At Big Ten Media Day this morning, Commissioner Jim Delany announced that the Big Ten would expand their conference schedule from 18 games to 20, starting with the 2018-19 season. This change also makes every in-state rivalry a protected matchup, meaning that Indiana/Purdue, Illinois/Northwestern, and Michigan/Michigan St. will be played twice a year. Thanks to the new provisions, the Hoosier and the Boilers will play a home-and-home for the first time since the 2014-15 season.
To go along with the protected rivalries, the Big Ten will add what they call a “regional component” to every team’s schedule. This is basically an attempt to get teams from the same geographic region to play each other more often.