Big Ten Releases 2015, 2016 Football Schedules; Michigan State, Michigan To Face Each Other In Openers

The Big Ten conference has released their football schedules for both the 2015 and 2016 seasons, approved by the conference's administrators during the Big Ten Joint Group Meetings last week. Both seasons will kick off in early October and feature intriguing match ups right off the bat in the "Legends Division" and "Leaders Division" match-ups that feature some tough rivalry matches.

One of the biggest highlights will be the conference play kicking off both years with the Michigan Wolverines playing their rival Michigan State Spartans on the first day. The 2015 season will begin with the in-state rivalry match on October 3, while the 2016 season will start on October 1 with the same game.

Michigan State will host the first go-around of the game, while the Wolverines will get the hosting duties in 2016. Michigan also gets a solid ending to both years as they face the rival Ohio State Buckeyes on the final day of both seasons -- Nov. 28 and Nov. 26, respectively.

As with previous seasons, the Big Ten Championship game in 2015 will be decided at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. For 2016, the site is still to be determined though it would be a safe bet to assume that Lucas Oil will host it once again.

A full .pdf of the two newly announced seasons, along with all of the other seasons that had already been decided from 2013 on, can be found here.

For more news and analysis on the Big Ten Conference, head over to Off Tackle Empire. More on the Michigan Wolverines and Michigan State Spartans can be found at Maize N Brew and The Only Colors, respectively. More on NCAA Football in general can be found at SB Nation's designated NCAA hub.