Big Ten football teams to add bye week

Big Ten football teams will add a bye week to the schedule beginning in 2009, Big Ten spokesman Scott Chipman said, potentially extending the conference’s season past Thanksgiving.

“The presidents of the universities charged the conference scheduling office with the task,” Chipman said. “Some schools will play their 13th game after Thanksgiving and some may not.”

A bye week is a week off from playing for a team.

MSU President Lou Anna K Simon said having the option to choose when to play the 13th game was one of the key issues she and the athletic department considered while evaluating the proposal.

“The opportunity to finish the season before or after Thanksgiving, while keeping our traditional rivalry game against Penn State, was very important to us,” Simon said.

John Lewandowski, associate athletic director for communications, said the scheduling change had the “full support” of the athletic department, though he said MSU’s schedule hasn’t been decided on.

Simon said the presidents of the Big Ten schools voted unanimously to add the bye week.

“There’s a lot of advantages to having a bye week,” she said. “It gives the players a break, and it gives schedule flexibility to our athletic department.”

Schools could have the option of adding their bye week as early as next season, Chipman said, as long they clear it with the conference ahead of time.