Big Ten Schools

Spanning over nine states in the Midwestern United States, the Big Ten schools actually include a total of twelve universities, not ten as the title suggests. Big Ten schools compete against one another in 25 sports, twelve for men and thirteen for women. Though Big Ten schools also include the University of Illinois, Indiana University, University of Minnesota, Michigan State University, Purdue University and University of Wisconsin, five other member schools are perhaps the most prominent of the bunch.

1. University of Michigan The oldest college among the Big Ten schools with history dating back to 1817, the University of Michigan is based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. In addition to leading the Big Ten schools in conference championships, the Michigan Wolverines football team is the best of all NCAA sports. The University of Michigan's 37,000 students are led by President Mary Sue Coleman while the athletic department is overseen by David Brandon.
2. Northwestern University Northwestern University is the only Big Ten school that is privately operated and arguably one of the most respected schools in the conference for academics. The Northwestern Wildcats, playing out of Evanston, Illinois, also has the lowest enrollment of conference schools with only 8,000 in their undergraduate program. Dressed in purple and white, the Wildcats are led by Northwestern Athletic Director Jim Phillips and Northwestern President Morton Schapiro.
3. Ohio State University As a member of the Big Ten schools since 1912, Ohio State University represents the state of Ohio in the nine-state conference with its campus in Columbus, Ohio. Similar to Michigan, the Ohio State Buckeyes are a perennial favorite in college football and fierce rivals of the maize and blue. Ohio State is also the largest of the Big Ten schools with roughly 55,000 students.  
4. Pennsylvania State University Casually known as Penn State University, this Big Ten school joined the Big Ten Conference in 1990. Pennsylvania State University participates in 29 varsity sports, perhaps most notably NCAA football, in which the Nittany Lions have been coached by Joe Paterno since 1966. Athletic director Tim Curley oversees the teams, which play in University Park, Pennsylvania.
5. University of Nebraska Though not officially a member until the 2011-12 academic season, the University of Nebraska joined the Big Ten schools as their twelfeth member. The Nebraska Cornhuskers formerly played several sports in the Big 12 Conference, leaving for the Big Ten after the 2010-11 campaign. The school, founded in 1869 in Lincoln, Nebraska, is home to around 25,000 students annually.