Fox Sports lands pact to Big Ten title game

Fox Sports has landed the Big Ten championship college football game.

Debut of the conference’s title game airs Dec. 3, 2011, from Indianapolis, and Fox has acquired the rights through 2016. Winner of that game moves on to either the Rose Bowl or the BCS national championship game.

Fox, which airs a handful of BCS games, has tried to land more big contests as the college football landscape shifts. Beginning next year, the Pac-10 conference becomes the Pac-12 and the Big Ten will add two teams, though the conference won’t change its name.

“Big Ten sports have achieved broad coverage in the American sports landscape through agreements with ABC, ESPN, CBS Sports, CBS College Sports Network and the Big Ten Network,” said Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany. “We look forward to the addition of Fox Sports, which is committed to promoting Big Ten football and will air the Big Ten Championship Games to more than 115 million homes.”