# List of Big Ten Conference football champions
The [Big Ten Conference](https://www.edgepedia.org/big-ten-conference) football champions are the yearly winners of the conference's football title, determined since the 2011 season by the [Big Ten Football Championship Game](https://www.edgepedia.org/big-ten-football-championship-game), a single postseason contest between the winners of the league's two divisions from 2011 through 2023 and between the top two teams in the overall conference standings beginning in 2024.[1](https://bigten.org/news/2026/9/24/2026-discover-big-ten-football-championship-game.aspx) • [11](https://bigten.org/fb/article/blt38868fbbdaf5b345/) Before 2011, the conference crowned champions based on final regular-season conference standings. The current champion is Indiana, which beat Ohio State 13-10 in the 2025 championship game for its first conference title since 1967.[2](https://bigten.org/news/2026/8/19/championship-2026-discover-big-ten-football-championship-game-information.aspx)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Current champion | Indiana, 2025, after a 13-10 win over Ohio State in the championship game[2](https://bigten.org/news/2026/8/19/championship-2026-discover-big-ten-football-championship-game-information.aspx) |
| Determination method | Since 2011, the championship game has matched the division winners until 2023, and the top two teams in the standings starting in 2024; each team plays nine conference games[1](https://bigten.org/news/2026/9/24/2026-discover-big-ten-football-championship-game.aspx) • [2](https://bigten.org/news/2026/8/19/championship-2026-discover-big-ten-football-championship-game-information.aspx) • [11](https://bigten.org/fb/article/blt38868fbbdaf5b345/) |
| Venue | Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, which has hosted the game annually since 2011[2](https://bigten.org/news/2026/8/19/championship-2026-discover-big-ten-football-championship-game-information.aspx) |
| Trophy | The Amos Alonzo Stagg Championship Trophy, awarded to the game's winner[1](https://bigten.org/news/2026/9/24/2026-discover-big-ten-football-championship-game.aspx) |
| Most title-game wins | Ohio State with five (2014, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020); Michigan has three (2021, 2022, 2023)[1](https://bigten.org/news/2026/9/24/2026-discover-big-ten-football-championship-game.aspx) |
| Most appearances | Ohio State with seven, followed by Wisconsin with six[1](https://bigten.org/news/2026/9/24/2026-discover-big-ten-football-championship-game.aspx) |
| Viewership record | The 2025 game drew 18,332,000 viewers on FOX, the most-watched college football conference championship game ever[3](https://bigten.org/fb/article/59076) |
## How the champion is determined
The modern format dates to 2011, when the Big Ten split into divisions and began staging a championship game to determine a league champion.[4](https://bigten.org/api/media/file/blt391a863d22b10bde-2013_FB_Media_Guide.pdf) The game has been played every year at [Lucas Oil Stadium](https://www.edgepedia.org/lucas-oil-stadium) in [Indianapolis](https://www.edgepedia.org/indianapolis), home of the [Indianapolis Colts](https://www.edgepedia.org/indianapolis-colts).[2](https://bigten.org/news/2026/8/19/championship-2026-discover-big-ten-football-championship-game-information.aspx)
**Divisions are gone.** Before the 2024 season, the conference eliminated its divisions, and the championship game became the first in conference history to match the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the overall conference standings.[5](https://www.axios.com/local/indianapolis/2024/08/29/big-ten-football-season-starts) The two teams with the best records in regular-season conference play qualify, with tiebreakers applied if necessary.[2](https://bigten.org/news/2026/8/19/championship-2026-discover-big-ten-football-championship-game-information.aspx) The winner earns the Amos Alonzo Stagg Championship Trophy, automatic postseason qualification, and a possible first-round bye in the 12-team [College Football Playoff](https://www.edgepedia.org/college-football-playoff).[1](https://bigten.org/news/2026/9/24/2026-discover-big-ten-football-championship-game.aspx) • [2](https://bigten.org/news/2026/8/19/championship-2026-discover-big-ten-football-championship-game-information.aspx)
## Championship game results, 2011 to 2025
Every Big Ten Football Championship Game has been played at Lucas Oil Stadium. The results, with the Grange-Griffin Trophy most valuable player, are:[1](https://bigten.org/news/2026/9/24/2026-discover-big-ten-football-championship-game.aspx)
| Date | Result | MVP |
|---|---|---|
| Dec. 4, 2011 | Wisconsin 42, Michigan State 39 | Russell Wilson, QB, Wisconsin |
| Dec. 2, 2012 | Wisconsin 70, Nebraska 31 | Montee Ball, RB, Wisconsin |
| Dec. 7, 2013 | Michigan State 34, Ohio State 24 | Connor Cook, QB, Michigan State |
| Dec. 6, 2014 | Ohio State 59, Wisconsin 0 | Cardale Jones, QB, Ohio State |
| Dec. 5, 2015 | Michigan State 16, Iowa 13 | Connor Cook, QB, Michigan State |
| Dec. 3, 2016 | Penn State 38, Wisconsin 31 | Trace McSorley, QB, Penn State |
| Dec. 2, 2017 | Ohio State 27, Wisconsin 21 | J.K. Dobbins, RB, Ohio State |
| Dec. 1, 2018 | Ohio State 45, Northwestern 24 | Dwayne Haskins Jr., QB, Ohio State |
| Dec. 7, 2019 | Ohio State 34, Wisconsin 21 | Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State |
| Dec. 19, 2020 | Ohio State 22, Northwestern 10 | Trey Sermon, RB, Ohio State |
| Dec. 4, 2021 | Michigan 42, Iowa 3 | Aidan Hutchinson, DE, Michigan |
| Dec. 3, 2022 | Michigan 43, Purdue 22 | Donovan Edwards, RB, Michigan |
| Dec. 2, 2023 | Michigan 26, Iowa 0 | Mike Sainristil, DB, Michigan |
| Dec. 7, 2024 | Oregon 45, Penn State 37 | Tez Johnson, WR, Oregon |
| Dec. 6, 2025 | Indiana 13, Ohio State 10 | Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana |
Counting titles decided by the game, Ohio State has five championships, Michigan three, Wisconsin and Michigan State two each, and Oregon, Penn State, and Indiana one each.[1](https://bigten.org/news/2026/9/24/2026-discover-big-ten-football-championship-game.aspx) Ohio State tops all conference schools in number of trips to the game, having played in it seven times; Wisconsin has made six trips, Michigan State three, while Iowa, Michigan, Northwestern, and Penn State have each played twice, and Nebraska, Oregon, and Purdue have each qualified once.[1](https://bigten.org/news/2026/9/24/2026-discover-big-ten-football-championship-game.aspx)
## Recent champions in context
**Michigan's three-peat.** Michigan won three consecutive championship games from 2021 through 2023, going 9-0 in conference play in 2023 and finishing 15-0 as national champion.[6](https://www.axios.com/local/indianapolis/2024/07/26/indiana-iu-purdue-big-ten-conference-2024-football-season) Michigan's 2023 title was the Big Ten's first national championship in football since Ohio State won it in 2014.[7](https://apnews.com/article/7ae9fdd88a75526e5be3f4fe4ed0adba)
**Oregon's first year in the league.** Oregon, one of four schools that joined the Big Ten in 2024, won the 2024 championship in its first conference title game appearance, beating Penn State 45-37.[8](https://bigten.org/news/2025/9/10/2025-discover-big-ten-football-championship-game-37933.aspx) Oregon finished the 2024 season 11-6 in games counted by Sports-Reference's conference summary.[9](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/conferences/big-ten/)
**Indiana's breakthrough.** In 2025, No. 2 Indiana defeated No. 1 Ohio State, the nation's only two undefeated teams, in a matchup of 12-0 regular-season squads. Fernando Mendoza's third-quarter touchdown pass to Elijah Sarratt provided the winning margin in the 13-10 game, securing Indiana's first outright Big Ten title since 1945 and its first conference championship since 1967.[2](https://bigten.org/news/2026/8/19/championship-2026-discover-big-ten-football-championship-game-information.aspx) Indiana then earned the top seed in the College Football Playoff and won the program's first national championship, becoming the third straight Big Ten team to finish No. 1 in the final AP poll, after Ohio State in 2024 and Michigan in 2023.[2](https://bigten.org/news/2026/8/19/championship-2026-discover-big-ten-football-championship-game-information.aspx) • [10](https://apnews.com/article/d20d33aecbec2021a90e1f8ce8eead7c)
The 2025 title game drew 18,332,000 viewers on FOX, the most-watched college football conference championship game of all time.[3](https://bigten.org/fb/article/59076) The 2026 game is scheduled for December 5, 2026, at Lucas Oil Stadium, again with an 8 p.m. ET kickoff on FOX.[1](https://bigten.org/news/2026/9/24/2026-discover-big-ten-football-championship-game.aspx)
## References
1. [2026 Discover Big Ten Football Championship Game, Big Ten Conference](https://bigten.org/news/2026/9/24/2026-discover-big-ten-football-championship-game.aspx)
2. [2026 Discover Big Ten Football Championship Game Information, Big Ten Conference](https://bigten.org/news/2026/8/19/championship-2026-discover-big-ten-football-championship-game-information.aspx)
3. [2025 Discover Big Ten Football Championship Game Draws Record Viewership, Big Ten Conference](https://bigten.org/fb/article/59076)
4. [2013 Big Ten Football Media Guide](https://bigten.org/api/media/file/blt391a863d22b10bde-2013_FB_Media_Guide.pdf)
5. [Big Ten football begins new chapter, Axios Indianapolis](https://www.axios.com/local/indianapolis/2024/08/29/big-ten-football-season-starts)
6. [IU, Purdue and the new Big Ten Conference, Axios Indianapolis](https://www.axios.com/local/indianapolis/2024/07/26/indiana-iu-purdue-big-ten-conference-2024-football-season)
7. [CFP championship by the numbers: Ohio State could give Big Ten 1st back-to-back titles since 1942, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/7ae9fdd88a75526e5be3f4fe4ed0adba)
8. [2025 Discover Big Ten Football Championship Game, Big Ten Conference](https://bigten.org/news/2025/9/10/2025-discover-big-ten-football-championship-game-37933.aspx)
9. [Big Ten Conference Index, Sports-Reference](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/conferences/big-ten/)
10. [No. 1 Indiana tops final AP Top 25 football poll of season as Big Ten's title run reaches 3 straight, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/d20d33aecbec2021a90e1f8ce8eead7c)
11. [bigten.org](https://bigten.org/fb/article/blt38868fbbdaf5b345/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football competitions and records › Records and substantive reference › College football records and reference*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license