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Future Schedules
Page Posted
7/1/05;
Updated
6/3/13
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Future
Wildcat Football Schedules:
New Division Schedules for 2014-'15 Are Released
The Big Ten has announced the official schedule for 2015 conference games. Schedule speculation is listed below.
Games listed in red are not confirmed. Dates printed in red do not yet have a confirmed date and,
therefore, are not necessarily listed in the correct order.
The most recent update to
this information was made on June 3, 2013:
The
Big Ten has formally released the 2015 schedule (NU's is posted
below). The same divisional cross-over games are in place as for 2014: NU will face Michigan and Penn State again.
Other recent updates:
May 16:
The
Big Ten has formally released the 2014 schedule (NU's is posted
below). Among the intesting points to note about the 2014 B1G
schedule:
- In
addition to NU's six Western Division foes, the 'Cats will play
Penn State and Michigan. NU will have to wait at least an
additional year to begin its series with Rutgers or Maryland.
- NU will
play Michigan at Ryan Field for the second straight year. This
marks the first time since the 1949-1950 seasons that the Wolverines
will have played in Evanston for two straight years.
- Five of
NU's six divisional foes will have bye weeks before playing NU in
2014. How did that pass the schedule makers' scrutiny?
- NU will close the B1G season with Illinois, and it looks very likely that NU's 2014 homecoming will be vs. Nebraska.
- NU is
listed as "blank" for the week of November 15, indicating that the
scheduled game with Notre Dame is likely to remain on the agenda.
- NU
has not yet formally released its 2014 non-conference schedule, so
there is still one mystery opponent, after Vanderbilt wiggled out of
its game with NU.
April 22:
The new Big Ten divisions should be titled "Charter" and "Expansion."
The Western Division, with two exceptions (Iowa and Nebraska), contains
only charter members of the conference. The Eastern Division,
with exactly one exception (Michigan) contains only expansion members
of the B1G.
April 21:
The B1G's new divisions
will indeed be based on a straight geographic split, with NU joining
the Western Division, and the new B1G teams heading to the
Eastern. The new divisions will be as follows:
| Western |
Eastern |
| Illinois |
Indiana |
| Iowa |
Maryland |
| Minnesota |
Michigan |
| Nebraska |
Michigan St.
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| Northwestern |
Ohio St.
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| Purdue |
Penn St.
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| Wisconsin |
Rutgers |
The
new divisions will take effect for the 2014 season, the first season
with Maryland and Rutgers. The conference will move to a nine-game season beginning in 2016.
A ten-game conference season had been considered, but the B1G ruled it
out, because it would threaten teams' seven home games per season.
The proposed move would be good news for Northwestern, for two
reasons. First, the Eastern Division contains more traditionally
powerful teams, and any reasonable analysis would select the Western
Division as the easier division to win. Second, the Western
Division contains all of NU's traditional rivals in the
conference. With the exception of Nebraska, every other one of
the Western teams has had a long and vital series with NU.
The nine-game conference slate in '16 will mean that NU plays each
Eastern team at least once every other year. Unfortunately, it
also means that the Notre Dame game at Ryan Field in '18 is in jeopardy.
Feb 5:
NU and the Cubs announced that NU will return to Wrigley
Field to play at least five more home game at the Cubs' stadium
in 2014 or beyond. Details, opposing teams, and years have yet to
be determined.
Continue to watch the always-precarious upcoming series with Notre
Dame. NU's 2014 trip to South Bend is still apparently on the
schedule (for now), but is the Irish's 2018 trip to Evanston still on?
Notre Dame will look for any way to weasel out of it, and trading off a
game at Ryan Field for a "home" game in Chicago (or no return game at
all) remains totally unacceptable.
Rumored Series;
Dates Unknown
Navy (possibly sometime in 2015-19)
BYU (BYU was trying to schedule)
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2014 Schedule
B1G Games Confirmed
| H
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California
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Aug 30 |
| -
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Bye Week
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Sep 6
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-
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Open
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Sep 13
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H
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I-AA Western Illinois
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Sep 20
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A
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Penn State
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Sep 27
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H
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Wisconsin*
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Oct 4
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A
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Minnesota*
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Oct 11
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H
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Nebraska*
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Oct 18
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-
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Bye
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Oct 25
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A
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Iowa*
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Nov 1
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H
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Michigan
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Nov 8
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A
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Notre Dame
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Nov 15
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A
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Purdue*
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Nov 22
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| H |
Illinois*
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Nov 29
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2015 Schedule
B1G Games Confirmed
Non-Conf. slate likely unchanged
| H
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Stanford
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Sep 5 |
| H
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I-AA Eastern Illinois
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Sep 12
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A
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Duke
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Sep 19
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H
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Ball State
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Sep 26
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H
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Minnesota*
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Oct 3
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A
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Michigan |
Oct 10
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H
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Iowa* |
Oct 17
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A
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Nebraska*
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Oct 24
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-
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Bye
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Oct 31
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H
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Penn State
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Nov 7
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H
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Purdue*
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Nov 14
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A
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Wisconsin*
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Nov 21
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| A |
Illinois*
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Nov 28
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2016 Schedule
Based on proposed divisions;
Sept. 10 game with Illinois State will
likely be canceled
| H
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Western Michigan
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? |
| H
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Duke
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?
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A
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Stanford
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?
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-
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Bye Week
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?
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-
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Illinois* |
?
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-
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Iowa* |
?
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-
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Minnesota* |
?
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-
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Nebraska* |
?
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-
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Purdue* |
?
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-
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Wisconsin*
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?
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-
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Eastern Div. Team
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?
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-
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Eastern Div. Team
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?
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| - |
Eastern Div. Team
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?
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2017 Schedule
Based on proposed divisions
| A
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Duke
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? |
| -
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Rice
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?
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?
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?
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?
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-
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lllinois*
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?
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-
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Iowa* |
?
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-
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Minnesota* |
?
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-
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Nebraska* |
?
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-
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Purdue* |
?
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-
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Wisconsin* |
?
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-
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Eastern Div. Team
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?
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-
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Eastern Div. Team
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?
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-
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Eastern Div. Team
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?
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2018 Schedule
Based on proposed divisions;
Notre Dame will likely cancel
| H
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Duke
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? |
| H
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Notre Dame
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?
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-
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Rice
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?
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-
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Illinois*
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?
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-
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Iowa* |
?
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-
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Minnesota* |
?
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-
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Nebraska* |
?
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-
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Purdue* |
?
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-
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Wisconsin* |
?
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-
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Eastern Div. Team
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?
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-
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Eastern Div. Team
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?
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-
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Eastern Div. Team
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?
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2019:
H vs. Stanford, Sep 14
2020:
A vs. Stanford, Sep 19
2021:
H vs. Stanford, Sep 18
2022:
A vs. Stanford, Sep 17
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