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The Big Ten's prestige and power has been firmly grounded in the East Division with all nine conference champions in the current format and eight participants in the College Football Playoff. The West Division has been the place to be for competitive balance with four different winners in the last four years. That makes this season a unique opportunity for Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Purdue and Wisconsin and their inviting path to the Big Ten title game. The divisional format will disappear next season when Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington are admitted to what will be an 18-team super conference.
