the big ten championship game started in 2011.
when did the big ten championship game start?
2011
the 2016 championship game would be the sixth in the big ten's 121-year history, and the third to feature the conference's east and west division alignment. last season, the big ten championship game featured the michigan state spartans, champions of the east division, and the iowa hawkeyes, champions of the west division. iowa made its first appearance in the conference championship game, while michigan state made its third appearance (l in 2011, w in 2013). michigan state defeated iowa 16–13 to win its second big ten championship in three years.





















































section::::history.:other.
2016 big ten football championship game
the hawkeyes received a bid to the 2016 rose bowl after dropping in the college football playoff ranking to #5 in their loss to michigan state, which came as a surprise to much of sports media who believed that ohio state would jump the loser of the big ten championship game. since the rose bowl traditionally gives a bid to the winner of the big ten and pac-12 conferences, and due to the new college football playoff system where the conference champion was likely to enter the playoff, the rose bowl committee had announced prior to the big ten championship game that they would give a bid to the second highest-ranked big ten team if a big ten team entered the playoff, since it was clear that the winner of the big ten championship game would finish in the top 4 ranking.
2015 iowa hawkeyes football team