Andy Milonakis

The Big Ten has always been a national powerhouse in men's basketball, having multiple championship winners and often sending four or more teams to the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. Many factors influence bowl selections, including the turnout of the fans for past bowl games. Notice that while the pick order usually corresponds to the standings in the conference, bowls do not have to pick according to the standings. As of 2006, the Big Ten champion has the Rose Bowl (a BCS bowl) tie in, and the following non-BCS bowl tie ins (picks are after BCS selections, i.e., if two Big Ten teams participate in BCS bowls, the bowl with the #1 pick will select the third team):.

Some other Big Ten rivalries include (with their respective travelling trophy in parentheses):. sports). The annual Michigan-Ohio State matchup at the end of the season (which has no trophy at stake) is probably the most well-known Big Ten rivalry (arguably one of the biggest in all of U.S. Many of them have travelling trophies at stake.

The members of the Big Ten have long-standing rivalries with each other, especially on the football field. The office of the commissioner of athletics was created in 1922 "to study athletic problems of the various member universities and assist in enforcing the eligibility rules which govern Big Ten athletics.". Notre Dame later joined the Big East conference in all sports except football, men's lacrosse, and men's hockey. Although the Notre Dame faculty senate endorsed the idea, the board of trustees voted against joining the conference and Notre Dame ultimately declined the Big Ten's invitation.[1] Though the idea has been revisited in the wake of the Atlantic Coast Conference's expansion to 12 teams, neither Notre Dame nor the Big Ten has taken any official action in pursuit of Notre Dame's membership.

The conference extended a formal invitation to Notre Dame in 1999. Following the addition of previously independent Penn State, efforts were made to encourage the University of Notre Dame, the last remaining traditionally independent football powerhouse, to join the league. When Penn State joined in the early 1990s, it was decided that the conference would continue to be called the Big Ten, but its logo was modified to reflect the change; the number 11 is disguised in the white areas of the traditionally blue "Big Ten" lettering. It did not formally adopt the name Big Ten until 1987 when it was incorporated as a not-for-profit corporation.

The conference’s official name throughout the time was still the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives and was also known as the Western Conference. The Big Ten's membership would remain stable for the next 40 years. In 1950, Michigan State joined and the conference was again known as the Big Ten. Chicago to this day continues its relationship with the conference as a member of the Committee on Institutional Cooperation, the "academic Big Ten".

Chicago discontinued its football program in 1939 and withdrew from the Conference in 1946. The conference was again known as the Big Nine after the University of Chicago decided to deemphasize varsity athletics just after World War II. The first reference to the conference as the Big Ten was in 1917 after Michigan rejoined following a 9-year absence; Ohio State had been added in 1912. The founding member schools included six current members as well as the University of Chicago.The first reference to the conference as The Big Nine was in 1899 after Iowa and Indiana had joined.

The Big Ten was founded in 1896 as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives. The presidents' first-known action "restricted eligibility for athletics to bonafide, full-time students who were not delinquent in their studies." This helped limit some problems of the times, especially the participation of professional athletes and "non-students" in the university's regular sporting events. At the 1895 meeting, a blueprint for the control and administration of college athletics under the direction of appointed faculty representatives was outlined. Lake Forest was not at the 1896 meeting that established the Conference, it was replaced by the University of Michigan.

Those seven universities were: University of Chicago, University of Illinois, Lake Forest College, University of Minnesota, Northwestern University, Purdue University and the University of Wisconsin. Smart, president of Purdue University, established the principles for which the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives, more popularly known as the Big Ten Conference, would be founded on the next year 1896. Those seven men, behind the leadership of James H. A meeting of seven Midwest university presidents on January 11, 1895 at the Palmer House in Chicago to discuss the regulation and control of intercollegiate athletics.

. Member schools participate in baseball, men's and women's basketball, cross country, field hockey, football, golf, gymnastics, indoor and outdoor track, rowing, men's and women's soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, women's volleyball and wrestling. The Big Ten is the only conference to have all of its member institutions affiliated with the Association of American Universities, a prestigious collection of 60 research institutions, and leads all conferences in the total amount of research expenditures. Attended 1895 meeting but was not a member of the conference:.

Former member of the conference:. The conference's current member schools, ordered by length of continuous membership and alphabetically by each university's common name, are:. Despite the conference's name, since Penn State joined in 1990, there have been eleven schools in the Big Ten, as signified by the hidden "11" in the Big Ten Conference logo. Member schools of the Big Ten conference are also members of the Committee on Institutional Cooperation, a leading educational consortium.

The conference competes in the NCAA's Division I-A in football. Its member institutions are located in the northern United States, stretching from Iowa and Minnesota in the west to Pennsylvania in the east. The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest college athletic conference. Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Tournament.

Motor City Bowl: Detroit, Michigan (Big Ten #6 pick against MAC). Insight Bowl: Tempe, Arizona (Big Ten #5 pick against Big 12 #5 pick). Champs Sports Bowl: Orlando, Florida (Big Ten #4 pick against ACC #3 pick). Alamo Bowl: San Antonio, Texas (Big Ten #3 pick against Big 12 #3 pick).

Outback Bowl: Tampa, Florida (Big Ten #2 pick against SEC #2 pick). Capital One Bowl: Orlando, Florida (Big Ten #1 pick against SEC #1 pick). Penn State-Michigan State (Land Grant Trophy). Penn State-Minnesota (Governor's Victory Bell).

Illinois-Purdue (Purdue Cannon). Illinois-Ohio State (Illibuck). Michigan-Minnesota (Little Brown Jug). Michigan-Michigan State (Paul Bunyan Trophy).

Wisconsin-Minnesota (Paul Bunyan's Axe). Iowa-Wisconsin (Heartland Trophy). Iowa-Minnesota (Floyd of Rosedale). Indiana-Michigan State (Old Brass Spittoon).

Purdue-Indiana (Old Oaken Bucket). Illinois-Northwestern (Sweet Sioux Tomahawk). Delany 1989-. James E.

Wayne Duke 1971-1989 (Retired). Bill Reed 1961-1971 (Died). "Tug" Wilson 1944-1961 (Retired). Kenneth L.

Griffith 1922-1944 (Died). Major John L. Lake Forest College. The University of Chicago (co-founder 1896, withdrew 1946).

The Pennsylvania State University (joined 1990, began play 1993). Michigan State University (joined 1950, began play 1953). The University of Michigan (co-founder 1896, withdrew 1908, rejoined 1917). The Ohio State University at Columbus (joined 1912).

The University of Iowa (joined 1899). Indiana University (joined 1899). University of Wisconsin (co-founder 1896). Purdue University (co-founder 1896).

Northwestern University (co-founder 1896). The University of Minnesota (co-founder 1896). University of Illinois (co-founder 1896).