The Big Ten Conference

The Big Ten Conference is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the USA.  Starting in 1896, it consisted of the Universities of Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Chicago, Northwestern University and Purdue University.  

The Universities of Indiana and Iowa joined in 1899.  Ohio State University made it a group of Ten in 1912.

The University of Chicago dropped out of the Big Ten in 1946, replaced by the Michigan State University in 1950.  "In the late 1930s, Chicago's university president Robert Maynard Hutchins decided that big-time college football and the university's commitment to academics were not compatible."

In 1990, Penn State University, became the eleventh member of the Big Ten.  Regarding football, it had been an independent, meaning not a member of any league or conference.

In 2010, the University of Nebraska, formerly a member of the Big XII Conference, joined the Big Ten as its twelfth member.  In 2012, the University of Maryland (an original member of the Atlantic Coast Conference) and Rutgers University (the State University of New Jersey) became the thirteenth and fourteenth members of the Big Ten.

"On June 30, 2022, UCLA (University of California Los Angeles) and USC (University of Southern California) announced that they will be joining the Big Ten Conference effective August 2, 2024." 

Why do so many major universities want to join the Big Ten?  Because it is one of the two most powerful conferences in the country.  The other being the Southeastern Conference (SEC). 

The expansion to sixteen members delayed the announcement of its new television contract.  "On August 18, 2022, the Big Ten announced a media rights deal with Fox, CBS, NBC and Peacock. The deal is reportedly worth more than $7 billion per year, which is estimated to bring $80–$100 million per year to each member school."  The Big Ten proves what a gigantic business college sports is.  

The Big Ten sponsors the following men's sports: baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, gymnastics, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, swimming & diving, tennis, track and field (both indoor & outdoor) and wrestling.

The Big Ten sponsors the following women's sports: basketball, cross country, field hockey, golf, gymnastics, lacrosse, rowing, soccer, softball, swimming & diving, tennis, track and field (both indoor & outdoor) and volleyball.