ANN ARBOR -- The Big Ten has released its 2016-17 football schedules, the first since the league expanded to nine-game lineups. And they call for an old friend finally to return to Michigan Stadium.

Wisconsin.

The Wolverines and Badgers once had a spirited rivalry, as two of the Big Ten's better and more physical teams, but the series has been on hiatus since Michigan lost 48-28 in 2010. That's the school's longest play drought against any league team.

Michigan has played a pair of intriguing games against Big Ten newcomer Nebraska. But after 2013, the teams will part for at least four years.

Wisconsin will rotate back onto the schedule to open the 2016 Big Ten slate on Oct. 1. Michigan's other cross-plays that year are Illinois and at Iowa, and it does not play Nebraska, Minnesota, Northwestern and Minnesota.

Here's the rest of that year's schedule, including the nonconference:

Sept. 3 Hawaii

Sept. 10 OFF

Setp. 17 Colorado

Sept. 24 Ball State

Oct. 1 Wisconsin

Oct. 8 at Rutgers

Oct. 15 Penn State

Oct. 22 Illinois

Oct. 29 at Michigan State

Nov. 5 Maryland

Nov. 12 at Iowa

Nov. 19 Indiana

Nov. 26 at Ohio State

Michigan, as expected, will continue to face the challenge of traveling to rivals Michigan State and Ohio State every other year -- a wrinkle that will begin in 2014, when the Wolverines travel to MSU for a second consecutive year, putting those two games on the same travel cycle.

That challenge is bolstered in 2016 by the addition of Wisconsin to the schedule. The silver lining, though, is hosting the Badgers at least gives Michigan a true marquee home game for 2016 (at least, based on current performance levels).

That's not the case in 2014, when perhaps Michigan's best home game is against sanctions-riddled Penn State.

As for the 2017 slate, the cross-plays are at Purdue, Minnesota and at Wisconsin. Michigan misses Nebraska, Northwestern, Illinois and Iowa.

After playing Nebraska in three consecutive years, from 2011-13, Michigan won't see the Cornhuskers again until at least 2018.

Michigan athletic director Dave Brandon has said he loves the expansion to nine-game schedules because it should make it easier for players to see every Big Ten team in a four-year career.

But with the scheduling quirks associated with the addition of Maryland and Rutgers in 2014, and the delay of nine-game league schedules until 2016, that won't be the case for the Wolverines' 2014 recruiting class.

The rest of 2017, with the lone known nonconference game:

Sept. 9 Cincinnati

Sept. 23 at Purdue

Oct. 7 Michigan State

Oct. 14 at Indiana

Oct. 21 at Penn State

Oct. 28 Rutgers

Nov. 4 Minnesota

Nov. 11 at Maryland

Nov. 18 at Wisconsin

Nov. 25 Ohio State

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