While many projections had the Cats heading to lesser games like the TicketCity Bowl or Little Caesars Bowl, they will instead head to Houston for the Meineke Car Care Bowl against Texas A&M. more ›

The Big Ten announced locations for their conference tournaments and championship games through 2015. Chicago host a number of them. The biggest of prizes -- the Big Ten football championship game. more ›

March Madness is upon us, but before we can get to the Big Dance, we've got to play the little ones first. The Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament opens play today in Indianapolis. more ›

Indiana 52, Illinois 49: With a returning class of seniors led by Demetri McCamey and Mike Tisdale, Illinois was projected to be in the top tier in the Big Ten this season. It hasn't worked out that way for the Illini, who struggled last night against Indiana in Bloomington, IN. Hoosiers sophomore guard Jordan Hulls scored 12 of his 18 points in the second half and Tom Prtchard's tip-in provided the difference as Indiana snapped a 19-game losing streak against ranked teams. As for the Illini, the leadership coach Bruce Weber was expecting from Tisdale and McCamey hasn't happened. The Illini also showed that they live and die by the three-point shot. Illinois shot 5 for 20 from behind the arc. more ›

Since becoming the youngest head coach in NCAA football when he took over Northwestern following Randy Walker's death in 2006, Pat Fitzgerald has helped turn the Wildcats into a legitimate Big Ten team. With three straight bowl appearances, Fitzgerald's name has surfaced in connection with a number of high profile coaching vacancies. Most recently, it's the University of Michigan who inquired about his interest in moving up. With Rich Rodriguez fired following three sub-par years in Ann Arbor, Michigan athletic director Dave Brandon apparently tried to reach out to Fitzgerald but the request to talk was declined. more ›

Wanting to create a more festive, bowl game-like atmosphere surrounding their annual meeting, Northwestern and the University of Illinois played their in-state rivalry game at Wrigley Field this year for the first time since the 1920's. The stadium last hosted a college football game when DePaul and St. Lous faced off in 1938, and last saw a gridiron of any kind across the outfield when the Bears played at Wrigley until 1970. As if the hype surrounding the game at the historic ballpark was enough, the Big Ten's surprise announcement on Friday that all offensive plays would head toward the west end zone due to safety concerns with the east end zone, grabbed national headlines for the game and added to the attention on the game. When the novelty of "losers walk" wore off and the game was over, the Illini returned to Champaign with a 48-27 win. more ›

Arm chair commissioners have been trying to figure out just how the Big Ten would split its twelve teams into two divisions, after the recent addition of Nebraska to the conference allowed for divisional alignments and a lucrative conference championship game to determine the league's guaranteed BCS bid. Yesterday, the Big Ten officially announced how they're splitting the divisions. more ›

Lost amongst the Blackhawks is the historic shuffling going on in college football. We've touched on it here, even posting on the Nebraska move earlier today, but an even bigger Big 10 get is in the works. According to a report this afternoon from KCTV in Kansas City, it looks like the Texas Longhorns and Texas A&M are bidding the (soon to be defunct?) Big 12 and making for the Big 10 while Oklahoma is in talks to move to the SEC. With Oklahoma State reportedly heading towards the Pac-10, that would leave the Big 12 with Kansas, Kansas State University, Mizzou, Baylor, Texas Tech and Iowa State (Colorado defected to the Pac-10 earlier today). Ouch. more ›

The other day, we mentioned how an apparent ultimatum issued to a couple of Big 12 schools could bring the issue of Big Ten expansion to a head as soon as this week. As a result, it now appears that the Nebraska Cornhuskers will defect and join the Big Ten. An official invite to the Big Ten and an announcement of Nebraska's intentions might come as soon as Friday. more ›

Since the Big Ten announced it was considering expansion in December, there have been a lot of rumors and speculation but not much in the way of firm movement toward adding to the conference's roster of schools. That may change this week. Having originally laid out a 12-18 month plan toward expansion, Big Ten officlals acknowledged that they now plan to speed things up. Or, more accurately, the Big 12 is forcing them to speed things up. more ›

Reports surfaced Monday afternoon, originating from a Kansas City radio station, that the Big Ten Conference has extended invitations to four schools to join the conference. The Big Ten quickly denied these reports, with commissioner Jim Delany stated that the conference remains committed to the 12-18 month process outlined earlier this year. more ›

The latest object of Big Ten affection will surely raise eyebrows across the NCAA landscape: the Texas Longhorns. The Lawrence Journal World reported yesterday that the conference has started “preliminary exchanges” with the school about possibly becoming that much sought after 12th team for the Big Ten, certainly a big step up over other rumored schools like Cincinnati, Pitt, Rutgers, and Mizzou. more ›

With the release of a statement on Tuesday, the Big Ten conference declared expansion to add a twelfth team a "front burner" issue, although Wisconsin Athletic Director Barry Alvarez tipped the league's hand the other day. As college football has become increasingly about the money, the Big Ten sees the attention and revenue they are leaving on the table. Other BCS conferences, like the ACC, Big 12 and SEC, by nature of at least 12 teams, are able to split into two divisions and play a championship game to determine their automatic BCS bid recipient. These championship games mean big money to the conference and an additional high profile game on TV at the end of the season. It also cuts the down time between the regular season and the bowls. more ›

Seems we're not the only ones who have trouble finding sports stories newsworthy enough to cover this time of year. With the Bears' season over, the Bulls and Hawks dwelling near the cellar, and the start of spring training still a couple weeks away, these are cold days for Chicago sports fans. more ›

Only the biggest of dreamers gave Illinois a chance of beating the semi-professional USC Trojans in yesterday's 94th annual Rose Bowl. Unfortunately, USC beat the Illini like the proverbial red-headed stepchild 49-17. The academic conclusion to the game also led to some wonderful entendre-laden headlines in the dailies: "Case of California Creamin'", "Too Much Booty Puts Illini on the Defensive", and "Trojans Pull Out All the Stops" are some of our favorites. The loss also provided Jay "the Joke" Mariotti with another opportunity to pen his now-patented "sports in this state really suck" columns, complete with desperate stabs at modern cultural relevance and creating lame-ass nicknames, this time referencing "Knocked Up" and calling Illini head coach Ron Zook "Zooker." more ›

Chicagoist knew there'd be plenty of surprises during Sunday's college football Bowl Championship Series selections, given the losses by the two top-ranked team on Saturday and then general tumult among the top ranked teams all season long. Among the biggest surprises was the Rose Bowl's selection of the Fighting Illini to play against the USC Trojans on New Year's Day. The Illini did knock off Wisconsin when they were ranked fifth, and they handed Ohio... more ›

Nobody ever questioned the determination of Michael Jordan. The guy who didn't make his high school basketball team worked hard came back to win a spot the next year... then went on to a standout college career, won six titles with the Bulls and was named athlete of the century by ESPN. more ›

The NCAA started a practice a few year back that, each year, screws over one unfortunate college basketball team. This year's victims are the Florida A&M Rattlers. While the Niagara Purple Eagles will be in Chicago this week to take on the Kansas Jayhawks at the United Center, FAMU goes home without actually getting to take in the same experiences the remaining 64 schools do — in spite of winning the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament. They miss out on the camaraderie of being around seven other teams over the course of 4 days. They miss out on playing in front of huge crowds and seeing how they stack up against some of the best teams in the country. more ›

If you're anything like Chicagoist, you spent Sunday evening poring over the brackets for the NCAA Basketball Tournament. And if you're anything like Chicagoist, you'll repeat this ritual daily until your picks must be turned in for your office pool later this week. Sixty-five teams will fight for a trip to the Final Four. All have hopes and dreams, but only four teams will make it to Atlanta, and only one team will cut down... more ›

Chicagoist had the pleasure of attending the Big Ten conference at United Center yesterday, an activity in which we normally don't get to take part. Amongst our colleagues, much was made of the fact that no alcohol is served during the events, not even in a Budweiser-sponsored skybox. We believe one such word to describe the practice was coined as "bullshit." However, the American Medical Association couldn't disagree more. They're sending out a newspaper ad... more ›

The Big Ten Men's Basketball Conference Tournament rolls into town on Thursday for what will be the last one hosted in Chicago until at least 2012. On Thursday, the tournament will kick off its seventh run at the United Center. Our friends in Indianapolis, not satisfied with their Super Bowl trophy earned by beating the Chicago Bears, have also outbid Chicago to host the annual Big Ten tournament from 2008 through 2012. The tournament kicks... more ›

Northwestern lost to Indiana 69-65 last night at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston. Nothing extraordinary, just your typical late-season Big Ten basketball grinder. The Wildcats probably deserved to win, and would have had it not been for Indiana's Rod Wilmont drilling nine out of 13 three-pointers on his way to 31 points, including one nifty bank shot from the top of the key at the end of the first half. more ›

Sometimes Chicagoist feels like we just can't watch any more college football or basketball. Yet even with ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, etc., the vast majority of collegiate athletics fails to appear on-air. Maybe we'd love to change things up and watch that Northwestern vs. Minnesota tennis meet, or that heated Purdue-Indiana volleyball rivalry, or the Big Ten Cross Country Championships. And now we'll be able to, as the Big Ten Conference has announced the launch of a television network, which will be based here in Chicago. more ›

The Big Ten Season wraps up this weekend, and after Saturday's 100th meeting between Norhtwestern and Illinois, one team will have earned its second Big Ten win of the season and moved out of the basement of the Big Ten. The two teams meet on Saturday in Evanston at noon. more ›

You can't help but pull for Northwestern this year, who lost their head coach to a heart attack and named former Wildcats star linebacker Pat Fitzgerald to the job. While considered Walker's heir apparent, Fitzgerald's promotion wasn't supposed to occur for another five years. While few questioned the move, many expected the green Fitzgerald to be in over his head inititally. more ›

College football season kicks off this weekend, and that means that across the city, fans will be flocking to countless bars to watch their favorite teams. Chicago is second to none when it comes to its school pride, as nearly every sports bar and neighborhood tap affiliates itself with some college team -- at least in Lincoln Park and Lakeview. If you're trying to find the hideout for a particular school, keep your eyes peeled... more ›

With the family, friends and Northwestern campus still in mourning over the loss of football coach Randy Walker, The Wildcats stayed within their "family" in naming their new head coach. On Friday, they named Pat Fitzgerald as their new head coach. Formerly Northwestern's linebackers coach, Fitzgerald had been groomed by Walker to eventually take over the program. However, they both thought that wouldn't come for another half-decade or more. more ›

Randy Walker, Northwestern's football coach, died last night of an apparent heart attack. He was just 52. He is survived by his wife Tammy, daughter Abbey, and son Jamie. more ›

Any best-of list is subject to extreme reactions – those of total agreement, as well as complete disapproval. But, in Esquire’s June issue, its list of the Best Bars in the Midwest included a handful from Chicago. And, our reaction? A resounding “Yeah, OK, why not” and a shrug of the shoulders. Certainly, some of the picks seemed more worthy of “best” status than others, but nothing was so off-the-charts wrong that we needed to cry, “Outrage!” more ›

The NCAA Tournament never turns out like we think it will, and this year's tournament had even more unepected twist and turns than a typical year. From the numerous upsets, to all the top seeds missing the Final Four, to George Mason making the Final Four, to the large margins of victory in the the Final Four and Championship games. Last night, Florida defeated UCLA 73-57 to claim the NCAA basketball title. With the conclusion... more ›