Big Ten Conference adds cross-divisional games to reshuffled 2022 college football schedule

The Big Ten released its revised 2022 football schedule Wednesday, adding a pair of cross-divisional games and shifting around other notable games -- including Penn State's matchups against Michigan and Ohio State -- on the calendar.

The changes were done to accommodate adjustments that were made because of COVID-19 in 2020, when the Big Ten played a shortened schedule of eight all-conference games.

To avoid an Illinois-Penn State matchup for a third consecutive season, the conference will instead have Penn State play Northwestern at home on Oct. 1 and Illinois play Indiana on the road on Sept. 3.

Penn State also had its game at Michigan bumped back a week to Oct. 15 and its home game against Ohio State pushed back four weeks to Oct. 29.

The Nittany Lions will once again conclude the regular season at home against Michigan State, on Nov. 26, rather than traveling to Rutgers as originally scheduled.

Ohio State saw its cross-divisional game at home against Wisconsin moved up seven weeks to Sept. 24 and its game at home against Iowa pushed back a week to Oct. 22.

Iowa's game on the road at Minnesota was moved back nearly two months to Nov. 19, and its home game against Wisconsin was pushed back a week to Nov. 12.

Wednesday's schedule release acknowledged that other previously released schedules will be modified in the future as a result of adjustments to the 2020 football schedule.