Formed in 1896, the Big Ten Conference is an intercollegiate athletic conference in the NCAA Division I whose 11 member-schools (yes eleven, despite the conference's name) are from 8 states situated mainly in the U.S. Midwest. Those schools and their NCAA team names are:

• University of Illinois - Illinois Fighting Illini
• Indiana University - Indiana Hoosiers
• University of Iowa - Iowa Hawkeyes
• University of Michigan - Michigan Wolverines
• Michigan State University - Michigan State Spartans
• University of Minnesota - Minnesota Golden Gophers
• Northwestern University - Northwestern Wildcats
• The Ohio State University - Ohio State Buckeyes
• Pennsylvania State University - Penn State Nittany Lions
• Purdue University - Purdue Boilermakers
• University of Wisconsin at Madison - Wisconsin Badgers

The states of Indiana, Illinois, and Michigan each have 2 schools in the Big Ten. The rest have 1 each. The Big Ten logo alludes to the 11-member makeup with the shadow of the number "11" framing the capital "T" in "Ten".

The Big Ten was formed in 1895 when Illinois, Minnesota, Northwestern, Purdue, and Wisconsin met in Chicago, along with the University of Chicago and Lake Forest College, to discuss intercollegiate sports controls and regulations. Out of that meeting the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives was founded. One year later, the athletics teams of all the participating schools except Lake Forest (which was replaced by Michigan) started competing against one another in what then was known as the Western Conference.

In 1899, Indiana and Iowa joined (and Michigan had temporarily bowed out), and the name the Big Nine was coined. Ohio State signed on in 1912 and Michigan rejoined in 1917, at which point the name Big Ten caught on, though the moniker wasn't actually made official until 1987. The final school in the lineup (and the 11th) was Penn State, joining in 1990 and beginning to compete athletically in 1993.

Football:

Since 1946, the Big Ten champion has had a tie in with the Rose Bowl, now an official BCS bowl game. It was not until the 1975 season that the Big Ten allowed teams to play in bowl games, other than the Rose Bowl. Due to these rules, Big Ten powerhouses such as Ohio State and Michigan have lower numbers of all-time bowl game appearances than powerhouses from other conferences.

The Big Ten not only brings some hard-hitting, intense football to fans. Big Ten football games are also well-known for the excellence and participation of school marching bands. The Sudler Trophy, an award that is given to the best marching band in the nation, has found a home in the Big Ten more than any other conference. Get your tickets today, and take in the rewarding experience that watching Big Ten football brings.

Basketball:

The Big Ten has participated in basketball since 1904, and has led the nation in attendance every year since 1978. The conference is considered a national powerhouse, having produced several championship teams and regularly sending at least four teams to the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. Indiana has fielded five NCAA titles, while Michigan State has won two, and Wisconsin, Michigan and Ohio State have one each.

The Big Ten has also had a vast amount of success in the postseason National Invitation Tournament (NIT). Since 1874, 13 teams have made it to the NIT championship, and 8 have won it all. To see several powerhouse teams in action as well as future NBA stars, get your Big Ten basketball tickets and be there in person.