Big Ten Releases 10-Game, Conference-Only Football Schedule

Michigan-Ohio State has been moved to Week 8

The Big 10 now has a concrete schedule in place for the 2020 season. 

On Wednesday morning, the league, which was the first to shift to a conference-only model back on July 9, released its plans for the upcoming campaign. 

The conference will start games on Labor Dar weekend (Sept. 5), and the season will run to Nov. 21 with the title game taking place on Dec. 5, but could be flexed to Dec. 19, if any teams have to make up any contests along the way due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Each member institution will also get two bye weeks throughout the season, and the model allows four weeks built in to reschedule games. 

Ohio State and Illinois will kick things off on Sept. 3. 

Fall camp will begin for Big 10 schools on Aug 7. to get the full 25 practices in ahead of a Sept. 5 start date. 

Another takeaway is, like the PAC-12's schedule, some rivalry games have been shifted from their normal spots, like the Buckeyes-Michigan matchup that will happen on Oct. 24 in the eight week of the year. 

It will be the first time since 1942 that 'The Game' has not been played during the last week of the regular season. 

The Big Ten will be the earliest Power Five conference to start league play, as the ACC will kickoff the week of Sept. 7-12, both the SEC and PAC-12 will start Sept. 26, and the Big 12 will begin conference play Sept. 19 or Sept. 26.