The first game of the Big Ten Conference was October 17, 1896 when the league was known as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives. Minnesota defeated Purdue 14-0 at Minneapolis. In 2014, the Big Ten Conference expanded to 14 teams and rearranged their Leaders and Legends Divisions and renamed them East and West. The first game under this arrangement was Penn State at Rutgers on September 13, 2014. The game had been independently arranged, according to the April 17, 2009 New York Times, years before Rutgers joined the conference.
Happy 120th Birthday Big Ten Conference!
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The conference has been known as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives; the Big Nine (after Iowa and Indiana joined in 1899) and the Western Conference. When the University of Chicago dropped football (but not membership) in 1939, it became the Big Nine. When Michigan State joined in 1949, it became the Big Ten again.
The first Ivy League standings didn't occur until 1956. However, all the Ivy League teams were playing each other all the way back to the start of football even when there were no "standings."
B1G maybe the oldest active football conference in the U.S. but many of its members played in conferences before hand.
Rutgers - 1893-95 Middle States Football League; a simple 3 team set-up with Lafayette and Stevens. Rutgers won the 1894 title -- the first sports title in Rutgers history.
Indiana and Purdue - 1889-early 20th century Indiana Intercollegiate Athletic Association; Purdue won the title from 1891-94
Maryland 1894-99 Maryland Intercollegiate Football Association
Michigan State - 1888-1907 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association
Nebraska - 1892-97 Western Interstate University Football Association; Nebraska won 1894 (co-champs) and 1897
Penn State - 1891 Pennsylvania Intercollegiate Football Association; won the title in its only year of existence
The first Ivy League standings didn't occur until 1956. However, all the Ivy League teams were playing each other all the way back to the start of football even when there were no "standings."
B1G maybe the oldest active football conference in the U.S. but many of its members played in conferences before hand.
Rutgers - 1893-95 Middle States Football League; a simple 3 team set-up with Lafayette and Stevens. Rutgers won the 1894 title -- the first sports title in Rutgers history.
Indiana and Purdue - 1889-early 20th century Indiana Intercollegiate Athletic Association; Purdue won the title from 1891-94
Maryland 1894-99 Maryland Intercollegiate Football Association
Michigan State - 1888-1907 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association
Nebraska - 1892-97 Western Interstate University Football Association; Nebraska won 1894 (co-champs) and 1897
Penn State - 1891 Pennsylvania Intercollegiate Football Association; won the title in its only year of existence
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