Big Ten discussing Nine-game Football Schedule, Championship Game sites

By Kevin Kelley -

Big Ten coaches and athletic directors will discuss the possibility of a nine-game conference schedule during their annual spring meeting this week. Venues for future Big Ten Championship games are also on the docket.

The Big Ten currently plays an eight-game conference schedule and four non-conference games. With the addition of Nebraska, there is a growing contingent that would like to see nine conference games per season.

But in order for that to happen, Big Ten schools want a guarantee that they will each have seven home games per year. The extra home game, currently a non-conference school, helps bring in additional revenue. In a nine-game Big Ten schedule, schools would lose one non-conference contest and would play five conference road games every other year.

Future sites for the Big Ten Football Championship Game became clearer this week when Jim Delany announced that they had narrowed the choices to Chicago (Soldier Field) and Indianapolis (Lucas Oil Stadium). The 2011 game will be played at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

A decision on future sites will be made later in the year, but there is a possibility of a rotation between Chicago and Indianapolis.

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Big 10 Championship Game Sites: Minneapolis, Green Bay, Chicago, Indianapolis, Detroit, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Pittsburgh.