Big Ten Championship Game
| Big Ten Football Championship Game | |
|---|---|
| Conference Football Championship | |
| Sport | Football |
| Conference | Big Ten Conference |
| Current stadium | Lucas Oil Stadium |
| Current location | Indianapolis, Indiana |
| Played | 2011–present |
| Last contest | 2016 |
| Current champion | Penn State |
| Most championships | Michigan State, Wisconsin (2) |
| TV partner(s) | FOX Sports (2011–present) |
| Sponsors | |
| Dr Pepper | |
The Big Ten Football Championship Game is a college football game that is held by the Big Ten Conference each year since 2011 to determine the conference's season champion. The championship game will pit the division champions from the conference's West and East divisions in a game held after the regular season has been completed. The game is held the first Saturday of December at 8 PM Eastern.
The winner of this game will earn the Big Ten's automatic berth in the Rose Bowl Game, unless the team is selected to play in the four-team College Football Playoff. If this is the case, they will go to one of the bowls hosting the national semifinals. The winner of this game will also receive the Stagg Championship Trophy, and the most valuable player of this game will receive the Grange-Griffin Championship Game Most Valuable Player Trophy.
The conference currently has a deal making Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis the site of the championship game through 2021.
Prior to the 2011 college football season, the Big Ten Conference determined its conference representative through regular season play, and, as there were only 11 member schools, there was no possibility for a conference championship game because the NCAA requires (for holding a conference championship game) that the conference have 12 teams with two divisions.
In 2010, the Big Ten Conference added the University of Nebraska, bringing the membership total to 12 teams. Thus, the conference was able to meet NCAA requirements. On August 5, 2010 Big Ten Conference Commissioner James Delany announced Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis had been chosen as the possible site for the inaugural championship game. The league office began a 30-day period to negotiate a one-year agreement with Indiana Sports Corp and Lucas Oil Stadium to host the game. Delany also announced that once the 2011 agreement was in place, the conference office would conduct a thorough process over the next year to determine the location of the Big Ten Football Championship Game in 2012 and beyond.
On November 17, 2010, the Big Ten Conference announced a media agreement with FOX Sports to serve as the official broadcast partner for the 2011-16 Big Ten Football Championship Games. A source at the time stated that the six-year agreement with FOX Sports would be worth between $20–$25 million per season, making it one of the most valuable conference championship games in college football. In the league's press release, it was confirmed that the 2011 event will take place at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. The events will be played in prime time. Because FOX is a majority partner in the Big Ten Network, this may allow for the possibility of more involvement by the Big Ten Network in the event, including the use of Big Ten Network staff in the game coverage.
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