CHICAGO — A big theme coming out of Southeastern Conference Media Days was the implementation of a nine-game conference schedule, up from eight, for the first time this fall. ADVERTISEMENT“I love our nine-game schedule; I love that we’ve been doing that for a long time,” Gophers head coach P.J. On top of its own nine-game Big Ten schedule, Minnesota also will play an SEC foe in Mississippi State at Huntington Bank Stadium on Sept. 12. The Bulldogs went 5-8 overall, 1-7 in SEC play last year and are picked to finish 15th in the 16-team league. But the game will be a data point in the never-ending Big Ten vs. SEC debate.