As the college football landscape alters almost annually in the recent rounds of realignment, it can be difficult to keep track of which team belongs to which conference. The Big Ten Conference has been pivotal to such movement, with multiple new programs causing a tectonic shift in the makeup.
Which college football teams does the Big Ten Conference currently consist of?
Which Teams Are in the Big Ten Conference?
- Illinois Fighting Illini
- Indiana Hoosiers
- Iowa Hawkeyes
- Maryland Terrapins
- Michigan Wolverines
- Michigan State Spartans
- Minnesota Golden Gophers
- Nebraska Cornhuskers
- Northwestern Wildcats
- Ohio State Buckeyes
- Oregon Ducks
- Penn State Nittany Lions
- Purdue Boilermakers
- Rutgers Scarlet Knights
- Washington Huskies
- Wisconsin Badgers
- UCLA Bruins
- USC Trojans
The Big Ten Conference currently consists of 18 teams after expanding ahead of the 2024 college football season. Amidst the first wave of college football realignment, the USC Trojans and UCLA Bruins announced their intention to leave the Pac-12 and join the Big Ten in 2022.
The following year, the Washington Huskies and Oregon Ducks — the two teams who would eventually dual for the Pac-12 title in 2023 — announced that they were following suit and joining the Big Ten. Those moves became official in 2024, taking the conference from 14 to 18 teams and putting it on a collision course with the SEC as the major powerhouse conference.
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While it has known many names — including the Western Conference and Big Nine — the Big Ten claims to be the oldest conference in college athletics. Originally known as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives, it was formed in 1896.
Six of the original founding teams — Illinois, Minnesota, Northwestern, Purdue, Wisconsin, and Michigan — have remained loyal to the Big Ten with only the University of Chicago absconding from the seven teams that joined together to bring the conference to life. The four newest members enter the fold 10 years after the last expansion (Maryland and Rutgers).
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