A recent poll conducted on Facebook revealed that 71% of those who participated in the poll would prefer the Big Ten to use a nine-game conference schedule.
The Big Ten will open up their spring meetings with athletic directors and coaches in Chicago on Tuesday. The possibility of implementing a nine-game conference schedule will be one of the primary topics of discussion as the Big Ten looks to maintain a stronger overall schedule among conference members. If all Big Ten members can be assured of hosting seven home games each season, alternating between four and five home conference games annually, then the nine-game conference schedule could become a reality as early as 2015.
Some conference members, including Penn State, have non-conference schedules in place beyond 2015 so the expanded conference schedule may not be able to be installed until 2017.
A nine-game Big Ten schedule would be used mainly to improve the strength of schedule for the conference, and help keep balance throughout. The extra conference game would mean that every other year Penn State would host a maximum of seven home games, including the non-conference schedule. Penn State has scheduled road games at Temple (2015) and Syracuse (2021), which could mean a total of six home games in those respective seasons if Penn State is only scheduled for four home Big Ten games. Depending on how the rest of the conference looks, Penn State could be given five home games in odd-years and four home games in even-years.
Whether or not the Big Ten comes to a final decision on this idea in the next 48 hours remains to be seen, but it will be important for the conference to come to a decision soon, before it starts to become too late in scheduling processes for future schedules at each school.
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