1981 Big Ten Conference football season
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| 1981 Big Ten Conference football season | |
|---|---|
 | |
| League | NCAA Division I-A |
| Sport | Football |
| Teams | 10 |
| Top draft pick | Art Schlichter |
| Co-champions | Iowa, Ohio State |
| Runners-up | Michigan, Illinois |
| Season MVP | Art Schlichter |
| Top scorer | Bob Atha |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 15 Ohio State + | 6 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 18 Iowa + | 6 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 12 Michigan | 6 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Illinois | 6 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wisconsin | 6 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minnesota | 4 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Michigan State | 4 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Purdue | 3 | – | 6 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indiana | 3 | – | 6 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 8 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northwestern | 0 | – | 9 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 11 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1981 Big Ten Conference football season was the 86th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season.
The 1981 Big Ten co-champions were Iowa and Ohio State. In an odd twist of fate, the Hawkeyes and Buckeyes did not play each other, while all other conference teams played a full round-robin. Due to this, Iowa was awarded the Rose Bowl berth since its last appearance was in 1959; by comparison, Ohio State went to Pasadena seven times between 1969 and 1980.
Results and team statistics
| Conf. Rank | Team | Head coach | AP final | AP high | Overall record | Conf. record | PPG | PAG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (tie) | Ohio State | Earle Bruce | 15 | 7 | 9–3 | 6–2 | 32.2 | 21.1 |
| 1 (tie) | Iowa | Hayden Fry | 18 | 6 | 8–4 | 6–2 | 21.7 | 13.3 |
| 3 (tie) | Michigan | Bo Schembechler | 12 | 1 | 9–3 | 6–3 | 29.6 | 13.5 |
| 3 (tie) | Illinois | Mike White | NR | NR | 7–4 | 6–3 | 26.1 | 26.2 |
| 3 (tie) | Wisconsin | Dave McClain | NR | 14 | 7–5 | 6–3 | 22.3 | 18.2 |
| 6 (tie) | Minnesota | Joe Salem | NR | NR | 6–5 | 4–5 | 24.9 | 24.0 |
| 6 (tie) | Michigan State | Muddy Waters | NR | NR | 5–6 | 4–5 | 23.9 | 22.6 |
| 8 (tie) | Purdue | Jim Young | NR | NR | 5–6 | 3–6 | 22.0 | 21.9 |
| 8 (tie) | Indiana | Lee Corso | NR | NR | 3–8 | 3–6 | 13.1 | 26.6 |
| 10 | Northwestern | Dennis Green | NR | NR | 0–11 | 0–9 | 7.5 | 45.9 |
Key
AP final = Team's rank in the final AP Poll of the 1981 season[1]
AP high = Team's highest rank in the AP Poll throughout the 1981 season[1]
PPG = Average of points scored per game[1]
PAG = Average of points allowed per game[1]
Bowl games
Four Big Ten teams played in bowl games at the end of the 1981 season.
| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 1, 1982 | Washington | Iowa | Rose Bowl • Pasadena, CA (Rose Bowl) | NBC | L 0–28 | 105,611 | ||
| December 31, 1981 | 8 p.m. | Navy | Ohio State | Liberty Bowl • Memphis, TN (Liberty Bowl) | USA Network | W 31–28 | 43,216 | |
| December 31, 1981 | UCLA | Michigan | Houston Astrodome • Houston, TX (Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl) | Mizlou | W 33–14 | 50,107 | ||
| December 13, 1981 | Tennessee | Wisconsin | Giants Stadium • East Rutherford, NJ (Garden State Bowl) | Mizlou | L 21–28 | 38,782 | ||
| #Rankings from AP Poll. All times are in Eastern Standard Time. | ||||||||
Statistical leaders
The Big Ten's individual statistical leaders include the following:[1]
Passing yards1. Tony Eason, Illinois (3,360) Rushing yards1. Butch Woolfolk, Michigan (1,459) Receiving yards1. Chester Cooper, Minnesota (1,012) Total offense1. Tony Eason, Illinois (3,331) |
Passing efficiency rating1. Tony Eason, Illinois (140.0) Rushing yards per attempt1. Butch Woolfolk, Michigan (5.8) Yards per reception1. Duane Gunn, Indiana (21.2) Points scored1. Bob Atha, Ohio State (88) |