie team. Additionally they vote to award the 5 individual trophies to an eligible player at the same time. The Big Ten also awards a Tournament Most Outstanding Player which is voted on after the conclusion of the conference tournament. Each team also names one of their players to be honored for the conference Sportsmanship Award. All of the awards were created for the inaugural season (2013–14).
Baseball
Championships, College World Series, and NCAA tournament appearances
Seasons are listed by the calendar years in which they ended. Italics indicate seasons before the school competed in the Big Ten.
Men's College World Series champions, runners-up, and scores
Note: Teams in bold are current Big Ten members who advanced to the MCWS while in the conference. Teams in bold italics are current Big Ten members who were either in another conference or an independent at the time of their appearance.
Softball
Championships, College World Series, and NCAA tournament appearances
Seasons are listed by the calendar years in which they ended. Italics indicate seasons before the school competed in the Big Ten.
Women's College World Series champions, runners-up, and scores
Note: Teams in bold are current Big Ten members who advanced to the WCWS while in the conference. Teams in bold italics are current Big Ten members who were either in another conference or an independent at the time of their appearance.
Men's lacrosse
The Big Ten began sponsoring men's lacrosse in the 2015 season. The Big Ten lacrosse league includes Maryland, Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, Rutgers, and Johns Hopkins, which joined the Big Ten conference as an affiliate member in 2014. The teams that compete in Big Ten men's lacrosse have combined to win 13 NCAA national championships.
The addition of Johns Hopkins and Maryland to the conference brought two historically successful programs and longtime rivals into the same league. Johns Hopkins and Maryland have combined for 58 NCAA men's lacrosse Final Four appearances, with each program having 29. The Johns Hopkins–Maryland rivalry, which began in 1895, features over 100 matchups, and is frequently cited by the media and the respective universities as one of the most prominent rivalries in men's lacrosse.
All-time school records
This list goes through the 2024 season.
NCAA Men's lacrosse champions, runners-up, and scores
Note: Teams in bold are current Big Ten members who advanced to the championship game while in the conference. Teams in bold italics are current Big Ten members who were either in another conference or an independent at the time of their appearance.
Women's lacrosse
Women's lacrosse became a Big Ten-sponsored sport in the 2015 season. As of the most recent 2026 season, the Big Ten women's lacrosse league includes Johns Hopkins, Maryland, Michigan, Oregon, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, Rutgers, and USC. Big Ten women's lacrosse programs have 24 of the 39 all-time NCAA championships, including 13 of the last 16. Maryland has earned one pre-NCAA national title and has won 14 NCAA national championships, including seven straight from 1995 to 2001 and most recently in 2019. Northwestern has claimed nine NCAA titles, including five straight from 2005 to 2009. Penn State has earned three pre-NCAA national titles and two NCAA titles in 1987 and 1989. Johns Hopkins became the seventh women's lacrosse program in the Big Ten as of July 1, 2016, with the roster increasing to nine with the 2024 arrival of Oregon and USC.
All-time school records
This list goes through the 2024 season.
NCAA Women's lacrosse champions, runners-up, and scores
Note: Teams in bold are current Big Ten members who advanced to the championship game while in the conference. Teams in bold italics are current Big Ten members who were either in another conference or an independent at the time of their appearance.
Men's soccer
As of the upcoming 2026 season, the Big Ten men's soccer league includes Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, Rutgers, UCLA, Washington, and Wisconsin. Big Ten men's soccer programs have combined to win 20 NCAA national championships.
All-time school records
This list goes through the 2013–14 season.
NCAA Men's soccer champions, runners-up, and scores
Note: Teams in bold are current Big Ten members who advanced to the championship game while in the conference. Teams in bold italics are current Big Ten members who were either in another conference or an independent at the time of their appearance.
Women's soccer
NCAA Women's soccer champions, runners-up, and scores
Note: Teams in bold are current Big Ten members who advanced to the championship game while in the conference. Teams in bold italics are current Big Ten members who were either in another conference or an independent at the time of their appearance.
Golf
Every Big Ten institution sponsors both men's and women's golf. Five national championships in men's golf and two national titles in women's golf have been won by Big Ten members while in the conference, led by both of Michigan and Ohio State's men's teams that have won two national titles each. In addition, 10 more team national titles, 3 in men's golf and 7 in women's golf, have been won by current Big Ten members before they joined the conference, led by UCLA (2 men's, 3 women's).
Italics denote championships won before the school joined the Big Ten.
Tennis
Of the current Big Ten members, 14 sponsor both men's and women's tennis, with Iowa, Maryland, Minnesota and Rutgers only sponsoring women's tennis. Two national championships in men's tennis have been won by Big Ten members while in the conference, led by Illinois and Michigan with one title each. In addition, 41 more team national titles, 37 in men's tennis and 4 in women's tennis, have been won by current Big Ten members before they joined the conference, led by USC (21 men's, 2 women's).
Italics denote championships won before the school joined the Big Ten.
Awards and honors
Big Ten Athlete of the Year
The Big Ten Athlete of the Year award is given annually to the athletes voted as the top male and female athlete in the Big Ten Conference.
Big Ten Medal of Honor
Big Ten Medal of Honor (annual; at each school; one male scholar-athlete and one female scholar-athlete)
Big Ten Sportsmanship Award (annual; at each school; one male student-athlete and one female student-athlete)
NACDA Learfield Sports Directors' Cup rankings
The NACDA Learfield Sports Directors' Cup is an annual award given by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics to the U.S. colleges and universities with the most success in collegiate athletics. Big Ten universities typically finish ranked in the top-50 of the final Directors' Cup annual rankings.
2025–26 Capital One Cup standings
The Capital One Cup is an award given annually to the best men's and women's Division I college athletics programs in the United States. Points are earned throughout the year based on final standings of NCAA Championships and final coaches' poll rankings.
Conference records
For Big Ten records, by sport (not including football), see footnote
NCAA national titles
Totals are per NCAA annual list published every July and NCAA-published gymnastics history, with subsequent results as of April 18, 2026, obtained from NCAA.org, which provides intermittent updates throughout the year.
Excluded from this list are all national championships earned outside the scope of NCAA competition, including Division I FBS football titles, women's AIAW championships (34), men's rowing (27), and retroactive Helms Athletic Foundation titles.
See also:
List of NCAA schools with the most NCAA Division I championships and
List of NCAA schools with the most Division I national championships
Conference titles
For Big Ten championships, by year, see footnote. Totals do not include Big Ten tournament championships. *Totals updated as of 2025–26 seasons.
2025–26 champions
(RS) indicates regular-season champion
(T) indicates tournament champion
‡ denotes national champion