Big Ten Conference moving to conference games only for fall sports
Iowa Hawkeyes defensive end A.J. Epenesa (94) against the Illinois Fighting Illini Saturday, November 17, 2018 at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Ill. (Max Allen/hawkeyesports.com)
July 9, 2020
The Athletic’s Nicole Auerbach is reporting that the Big Ten Conference is going to move to playing conference games for all fall sports this season.
With Big Ten only allowing its 14 schools to play games against conference opponents, it eliminates the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series games between Iowa and Iowa State.
Sources told ESPN, “If college football can be played this fall, Big Ten presidents and athletics directors prefer playing a conference-only schedule, which would eliminate some long-distance travel and help ensure that their teams are being tested for coronavirus universally.”
Some schools want to be allowed to play one non-conference game to maintain marquee non-conference games and rivalries, “but there is overwhelming support for a 10-game conference-only schedule,” sources told ESPN.
