Two years ago, the Big Ten implemented a nine-game conference schedule. Not only did it make for a more intriguing conference season, it alleviated some of the headache of scheduling non-conference foes.
Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany threw in another wrinkle when he orchestrated a league-wide agreement to schedule (at least) one non-conference game against a fellow Power 5-conference foe and to no longer schedule Football Championship Subdivision opponents beginning in 2018.
Although Big Ten teams now share a basic philosophy when it comes to scheduling non-conference games, some have scoured the market for cellar-dwellers from lower-tier leagues.