After what easily was the most drama-filled decision-making process of any major conference in college football, the Big Ten will kick off its long-awaited season at 8 p.m. ET on Friday night when No. 14 Wisconsin hosts Illinois.
No, really.
On Aug. 5, the league announced its revamped schedule (the first time) with great fanfare. Six days later, it postponed its season indefinitely. But wait! Here it comes again, thanks to a unanimous vote on Sept. 15 by the 14 university presidents to play an eight-game, conference-only season in eight weeks, punctuated by a Big Ten title game on Dec 19.