2009 Big Ten Conference Football Season - Season

Season

Purdue head coach Danny Hope began his first season in West Lafayette. On September 12, Minnesota opened the 2009 season its new 50,720-seat home field, TCF Bank Stadium when the team hosted the Air Force Falcons. For the third straight year, each Big Ten home game during the first three weeks of the season was broadcast nationally on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 or the Big Ten Network, which televised more than 20 contests altogether in the opening weeks, including all nine home games in Week 1. Every ABC afternoon telecast was broadcast nationally, either on ABC or simultaneously on ESPN or ESPN2. Note that although the Big Ten is a regional conference the Big Ten Network, which was available in 19 of the 20 largest U.S. media markets, was available to approximately 73 million homes in the U.S. and Canada through agreements with more than 250 cable television or satellite television affiliates.

The season began amidst allegations that Michigan was working its players beyond the extent permissible by the NCAA. Nonetheless, the conference had its fifth ten-win week during the opening weekend. During week 3, the Ohio State-USC game became the most-viewed college football game in ESPN history. After three weeks, the Big Ten Conference was the only Football Bowl Subdivision conference with five 3–0 teams.