To be able to work on the schedule with athletic directors, coaches and our conference staff - anytime you can work together in a collective manner, the better chance you have for success.

'There has been a great deal of collaboration with this. 'One of the reasons we went to 10 games was to provide our schools with flexibility, to play 10 games over a 12-week period with a couple of open weeks that we can move games into,' Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren told The Athletic.

While this announcement puts dates and games in writing, nothing is set in stone. The champion of the East Division will be the designated home team for this year's contest and will face the champion of the West Division. This flexibility in the schedule allows for games to be moved and the potential for pushing back the start of the season entirely. The city of Indianapolis and Lucas Oil Stadium will play host to the 12th annual Big Ten Football Championship Game on December 3, 2022. 28 is off league-wide as an additional date to make up games if necessary. The 10 Big Ten games will be played over 12 weeks with each team having two off weeks. The ACC is beginning play the following week, the Big 12 has yet to decide, and the SEC and Pac-12 are kicking off their seasons on Sept. It has games on Thursday and Friday of that week before beginning league-wide on Saturday, Sept. The Big Ten will begin playing games earlier than all other Power Five conferences, starting in the traditional Week 1. The schedule format will be comprised of each team's previously scheduled nine-game conference slate along with one additional game against a cross-division opponent. In a surprise early-morning announcement, the Big Ten released its complete 10-game, conference-only college football schedule for the 2020 season on Wednesday.

Big ten championship game start time