Could big changes be in store for Big Ten football moving forward?

Iowa athletic director Gary Barta tells The Athletic's Scott Dochterman that the conference is weighing significant changes partially contingent on the future of the College Football Playoff, as well as the creation of The Alliance, a new working arrangement with both the Pac-12 and ACC that will begin in 2023.

"We've had several conversations," Barta told Dochterman. "One of the things that we're watching is whether it's related to The Alliance, which we're talking through and/or, what gives us the best opportunity to have the most success in the College Football Playoff format? We’re wondering if we're going to know what the format is before we have to make that decision. So, we're kind of waiting to see where that lands. But we have had active conversations about the schedule beyond 2022."

Among the potential changes being considered is the elimination of divisions. Currently, the Big Ten's 14 schools are split into East and West Divisions where each plays a nine-game conference schedule: one game against each team in your division and three against teams from the other division. One proposal is dropping the number of conference games to eight in order to create matchups with Alliance schools. A more radical proposal would see the end of divisional play altogether with each team playing three schools annually and then cycling through the remaining 10 teams every two or three years.

Dochterman notes that 2023 is a key year because the conference's media-rights agreement ends in 2022, making it a perfect time to reevaluate matters going forward.