Indy To Host Inaugural Big Ten Championship Game

By Benjy Lipsman in News on Aug 6, 2010 2:20PM

When the Big Ten added Nebraska to increase the conference to twelve teams, we knew a divisional split and conference championship game were part of the plan. Now, the conference's plans are starting to come together for 2011 and beyond. On Thursday, the Big Ten announced that Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis will host the Inaugural Big Ten Championship game.

However, the league has not set the location for title games beyond the first one. Among the other venues interested in hosting the game include the Metrodome in Minneapolis, Detroit's Ford Field, Green Bay's Lambeau Field and Soldier Field right here in Chicago. But will the league be open to playing its championship outside in the crisp December air of Chicago or Green Bay? We think that's just good ol' Midwestern football, but the boosters, bigwigs, and sponsors that fill the stands at such a game probably want a comfy 70 degree venue. We suspect in the end, the game will alternate between a couple of the domes in the region like the Big Ten's basketball tournament does.

And who exactly will be competing in the innaugural title game? Before we can begin projecting matchups, we need to know the league's plan for splitting into divisions. Those plans are coming into focus, with the conference announcing on Monday that the plans would be announced in the next 30 to 45 days. Of note is the "big four" of Penn St., Ohio St., Michigan and Nebraska that need to be evenly split; the league may also consider Iowa and Wisconsin part of an elite six team group to break up. That means a more logical geographic split is possible -- one that has Nebraska, Iowa, and Wisconsin joining Illinois, Northwestern and Minnesota in the West with Michigan, Ohio St. and Penn St. in the East along with Michigan St., Indiana and Purdue. That works for us!