Best games we’ll miss with Big Ten-only football schedule
By Tyler Kemp
Big Ten football took a huge hit with its announcement of only having conference games on the slate in 2020.
With the fall college sports season up in the air as a whole, the Big Ten as a conference is already doing its due diligence to limit travel on its athletic programs. The conference announced all teams will be playing in-conference games only this season.
With this announcement, many are disappointed, if not understanding, in Big Ten country. With plenty of national contenders in both divisions that had intriguing non-conference matchups with national implications, fans throughout the country are going to miss out on top-notch football.
The first game that jumps is Ohio State-Oregon out west in Eugene. Two top-flight national contenders that are always in the hunt for a New Year’s Six bowl were set to square off in an early-season test on both sides.
Michigan and head coach Jim Harbaugh are entering a critical season in 2020. In Week 1, making a trip to Montlake to play Washington was going to be the perfect measuring-stick affair for both sides. Both teams are going through roster turnover, and whoever wins would put themselves in great position for the rest of the season.
Penn State and Virginia Tech have been in similar situations lately. Two really good programs in the Big Ten and ACC that can’t seem to get over the hump of being elite in their respective conferences. The Nittany Lions and Hokies would have been a great early-season test.
Iowa and Iowa State have faced off every year since 1977 for the Cy-Hawk Trophy. With no non-conference games in the Big Ten, the state rivals will not play each other for the first time in more than 40 years. It looks like Iowa’s five-game win streak in the rivalry will stand pat until the next matchup in 2021.
Miami-Michigan State was another Big Ten/ACC matchup both sides were looking forward to. Two historically great programs coming off of lackluster seasons, the Hurricanes and Spartans were both looking to make a push in their respective conferences by proving their worth in their upcoming battle.
Wisconsin and Notre Dame are two teams with very similar backgrounds: always really good 10+ win teams every year, but not great enough to secure a signature win in New Years’ Six Bowl games. The Badgers and Irish matchup in October was going to be a great one that we will not get to see.
With Big Ten football only having in-conference games, hopefully that means more teams from opposite divisions can have conference matchups. While one of the strongest conferences in college football will not be able to flex its muscle against the outsiders, 2020 will be used as an iron-sharpens-iron season.