PARK RIDGE, Ill. (AP) — The Big Ten Conference says it has reached a media agreement with FOX Sports to be the official broadcast partner of the 2011-16 Big Ten Football Championship Games.

Big Ten officials said Wednesday at conference headquarters in Park Ridge, Ill. that the inaugural Big Ten Football Championship Game will be played in prime time on December 3, 2011, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The winner will earn the conference championship and a chance to play in either the Rose Bowl Game or the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game.

The Big Ten Network is a joint venture between the Big Ten Conference and Fox Networks. It is the first internationally distributed network dedicated to covering one of the premier collegiate conferences in the country.

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