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Big Ten football schedules out for 2018, 2019

Ohio State will not be on Illinois' football schedule in either 2018 or 2019, but the Illini will see both of the conference's newest members in the first of those seasons. And Northwestern will not play the Buckeyes in 2018 (they get Rutgers), and they'll skip Michigan in 2019.

The Big Ten released the conference football schedules for the 2018 and 2019 seasons Wednesday, featuring nine conference games for each of the 14 schools.

The 2018 season will kick off on Sept. 1, with the Big Ten Football Championship Game on Dec. 1. The 2019 season will open on Sept. 7 and conclude with the Big Ten Football Championship Game on Dec. 7. The full 2018 and 2019 conference schedules are attached.

Beginning with the 2016 season, the Big Ten will return to a nine-game conference schedule for all teams for the first time since the 1983 and 1984 seasons. Teams from the East Division will host five conference home games during even-numbered years, while teams from the West Division will host five conference home games during odd-numbered years. As a result of the rotation, every Big Ten team will play against each team at least once during a four-year period.

Beginning in 2014, the Big Ten football division alignments will feature Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State and Rutgers in the East Division, with Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Purdue and Wisconsin in the West Division. Each school will play the other six schools in its division plus two teams from the other division in 2014 and 2015, which will serve as transitional years in which the schools will still be playing eight-game schedules. Beginning in 2016, each school will play three teams from the other division as part of its nine-game schedule. The cross-division games will include one protected matchup on an annual basis between Indiana and Purdue.

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