College football expansion has taken over the hearts and minds of college football junkies everywhere.

The sky is falling, rivalries are dead and the future of college football is in great peril. I am here to tell you that this just simply isnât the case. Conference realignment has been taking place for more than a century and it wonât stop anytime soon. Teams have been switching leagues, conferences have been created out of thin air and college football has powered through all the criticism and into the playoff era.

So just in case you donât remember the days of Georgia Tech winning SEC titles or Grinnell College's 10-year stint in the Big 8, Athlon is here to show you conference realignment isnât a new phenomenon.

The History of Big East Conference Realignment

The History of SEC Realingment

The History of Big 12 Realignment

The History of Big Ten Conference Realignment

The History of Pac-12 Conference Realignment

The History of ACC Realignment

The Big Ten Conference Commissioners:

John Griffith, 1922-44 (died in office)

Kenneth âTugâ Wilson, 1945-61

William Reed, 1961-71 (died in office)

Wayne Duke, 1971-89

Jim Delany, 1989-present

The Big Ten Conference Timeline:

1896: The Big Ten is formed as the first major collegiate conference of universities. Purdue president James Smart is credited with spearheading the decision to regulate and control intercollegiate athletics. The seven founding members were the Univeristy of Chicago, Michigan, Minnesota, Illinois, Northwestern, Purdue and Wisconsin. Lake Forest College attended the 1895 meeting that eventually spawned what was then referred to as the Western Conference, but it did not join the league.

1899: Iowa and Indiana both join the Big Ten Conference three years after itâs inception. It was then commonly called the Big Nine.

1900: Both Iowa and Indiana would begin athletic competition the following year. Interestingly enough, Nebraska petitioned to join the league the same year (and would again request an invitation in 1911 to no avail).

1908: Michigan was voted out of the conference due to rules issues. The Wolverines failed to adhere to league-wide regulations and were subsequently ruled inactive.



1912: Ohio State joins the league.

1917: When Michigan was finally allowed back into the conference after the decade-long hiatus, the term Big Ten became an instantly popular way to refer to the conference.

1946: Due to the on-going World War in Europe, the University of Chicago had de-emphasized athletics in 1939 in a severe manner by discontinuing its football program. By 1946, Chicago withdrew from the league. The Big Ten went back to being referred to as the Big Nine.

1950: Michigan State is invited to join the Big Nine and does so to return the total number of league institutions to ten. The term Big Ten was re-adopted at this point. It would begin athletic competition in 1953.

1982: Penn State, currently an independent institution, asked to join the Big East but was denied inclusion in what was considered a basketball-centric league at the time.

1987: Technically, the league had been named the âIntercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives.â But since ICFR doesnât roll off the tongue, the league officially changed its name to The Big Ten when it was incorporated as a not-for-profit business entity.

1990: After remaining unchanged for nearly exactly four decades of success, the Big Ten voted to expand to 11 schools and asked Penn State to join. The Nittany Lions were happy to oblige. It would begin Big Ten athletic competition in 1993.

2010: Nebraska applies for Big Ten membership and is unanimously approved as the leagueâs 12th institution.

2011: Nebraska played its first Big Ten conference schedule and the league splits into two divisions to accommodate the Cornhuskers. The Big Ten plays its first league championship game in Indianapolis.



Big Ten Conference BCS Bowl History

Notes: Year is representative of the fall football season, not the actual date of the bowl

(#) = final national BCS ranking

1998 Sugar: (4) Ohio State 24, (6) Texas A&M 14

1998 Rose: (9) Wisconsin 38, (5) UCLA 31

1999 Orange: (8) Michigan 35, (4) Alabama 34

1999 Rose: (7) Wisconsin 17, (ur) Stanford 9

2000 Rose: (4) Washington 34, (ur) Purdue 24

2001 Sugar: (13) LSU 47, (8) Illinois 34

2002 Fiesta (NCG): (2) Ohio State 31, (1) Miami 24 (2 OT)

2002 Orange: (4) USC 38, (5) Iowa 17

2003 Fiesta: (5) Ohio State 35, (10) Kansas State 28

2003 Rose: (3) USC 28, (4) Michigan 14

2004 Rose: (4) Texas 38, (13) Michigan 37

2005 Fiesta: (4) Ohio State 34, (6) Notre Dame 20

2005 Orange: (3) Penn State 26,* (22) Florida State 23

2006 NCG: (2) Florida 41, (1) Ohio State 14

2006 Rose: (5) USC 32, (3) Michigan 18

2007 NCG: (2) LSU 38, (1) Ohio State 24

2007 Rose: (7) USC 49, (13) Illinois 17

2008 Fiesta: (3) Texas 24, (10) Ohio State 21

2008 Rose: (5) USC 38, (8) Penn State 24

2009 Rose: (8) Ohio State 26, (7) Oregon 16

2009 Orange: (10) Iowa 24, (9) Georgia Tech 14

2010 Sugar: (6) Ohio State 31,* (8) Arkansas 26

2010 Rose: (3) TCU 21, (5) Wisconsin 19

2011 Sugar: (13) Michigan 23, (11) Virginia Tech 20 (OT)

2011 Rose: (5) Oregon 45, (10) Wisconsin 38

* - later vacated



Overall Record: 12-13

National Championships: 1-2

The History of the Big Ten:

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-by Braden Gall

Follow @bradengall

More Conference Alignment and Playoff Content:

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Debate: Did College Football Get It Right With A Four-Team Playoff?

Debate: How Should A Selection Committee Be Used?