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Predicting how Big Ten football could look with the expansion to 20 teams

By Rees Woodcock

The logo of the Big Ten Conference is seen on a yard marker during Iowa Hawkeyes football Kids Day at Kinnick open practice, Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021, at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa.210814 Ia Fb Kids Day 109 Jpg
The logo of the Big Ten Conference is seen on a yard marker during Iowa Hawkeyes football Kids Day at Kinnick open practice, Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021, at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa.210814 Ia Fb Kids Day 109 Jpg /
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Big Ten
Dec 7, 2019; Indianapolis, IN, USA; A view of the Big Ten logo on a sideline marker as the Wisconsin Badgers offense takes the field against the Ohio State Buckeyes defense during the first half in the 2019 Big Ten Championship Game at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports /

Big Ten football is going through some pretty big changes, and from the rumblings out on the internet, they aren’t done adding teams.

I thought it was a big deal when the Big Ten added Nebraska over a decade ago. This was a shock to the system because it had been since the 1990s the last time there was a change to the conference. They then added Maryland and Rutgers into the mix.

In the past year, USC and UCLA both joined the Big Ten. Just in the last week, Oregon and Washington didn’t want to get left out, so they too become a member of the conference. This brought the total number of teams in the Big Ten to 18.

In June, the Big Ten announced, with the addition of UCLA and USC, that the conference, with 16 teams at the time, would not have divisions, and there would be a flex protect plus model for the schedules. This would protect some rivalries and schedule home-and-homes.

With Oregon and Washington now joining with UCLA and USC in 2024, that could make things a little messier. My focus isn’t even on 2024, though. I am thinking about when the Big Ten is going to add teams No. 19 and No. 20.

My guess is, the two teams that get the Big Ten to 20 programs will come from the ACC. If I had to guess, I would say it is going to be Clemson and Florida State.

20 schools are a lot for one conference. In my opinion, you can’t just throw 20 schools out there without some conference structure. There need to be divisions. So, I have an idea.

Let’s create a Big Ten Tournament.

There are going to be 20 teams in the Big Ten sometime in the near future. Let’s break those 20 teams down into four, five-team divisions, the B1G North, B1G South, B1G East, and B1G West.

Each team would play an 11-game schedule. This 11-game schedule would be broken down into four divisional games, three non-conference games, and four random conference games. This would keep a main rivalry intact and it would give some structure to the Big Ten.

At the end of the 11-game schedule, each division winner goes into the Big Ten Tournament. The winner of those two games competes for the Big Ten Championship.

Here is how Big Ten football could look with the expansion to 20 teams

Big Ten North (B1G North)

  • Minnesota Golden Gophers

The Golden Gophers would be stuck in the B1G North for obvious reasons. They are the program that is the furthest north.

Minnesota’s biggest rivals are already in the B1G North, so they don’t have to worry about scheduling one of the four random conference games to make sure it is a rival. So, Minnesota would be guaranteed to play Wisconsin (Paul Bunyan’s Axe), Iowa (Floyd of Rosedale), Northwestern, and Ohio State.

  • Wisconsin Badgers

I would imagine one of the favorites to win the B1G North would be the Wisconsin Badgers. In the present day, they have been to the Big Ten Championship game a couple of times, so I wouldn’t see why they couldn’t make it to the Big Ten Tournament.

The biggest rival for Wisconsin is the Minnesota Golden Gophers (Paul Bunyan’s Axe). The two teams would already play each season, so there isn’t a scheduling issue. Wisconsin would also play Iowa (Heartland Trophy), Northwestern, and Ohio State each season.

  • Iowa Hawkeyes

Iowa has been able to hold its own when it comes to winning Big Ten games over the past decade. They would be a feared team in the B1G North, as the Hawkeyes’ defense is one of the best in the country.

Much like the other two teams mentioned above, Iowa’s Big Ten rivals are all in the B1G North. I would imagine one of the three non-conference games would be used on the Iowa State rivalry. Iowa’s opponents would be Minnesota (Floyd of Rosedale), Wisconsin (Heartland Trophy), Northwestern, Ohio State, and Iowa State, most likely.

  • Northwestern Wildcats

I included Northwestern in the B1G North. They have had a few good seasons in the past decade, but this program is reeling right now.

Northwestern would play the B1G North teams Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, and Ohio State. The main rivalry for the Wildcats would be Illinois, so that would be a protected game in the four random conference contests.

  • Ohio State Buckeyes

The final team from the B1G North would be Ohio State. I once had the Buckeyes in the B1G South, but I couldn’t put Ohio State, Florida State, and Clemson all together.

Ohio State would take on Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Northwestern each season. The biggest rivalry is obviously Michigan, so that would be a part of the four random conference games as a protected matchup.

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