Big Ten Football Schedule 2020: Matchups, Opening Week, Championship Game Info

The Big Ten announced Saturday its 2020 football schedule will kick off Oct. 24 after the conference reversed a prior decision to postpone play until the spring. 

Weekly Schedule

Team Schedules

Illinois

Indiana

Iowa

Maryland

Michigan

Michigan State

Minnesota

Nebraska

Northwestern

Ohio State

Penn State

Purdue

Rutgers

Wisconsin 

The Big Ten Council of Presidents and Chancellors voted Wednesday to allow football to resume in October based on "significant" progress on medical protocols, including "daily antigen testing, enhanced cardiac screening and an enhanced data-driven approach when making decisions about practice/competition."

Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren released a statement about the decision:

"Our focus with the Task Force over the last six weeks was to ensure the health and safety of our student-athletes. Our goal has always been to return to competition so all student-athletes can realize their dream of competing in the sports they love. We are incredibly grateful for the collaborative work that our Return to Competition Task Force have accomplished to ensure the health, safety and wellness of student-athletes, coaches and administrators."

The conference confirmed daily testing of student-athletes will begin Sept. 30.

Following the Big Ten's initial announcement in August to postpone football in the spring, there was a grassroots effort to overturn the ruling. Most notably, Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields started a "#WeWantToPlay" petition that received over 300,000 signatures.

"I definitely think it had an effect [on the Big Ten returning]," Fields told reporters Friday. "I don't think it was the only thing that had an effect on it. If it didn't end up having an effect, I don't really care cause—at the end of the day—we all got what we wanted. I was doing what I could to get the season back."

Some Big Ten players have already opted out of the season, while others like Minnesota wide receiver Rashod Bateman have re-enrolled in school and will attempt to secure a waiver to play after the season was shifted back to the fall.

Ohio State was the clear favorite (-240) to win the conference followed by Penn State (+600), Michigan (+650) and Wisconsin (+1000) before the odds were taken down amid uncertainty about the season. Updated betting lines haven't been released.

Now the countdown is on with play set to resume in just over a month.