Guide: Chicago's Big Ten bars

It may be hard to keep up with the newly realigned Big Ten conference , as 18 schools now populate the megaconference . But don't let that stop you from heading out to a local sports bar to support your team.

The big picture: The city is a popular Midwest destination for many alumni to settle after college, so it's not surprising that we have several restaurants and bars that cater to out-of-town fandoms.

• On any given Saturday morning, you can see Michigan, Iowa and Purdue flags flying in front of sports bars and taverns, signaling a friendly meeting place for fans to watch games with friends and alumni.

Yes, but: With the addition of four more schools, it may be hard to find bars that support Washington, Oregon, USC and UCLA.

Here is a list of one fan-favorite bar or restaurant for each Big Ten school:

Let's start with the newbies:

• USC: Theory in River North
• Oregon: Homeslice in Lincoln Park
• Washington: Graystone Tavern in Wrigleyville
• UCLA: Commonwealth in Roscoe Village

Here are the bars for the schools that have joined the Big Ten since 1990:

• Nebraska: Bird's Nest in Lincoln Park
• Maryland: Globe Pub on Irving Park
• Penn State: AJ Hudson's in Lakeview
• Rutgers: Derno's on Diversey

The originals:

• Michigan State: Crossroads Bar & Grill in the West Loop
• Wisconsin: Will's Northwoods Inn in Lakeview
• Iowa: Four Shadows in Lakeview
• Ohio State: Fadó in River North
• Indiana: Joe's on Weed Street
• Purdue: Fireplace Inn in Old Town
• Minnesota: The Other Side in Lincoln Park
• Michigan: Duffy's in Lincoln Park

Note: Both Northwestern and Illinois bars are not featured here because in Chicago most sports bars are Illini and NU bars by default.

Go deeper: A casual fan's guide to the expanded Big Ten