Tony Petitti announces Big Ten Conference championship game will remain in Indianapolis through 2028

The Big Ten Championship game isn’t going anywhere. At the 2024 Big Ten Media Days, conference commissioner Tony Petitti announced the conference championship will continue to be played at Lucas Oil Stadium through 2028.

Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the Indianapolis Colts, has hosted the Big Ten Championship since the game’s inception in 2011. Last season, Michigan routed Iowa in 26-0 fashion to secure its third-straight conference crown.

Despite Michigan’s recent domination, Ohio State still boasts the most victories in the Big Ten Championship with five. Ohio State and Wisconsin are tied for the most appearances in the championship game with six.

The Big Ten Championship winner receives the coveted Stagg Championship Trophy, while the most valuable player of the game takes home the Grange–Griffin Championship Game Most Valuable Player Trophy.

Tony Petitti addresses further expansion of Big Ten

The location of the Big Ten Championship isn’t the only thing remaining the same. The Big Ten officially added USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington this summer. On Tuesday, Petitti clarified his focus is on the 18 schools currently in the conference.

“I think it’s pretty clear when you look at the schedule that we’ve talked about unveiling here about the strength and depth of what we’re doing,” Petitti said. “The fit of the four is across, obviously, we’re here to talk about football, when you go beyond that, you know, for our presidents and chancellors, the academic fit is really important, if you look at the strength and all other sports that the four new members bring. So it’s a complete match across many different factors. 

“That’s what made the decision to add Oregon, Washington, which was done by my staff, and then the decision that Kevin Warren and his staff did to add USC and UCLA. I see great strength across matchups, you know, the footprint that we’ll have going forward. I think we’ve got to get a lot of things right. But I feel really good about the way we’re positioned for the future in terms of the health and strength of the conference.”

The SEC, ACC and Big 12 also made additions this offseason. Now, college football will kick off the latest era of collegiate athletics. Fans can expect to hear more from Pettiti throughout the week. For the first time ever, Big Ten Media Days be a three-day event, concluding on Thursday.