Playing the role of a Big Ten football schedule maker (Part One)

After it was announced that the Big Ten will add Nebraska to the conference starting with 2011, I got to thinking about how the Big Ten schedule would look in football for 2011.

As of this moment, Iowa is scheduled to play everyone except Michigan State and Northwestern in both 2011 and 2012. Now with the Cornhuskers in the fold, this is going to change, no question.

I decided I would attempt to play the role of a Big Ten football schedule maker, and came up with the following conference match-ups for all 12 schools between 2011-2014.

I have an East Division (Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue), and a West Division (Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Wisconsin).

Here’s what I ultimately came up with for each of the 12 schools. With each year, I’ll list the home games for each school & what weeks they’d happen. Every home game in 2011 is a road game in 2012, and vice versa. Same goes for the years of 2013 & 2014.

Illinois: 2011 – Nebraska (Week 2), Michigan State (Week 3), Wisconsin (Week 6), Northwestern (Week 8); 2012 – Iowa (Week 1), Indiana (Week 4), Ohio State (Week 5), Minnesota (Week 7); 2013 – Nebraska (Week 2), Penn State (Week 3), Wisconsin (Week 6), Northwestern (Week 8); 2014 – Iowa (Week 1), Michigan (Week 4), Purdue (Week 5), Minnesota (Week 7).

Indiana: 2011 – Penn State (Week 2), Illinois (Week 4), Ohio State (Week 7), Purdue (Week 8); 2012 – Michigan (Week 1), Minnesota (Week 3), Northwestern (Week 5), Michigan State (Week 6); 2013 – Penn State (Week 2), Iowa (Week 5), Ohio State (Week 7), Purdue (Week 8); 2014 – Michigan (Week 1), Wisconsin (Week 3), Nebraska (Week 4), Michigan State (Week 6).

Iowa: 2011 – Illinois (Week 1), Purdue (Week 4), Minnesota (Week 6), Nebraska (Week 8); 2012 – Wisconsin (Week 2), Ohio State (Week 3), Penn State (Week 5), Northwestern (Week 7); 2013 – Illinois (Week 1), Michigan (Week 3), Minnesota (Week 6), Nebraska (Week 8); 2014 – Wisconsin (Week 2), Michigan State (Week 4), Indiana (Week 5), Northwestern (Week 7).

Michigan: 2011 – Indiana (Week 1), Northwestern (Week 4), Purdue (Week 6), Ohio State (Week 8); 2012 – Michigan State (Week 2), Nebraska (Week 3), Minnesota (Week 5), Penn State (Week 7); 2013 – Indiana (Week 1), Illinois (Week 4), Purdue (Week 6), Ohio State (Week 8); 2014 – Michigan State (Week 2), Iowa (Week 3), Wisconsin (Week 5), Penn State (Week 7).

Michigan State: 2011 – Michigan (Week 2), Minnesota (Week 4), Indiana (Week 6), Penn State (Week 8); 2012 – Ohio State (Week 1), Illinois (Week 3), Wisconsin (Week 5), Purdue (Week 7); 2013 – Michigan (Week 2), Iowa (Week 4), Indiana (Week 6), Penn State (Week 8); 2014 – Ohio State (Week 1), Nebraska (Week 3), Northwestern (Week 5), Purdue (Week 7).

Minnesota: 2011 – Indiana (Week 3), Michigan (Week 5), Illinois (Week 7), Wisconsin (Week 8); 2012 – Nebraska (Week 1), Northwestern (Week 2), Michigan State (Week 4), Iowa (Week 6); 2013 – Purdue (Week 3), Ohio State (Week 4), Illinois (Week 7), Wisconsin (Week 8); 2014 – Nebraska (Week 1), Northwestern (Week 2), Penn State (Week 5), Iowa (Week 6).

Nebraska: 2011 – Minnesota (Week 1), Michigan (Week 3), Penn State (Week 4), Northwestern (Week 6); 2012 – Illinois (Week 2), Purdue (Week 5), Wisconsin (Week 7), Iowa (Week 8); 2013 – Minnesota (Week 1), Michigan State (Week 3), Indiana (Week 4), Northwestern (Week 6); 2014 – Illinois (Week 2), Ohio State (Week 5), Wisconsin (Week 7), Iowa (Week 8).

Northwestern: 2011 – Wisconsin (Week 1), Minnesota (Week 2), Indiana (Week 5), Iowa (Week 7); 2012 – Purdue (Week 3), Michigan (Week 4), Nebraska (Week 6), Illinois (Week 8); 2013 – Wisconsin (Week 1), Minnesota (Week 2), Michigan State (Week 5), Iowa (Week 7); 2014 – Ohio State (Week 3), Penn State (Week 4), Nebraska (Week 6), Illinois (Week 8).

Ohio State: 2011 – Michigan State (Week 1), Iowa (Week 3), Illinois (Week 5), Penn State (Week 6); 2012 – Purdue (Week 2), Wisconsin (Week 4), Indiana (Week 7), Michigan (Week 8); 2013 – Michigan State (Week 1), Northwestern (Week 3), Nebraska (Week 5), Penn State (Week 6); 2014 – Purdue (Week 2), Minnesota (Week 4), Indiana (Week 7), Michigan (Week 8).

Penn State: 2011 – Purdue (Week 1), Wisconsin (Week 3), Iowa (Week 5), Michigan (Week 7); 2012 – Indiana (Week 2), Nebraska (Week 4), Ohio State (Week 6), Michigan State (Week 8); 2013 – Purdue (Week 1), Northwestern (Week 4), Minnesota (Week 5), Michigan (Week 7); 2014 – Indiana (Week 2), Illinois (Week 3), Ohio State (Week 6), Michigan State (Week 8).

Purdue: 2011 – Ohio State (Week 2), Northwestern (Week 3), Nebraska (Week 5), Michigan State (Week 7); 2012 – Penn State (Week 1), Iowa (Week 4), Michigan (Week 6), Indiana (Week 8); 2013 – Ohio State (Week 2), Wisconsin (Week 4), Illinois (Week 5), Michigan State (Week 7); 2014 – Penn State (Week 1), Minnesota (Week 3), Michigan (Week 6), Indiana (Week 8).

Wisconsin: 2011 – Iowa (Week 2), Ohio State (Week 4), Michigan State (Week 5), Nebraska (Week 7); 2012 – Northwestern (Week 1), Penn State (Week 3), Illinois (Week 6), Minnesota (Week 8); 2013 – Iowa (Week 2), Indiana (Week 3), Michigan (Week 5), Nebraska (Week 7); 2014 – Northwestern (Week 1), Purdue (Week 4), Illinois (Week 6), Minnesota (Week 8).

— by Brendan Stiles