2021 Big Ten Conference football season

2021 Big Ten Conference football season
2021 Big Ten Conference football season
League	NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision
Sport	Football
Duration	August 28, 2021; through January 1, 2022
Teams	14
TV partner(s)	Fox Sports (Fox/FS1, Big Ten Network), ESPN (ESPN, ESPN2, ABC)
2022 NFL Draft
Top draft pick	Aidan Hutchinson, DE, Michigan
Picked by	Detroit Lions, 2nd overall
Regular season
Season MVP	Aidan Hutchinson, DE, Michigan
East Division champions	Michigan & Ohio State (co-champions)
West Division champions	Iowa
Big Ten Championship Game
Champions	Michigan
Runners-up	Iowa
Finals MVP	Aidan Hutchinson, DE, Michigan
Football seasons
	2020 2022

LeagueNCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision

SportFootball

DurationAugust 28, 2021
through January 1, 2022

Teams14

2021 Big Ten Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
East Division
No. 3 Michigan xy$^	8	–	1	12	–	2
No. 6 Ohio State x	8	–	1	11	–	2
No. 9 Michigan State	7	–	2	11	–	2
Penn State	4	–	5	7	–	6
Maryland	3	–	6	7	–	6
Rutgers	2	–	7	5	–	8
Indiana	0	–	9	2	–	10
West Division
No. 23 Iowa xy	7	–	2	10	–	4
Minnesota	6	–	3	9	–	4
Wisconsin	6	–	3	9	–	4
Purdue	6	–	3	9	–	4
Illinois	4	–	5	5	–	7
Nebraska	1	–	8	3	–	9
Northwestern	1	–	8	3	–	9
Championship: Michigan 42, Iowa 3
^ – College Football Playoff participant $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Rankings from AP Poll

The 2021 Big Ten conference football season was the 126th season of college football play for the Big Ten Conference and part of the 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season. This was the Big Ten's eighth season with 14 teams. The league's champion was Michigan.

With a win on November 26 over Nebraska, and a loss by Wisconsin on November 27, Iowa won the Big Ten West division.^[2] With a win over Ohio State on November 27^[3] Michigan clinched a share of the Big Ten East division championship and a spot in the Big Ten Championship game against Iowa on December 4 at Lucas Oil Stadium.^[4]

Nine Big Ten teams were bowl-eligible at the completion of the regular season: Iowa, Maryland, Michigan (CFP), Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, and Wisconsin.^[5] A tenth, Rutgers, was added by NCAA contingency plans on December 23 as Texas A&M withdrew from the Gator Bowl, and with no bowl eligible teams available, the NCAA chose their replacement using Academic Progress Rate regulations.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

Team	ESPN^[7]	Rivals^[8]	Scout & 24/7^[9]	Signees
Illinois	>40	72	73	18
Indiana	>40	66	54	14
Iowa	22	24	24	19
Maryland	18	19	18	24
Michigan	14	11	13	22
Michigan State	>40	46	45	19
Minnesota	27	41	38	18
Nebraska	39	18	20	20
Northwestern	>40	53	50	16
Ohio State	2	2	2	23
Penn State	24	26	21	17
Purdue	>40	76	76	16
Rutgers	40	40	42	21
Wisconsin	20	15	16	21

Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
East
1	Ohio State	238 (34)
2	Penn State	192
3	Indiana	169
4	Michigan	144
5	Maryland	79
6	Rutgers	77.5
7	Michigan State	52.5

Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
West
1	Wisconsin	233 (29)
2	Iowa	202 (5)
3	Northwestern	160
4	Minnesota	146
5	Nebraska	91.5
6	Purdue	72.5
7	Illinois	47

Rank	Team	Votes
Media poll (Big Ten Championship)
1	Ohio State over Wisconsin	28
2	Ohio State over Iowa	5
3	Wisconsin over Ohio State	1

Rank	Player	Position	Team	Votes (1st place)
Preseason Offensive Player of the Year
1	Chris Olave	WR	Ohio State	58 (11)
2	Michael Penix Jr.	QB	Indiana	44.5 (8)
3	Mohamed Ibrahim	RB	Minnesota	36 (4)
4	Tyler Linderbaum	C	Iowa	13 (1)
5	Garrett Wilson	WR	Ohio State	12 (1)
6	David Bell	WR	Purdue	10 (1)
7	C. J. Stroud	QB	Ohio State	6 (2)
7	Jahan Dotson	WR	Penn State	6 (1)
7	Graham Mertz	QB	Wisconsin	6 (1)
10	Tyler Goodson	RB	Iowa	5 (1)
11	Ty Fryfogle	RB	Indiana	4 (1)
12	Tanner Morgan	QB	Minnesota	3.5 (1)

2021 Big Ten Conference football season

Preseason

Recruiting classes

Big Ten Media Days

Preseason Media Poll

Preseason awards

Rankings

Schedule

Regular season schedule

Week 0

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Week 5

Week 6

Week 7

Week 8

Week 9

Week 10

Week 11

Week 12

Week 13

Big Ten Championship Game

Postseason

Bowl games

Big Ten records vs other conferences

Awards and honors

Player of the week honors

Big Ten individual awards

Individual awards

All-Conference Teams

Home attendance

2022 NFL draft

Head coaches

References

Related Articles

Rank	Player	Position	Team	Votes (1st place)
Preseason Defensive Player of the Year
1	Brandon Joseph	S	Northwestern	49 (11)
2	George Karlaftis	DE	Purdue	33 (8)
3	Haskell Garrett	DT	Ohio State	30.5 (5)
4	Micah McFadden	LB	Indiana	28 (6)
5	Olakunle Fatukasi	LB	Rutgers	18 (3)
6	Aidan Hutchinson	DE	Michigan	11
7	Jack Sanborn	LB	Wisconsin	7
7	Tiawan Mullen	CB	Indiana	7 (1)
9	Zach Harrison	DE	Ohio State	3.5
10	Jaquan Brisker	S	Penn State	3
10	Sevyn Banks	CB	Ohio State	3
12	Boye Mafe	DE	Minnesota	2
12	Chris Bergin	LB	Northwestern	2
12	Cam Taylor-Britt	CB	Nebraska	2
12	Jake Hansen	LB	Illinois	2
16	JoJo Domann	S/LB	Nebraska	1
16	Tyshon Fogg	LB	Rutgers	1
16	Owen Carney	LB	Illinois	1

		Pre	Wk 1	Wk 2	Wk 3	Wk 4	Wk 5	Wk 6	Wk 7	Wk 8	Wk 9	Wk 10	Wk 11	Wk 12	Wk 13	Wk 14	Final
Illinois	AP
	C
	CFP	Not released
Indiana	AP	17	RV	RV
	C	17	RV	RV		RV
	CFP	Not released
Iowa	AP	18	10	5	5	5	3	2	11	9	19	19	18	17	15	17	23
	C	18	12	7	6	5	3	2(1)	11	10	16	14	14	12	12	16	23
	CFP	Not released									22	20	17	16	13	15
Maryland	AP		RV	RV	RV	RV
	C		RV	RV	RV	RV	RV
	CFP	Not released
Michigan	AP	RV	RV	25	19	14	9	8	6	6	9	9	8	6	2	2	3
	C	RV	RV	25	19	14	8	7	6	6	10	8	7	6	3	2	3
	CFP	Not released									7	6	6	5	2	2
Michigan State	AP		RV	RV	20	17	11	10	9	8	5	8	7	12	11	11	9
	C		RV	RV	21	16t	11	9	7	7	6	9	8	13	13	10	8
	CFP	Not released									3	7	7	12	11	10
Minnesota	AP									RV	RV				RV	RV	RV
	C										RV	RV			RV	RV	RV
	CFP	Not released									20
Nebraska	AP
	C
	CFP	Not released
Northwestern	AP	RV
	C	RV
	CFP	Not released
Ohio State	AP	4 (1)	3	9	10	11	7	6	5	5	6	6	5	2	7	7	6
	C	4	3	11	12	10	7	6	5	5	5	5	4	3	7	7	5
	CFP	Not released									5	4	4	2	7	6
Penn State	AP	19	11	10	6	4	4	7	7	20	22	23	RV	RV	RV	RV
	C	20	13	12	8	6	4	8	8	17	23	23	RV	RV	RV	RV
	CFP	Not released
Purdue	AP								25			RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV
	C								RV			RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV
	CFP	Not released										19
Rutgers	AP					RV
	C		RV	RV	RV
	CFP	Not released
Wisconsin	AP	12	18	18	18	RV					RV	20	19	18	RV	RV	RV
	C	15	17	17	15	RV					RV	24	20	18	RV	RV	RV
	CFP	Not released									21	18	15	14

		Improvement in ranking
		Drop in ranking
		Not ranked previous week
		No change in ranking from previous week
RV		Received votes but were not ranked in Top 25 of poll
т		Tied with team above or below also with this symbol

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Ref.
August 28	1:00 p.m.	Nebraska	Illinois	Memorial Stadium • Champaign, IL	FOX	ILL 30–22	41,064
^#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 2	8:00 p.m.	No. 4 Ohio State	Minnesota	Huntington Bank Stadium • Minneapolis, MN	FOX	OSU 45–31	50,805
September 3	9:00 p.m.	Michigan State	Northwestern	Ryan Field • Evanston, IL	ESPN	MSU 38–21	34,248
September 4	12:00 p.m.	Temple	Rutgers	SHI Stadium • Piscataway, NJ	BTN	W 61–14	52,519
September 4	12:00 p.m.	Fordham	Nebraska	Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, NE	BTN	W 52–7	85,938
September 4	12:00 p.m.	Western Michigan	Michigan	Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI	ESPN	W 47–14	109,295
September 4	12:00 p.m.	No. 19 Penn State	No. 12 Wisconsin	Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, WI	FOX	PSU 16–10	76,832
September 4	3:30 p.m.	No. 17 Indiana	No. 18 Iowa	Kinnick Stadium • Iowa City, IA	BTN	IA 34–6	68,166
September 4	3:30 p.m.	West Virginia	Maryland	Maryland Stadium • College Park, MD (rivalry)	ESPN	W 30–24	43,811
September 4	7:00 p.m.	Oregon State	Purdue	Ross-Ade Stadium • West Lafayette, IN	FS1	W 30–21	53,656
September 4	7:30 p.m.	UTSA	Illinois	Memorial Stadium • Champaign, IL	BTN	L 30–37	33,906
^#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 11	11:00 a.m.	Illinois	Virginia	Scott Stadium • Charlottesville, VA	ACCN	L 14–42	36,036
September 11	12:00 p.m.	Youngstown State	Michigan State	Spartan Stadium • East Lansing, MI	BTN	W 42–14	70,103
September 11	12:00 p.m.	Miami (OH)	Minnesota	Huntington Bank Stadium • Minneapolis, MN	ESPNU	W 31–26	43,372
September 11	12:00 p.m.	Indiana State	Northwestern	Ryan Field • Evanston, IL	BTN	W 24–6	26,181
September 11	12:00 p.m.	No. 12 Oregon	No. 3 Ohio State	Ohio Stadium • Columbus, OH	FOX	L 28–35	100,482
September 11	2:00 p.m.	Rutgers	Syracuse	Carrier Dome • Syracuse, NY	ACCN	W 17–7	31,941
September 11	3:00 p.m.	Purdue	Connecticut	Rentschler Field • East Hartford, CT	CBSSN	W 49–0	14,817
September 11	3:30 p.m.	Buffalo	Nebraska	Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, NE	BTN	W 28–3	85,663
September 11	3:30 p.m.	Ball State	No. 11 Penn State	Beaver Stadium • University Park, PA	FS1	W 44–13	105,323
September 11	4:30 p.m.	No. 10 Iowa	No. 9 Iowa State	Jack Trice Stadium • Ames, IA (Cy-Hawk Trophy)	ABC	W 27–17	61,500
September 11	7:00 p.m.	Eastern Michigan	No. 18 Wisconsin	Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, WI	FS1	W 34–7	70,967
September 11	7:30 p.m.	Idaho	Indiana	Memorial Stadium • Bloomington, IN	BTN	W 56–14	47,417
September 11	7:30 p.m.	Howard	Maryland	Maryland Stadium • College Park, MD	BTN	W 62–0	31,612
September 11	7:30 p.m.	Washington	Michigan	Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI	ABC	W 31–10	108,345
^#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 17	9:00 p.m.	Maryland	Illinois	Memorial Stadium • Champaign, IL	FS1	MD 20–17	37,168
September 18	12:00 p.m.	Nebraska	No. 3 Oklahoma	Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium • Norman, OK (NU-OU Rivalry)	FOX	L 16–23	84,659
September 18	12:00 p.m.	No. 8 Cincinnati	Indiana	Memorial Stadium • Bloomington, IN	ESPN	L 24–38	52,656
September 18	12:00 p.m.	Michigan State	No. 24 Miami (FL)	Hard Rock Stadium • Miami Gardens, FL	ABC	W 38–17	46,427
September 18	12:00 p.m.	Northern Illinois	No. 25 Michigan	Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI	BTN	W 63–10	106,263
September 18	1:00 p.m.	Minnesota	Colorado	Folsom Field • Boulder, CO	P12N	W 30–0	47,482
September 18	2:30 p.m.	Purdue	No. 12 Notre Dame	Notre Dame Stadium • South Bend, IN (Shillelagh Trophy)	NBC	L 13–27	74,341
September 18	3:30 p.m.	Kent State	No. 5 Iowa	Kinnick Stadium • Iowa City, IA	BTN	W 30–7	61,932
September 18	3:30 p.m.	Tulsa	No. 9 Ohio State	Ohio Stadium • Columbus, OH	FS1	W 41–20	76,540
September 18	3:30 p.m.	No. 6 (FCS) Delaware	Rutgers	SHI Stadium • Piscataway, NJ	BTN	W 45–13	40,120
September 18	4:00 p.m.	Northwestern	Duke	Wallace Wade Stadium • Durham, NC	ACCN	L 23–30	12,323
September 18	7:30 p.m.	No. 22 Auburn	No. 10 Penn State	Beaver Stadium • University Park, PA	ABC	W 28–20	109,958
^#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 25	12:00 p.m.	No. 18 Wisconsin	No. 12 Notre Dame	Soldier Field • Chicago, IL	FOX	L 13–41	59,571
September 25†	12:00 p.m.	Bowling Green	Minnesota	Huntington Bank Stadium • Minneapolis, MN	ESPNU	L 10–14	46,236
September 25	12:00 p.m.	Ohio	Northwestern	Ryan Field • Evanston, IL	BTN	W 35–6	27,129
September 25	12:00 p.m.	No. 11 (FCS) Villanova	No. 6 Penn State	Beaver Stadium • University Park, PA	BTN	W 38–17	105,790
September 25	3:30 p.m.	Rutgers	No. 19 Michigan	Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI	ABC	MICH 20–13	106,943
September 25	3:30 p.m.	Illinois	Purdue	Ross-Ade Stadium • West Lafayette, IN (Purdue Cannon)	BTN	PUR 13–9	52,840
September 25	3:30 p.m.	Colorado State	No. 5 Iowa	Kinnick Stadium • Iowa City, IA	FS1	W 24–14	65,456
September 25	3:30 p.m.	Kent State	Maryland	Maryland Stadium • College Park, MD	BTN	W 37–16	30,117
September 25	7:00 p.m.	Nebraska	No. 20 Michigan State	Spartan Stadium • East Lansing, MI	FS1	MSU 23–20 ^OT	70,332
September 25	7:30 p.m.	Akron	No. 10 Ohio State	Ohio Stadium • Columbus, OH	BTN	W 59–7	95,178
September 25	8:00 p.m.	Indiana	Western Kentucky	Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium • Bowling Green, KY	CBSSN	W 33–31	25,171
^#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
October 1	8:00 p.m.	No. 5 Iowa	Maryland	Maryland Stadium • College Park, MD	FS1	IA 51–14	45,527
October 2	12:00 p.m.	No. 14 Michigan	Wisconsin	Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, WI	FOX	MICH 38–17	74,855
October 2†	12:00 p.m.	Minnesota	Purdue	Ross-Ade Stadium • West Lafayette, IN	BTN	MN 20–13	51,111
October 2	12:00 p.m.	Charlotte	Illinois	Memorial Stadium • Champaign, IL	BTN	W 24–14	30,559
October 2	3:30 p.m.	No. 11 Ohio State	Rutgers	SHI Stadium • Piscataway, NJ	BTN	OSU 52–13	51,006
October 2	7:30 p.m.	Indiana	No. 4 Penn State	Beaver Stadium • University Park, PA	ABC	PSU 24–0	105,951
October 2†	7:30 p.m.	Northwestern	Nebraska	Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, NE	BTN	NEB 56–7	87,364
October 2†	7:30 p.m.	Western Kentucky	No. 17 Michigan State	Spartan Stadium • East Lansing, MI	BTN	W 48–31	70,075
^#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
October 9†	12:00 p.m.	Maryland	No. 7 Ohio State	Ohio Stadium • Columbus, OH	FOX	OSU 66–17	99.277
October 9†	12:00 p.m.	No. 11 Michigan State	Rutgers	SHI Stadium • Piscataway, NJ	BTN	MSU 31–13	41,117
October 9†	3:30 p.m.	Wisconsin	Illinois	Memorial Stadium • Champaign, IL	BTN	WIS 24–0	40,168
October 9	4:00 p.m.	No. 4 Penn State	No. 3 Iowa	Kinnick Stadium • Iowa City, IA	FOX	IA 23–20	69,250
October 9	7:30 p.m.	No. 9 Michigan	Nebraska	Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, NE	ABC	MICH 32–29	87,380
^#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

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Week	Offensive			Defensive			Special Teams			Freshman
Week	Player	Position	Team	Player	Position	Team	Player	Position	Team	Player	Position	Team
Week 0 (Aug. 30) ^[15]	Artur Sitkowski	QB	ILL	Calvin Hart Jr.	LB	ILL	Blake Hayes	P	ILL	Deuce Spann	WR	ILL

Week 1 (Sept. 6) ^[16]	Kenneth Walker III	RB	MSU	Riley Moss	DB	IA	Jordan Stout	K/P	PSU	C. J. Stroud	QB	OSU

Week 2 (Sept. 13) ^[17]	Blake Corum	RB	MICH	Luke Reimer	LB	NEB	Adam Korsak	P	RUT	C. J. Stroud	QB	OSU
Week 2 (Sept. 13) ^[17]	Blake Corum	RB	MICH	Luke Reimer	LB	NEB	Tory Taylor	P	IA	C. J. Stroud	QB	OSU

Week 3 (Sept. 20) ^[18]	Payton Thorne	QB	MSU	Brandon Smith	LB	PSU	Aron Cruickshank	WR	RUT	TreVeyon Henderson	RB	OSU
Week 3 (Sept. 20) ^[18]	TreVeyon Henderson	RB	OSU	Brandon Smith	LB	PSU	Joseph Petrino	K	MD	TreVeyon Henderson	RB	OSU

Week 4 (Sept. 27) ^[19]	Sean Clifford	QB	PSU	Jack Campbell	LB	IA	Jayden Reed	WR	MSU	Kyle McCord	QB	OSU
Week 4 (Sept. 27) ^[19]	Evan Hull	RB	NW	Jack Campbell	LB	IA	Jayden Reed	WR	MSU	Kyle McCord	QB	OSU

Week 5 (Oct. 4) ^[20]	Chase Brown	RB	ILL	David Ojabo	LB	MICH	Mark Crawford	P	MIN	C. J. Stroud	QB	OSU
Week 5 (Oct. 4) ^[20]	Chase Brown	RB	ILL	JoJo Domann	LB	NEB	Jordan Stout	P/K	PSU	C. J. Stroud	QB	OSU

Week 6 (Oct. 11) ^[21]	Jalen Nailor	WR	MSU	Matt Hankins	DB	IA	Jake Moody	K	MICH	C. J. Stroud	QB	OSU
Week 6 (Oct. 11) ^[21]	C. J. Stroud	QB	OSU	Brad Hawkins	DB	MICH	Jake Moody	K	MICH	C. J. Stroud	QB	OSU

Week 7 (Oct. 18) ^[22]	David Bell	WR	PUR	Cam Allen	S	PUR	Matt Coghlin	K	MSU	Braelon Allen	RB	WIS

Week 8 (Oct. 25) ^[23]	Chase Brown	RB	ILL	Leo Chenal	LB	WIS	Collin Larsh	K	WIS	C. J. Stroud	QB	OSU\

Week 9 (Nov. 1) ^[24]	Kenneth Walker III	RB	MSU	Jalen Graham	LB/S	PUR	Noah Ruggles	K	OSU	Andrel Anthony	WR	MICH
Week 9 (Nov. 1) ^[24]	Kenneth Walker III	RB	MSU	Jalen Graham	LB/S	PUR	Adam Korsak	P	RUT	Mar'Keise Irving	RB	MIN

Week 10 (Nov. 8) ^[25]	Jahan Dotson	WR	PSU	Ji'Ayir Brown	S	PSU	Blake Hayes	P	ILL	Braelon Allen	RB	WIS
Week 10 (Nov. 8) ^[25]	Aidan O'Connell	QB	PUR	Ji'Ayir Brown	S	PSU	Blake Hayes	P	ILL	Braelon Allen	RB	WIS

Week 11 (Nov. 15) ^[26]	Garrett Wilson	WR	OSU	Aidan Hutchinson	DE	MICH	Jordan Stout	P/K	PSU	C. J. Stroud	QB	OSU
Week 11 (Nov. 15) ^[26]	Braelon Allen	RB	WIS	Aidan Hutchinson	DE	MICH	Jordan Stout	P/K	PSU	C. J. Stroud	QB	OSU

Week 12 (Nov. 22) ^[27]	C. J. Stroud	QB	OSU	Isaiah Gay	LB	ILL	Jordan Stout	K/P	PSU	C. J. Stroud	QB	OSU

Week 13 (Nov. 29) ^[28]	Hassan Haskins	RB	MICH	Aidan Hutchinson	DE	MICH	Caleb Shudak	K	IA	Justin Walley	CB	MIN

Award	Player	School
Most Valuable Player	Aidan Hutchinson	Michigan
Graham–George Offensive Player of the Year	C. J. Stroud	Ohio State
Griese–Brees Quarterback of the Year	C. J. Stroud	Ohio State
Richter–Howard Receiver of the Year	David Bell	Purdue
Ameche–Dayne Running Back of the Year	Kenneth Walker III	Michigan State
Kwalick–Clark Tight End of the Year	Austin Allen	Nebraska
Rimington–Pace Offensive Lineman of the Year	Tyler Linderbaum	Iowa
Nagurski–Woodson Defensive Player of the Year	Aidan Hutchinson	Michigan
Smith–Brown Defensive Lineman of the Year	Aidan Hutchinson	Michigan
Butkus–Fitzgerald Linebacker of the Year	Leo Chenal	Wisconsin
Tatum–Woodson Defensive Back of the Year	Riley Moss	Iowa
Thompson–Randle El Freshman of the Year	C. J. Stroud	Ohio State
Bakken–Andersen Kicker of the Year	Jake Moody	Michigan
Eddleman–Fields Punter of the Year	Jordan Stout	Penn State
Rodgers–Dwight Return Specialist of the Year	Charlie Jones	Iowa
Hayes–Schembechler Coach of the Year	Mel Tucker	Michigan State
Dave McClain Coach of the Year	Mel Tucker	Michigan State
Dungy–Thompson Humanitarian Award	Malcolm Jenkins	Ohio State
Ford–Kinnick Leadership Award	Pat Richter	Wisconsin

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
October 16	12:00 p.m.	Nebraska	Minnesota	Huntington Bank Stadium • Minneapolis, MN ($5 Bits of Broken Chair Trophy)	ESPN2	MIN 30–23	45,436
October 16†	12:00 p.m.	No. 10 Michigan State	Indiana	Memorial Stadium • Bloomington, IN (Old Brass Spittoon)	FS1	MSU 20–15	50,571
October 16†	12:00 p.m.	Rutgers	Northwestern	Ryan Field • Evanston, IL	BTN	NW 21–7	30,218
October 16†	3:30 p.m.	Purdue	No. 2 Iowa	Kinnick Stadium • Iowa City, IA	ABC	PUR 24–7	69,250
October 16	8:00 p.m.	Army	Wisconsin	Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, WI	BTN	W 20–14	76,314
^#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
October 23	12:00 p.m.	Northwestern	No. 6 Michigan	Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI (Jewett Trophy)	FOX	MICH 33–7	109,449
October 23†	12:00 p.m.	Illinois	No. 7 Penn State	Beaver Stadium • University Park, PA	ABC	ILL 20–18 ^9OT	105,001
October 23	3:00 p.m.	Wisconsin	No. 25 Purdue	Ross-Ade Stadium • West Lafayette, IN	BTN	WIS 30–13	61,320
October 23	3:30 p.m.	Maryland	Minnesota	Huntington Bank Stadium • Minneapolis, MN	ESPN2	MIN 34–16	41,011
October 23	7:30 p.m.	No. 5 Ohio State	Indiana	Memorial Stadium • Bloomington, IN	ABC	OSU 54–7	52,656
^#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
October 30	12:00 p.m.	No. 6 Michigan	No. 8 Michigan State	Spartan Stadium • East Lansing, MI (Paul Bunyan Trophy)	FOX	MSU 37–33	76,549
October 30†	12:00 p.m.	No. 9 Iowa	Wisconsin	Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, WI (Heartland Trophy)	ESPN	WIS 27–7	74,209
October 30†	12:00 p.m.	Indiana	Maryland	Maryland Stadium • College Park, MD	BTN	MD 38–35	32,308
October 30	12:00 p.m.	Rutgers	Illinois	Memorial Stadium • Champaign, IL	BTN	RUT 20–14	36,942
October 30	3:30 p.m.	Purdue	Nebraska	Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, NE	ESPN2	PUR 28–23	85,902
October 30	3:30 p.m.	Minnesota	Northwestern	Ryan Field • Evanston, IL	BTN	MIN 41–14	28,158
October 30	7:30 p.m.	No. 20 Penn State	No. 5 Ohio State	Ohio Stadium • Columbus, OH (rivalry)	ABC	OSU 33–24	102,951
^#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
November 6	12:00 p.m.	Illinois	Minnesota	Huntington Bank Stadium • Minneapolis, MN	ESPN2	ILL 14–6	46,382
November 6	12:00 p.m.	No. 6 Ohio State	Nebraska	Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, NE	FOX	OSU 26–17	84,426
November 6	3:30 p.m.	Wisconsin	Rutgers	SHI Stadium • Piscataway, NJ	BTN	WIS 52–3	40,280
November 6	3:30 p.m.	No. 22 Penn State	Maryland	Maryland Stadium • College Park, MD (MD-PSU Rivalry)	FS1	PSU 31–14	46,924
November 6	3:30 p.m.	No. 5 Michigan State	Purdue	Ross-Ade Stadium • West Lafayette, IN	ABC	PUR 40–29	57,282
November 6	7:00 p.m.	No. 19 Iowa	Northwestern	Ryan Field • Evanston, IL	BTN	IA 17–12	38,141
November 6	7:30 p.m.	Indiana	No. 9 Michigan	Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI	FOX	MICH 29–7	109,890
^#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
November 13	12:00 p.m.	Northwestern	No. 20 Wisconsin	Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, WI	ESPN2	WIS 35–7	73,194
November 13	12:00 p.m.	No. 9 Michigan	No. 23 Penn State	Beaver Stadium • University Park, PA	ABC	MICH 21–17	109,534
November 13	12:00 p.m.	Rutgers	Indiana	Memorial Stadium • Bloomington, IN	BTN	RUT 38–3	40,171
November 13	3:30 p.m.	Minnesota	No. 19 Iowa	Kinnick Stadium • Iowa City, IA (Floyd of Rosedale)	BTN	IA 27–22	69,250
November 13	3:30 p.m.	Purdue	No. 6 Ohio State	Ohio Stadium • Columbus, OH	ABC	OSU 59–31	101,009
November 13	4:00 p.m.	Maryland	No. 8 Michigan State	Spartan Stadium • East Lansing, MI	FOX	MSU 40–21	67,437
^#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
November 20	12:00 p.m.	Purdue	Northwestern	Wrigley Field • Chicago, IL	BTN	PUR 32–14	31,500
November 20	12:00 p.m.	No. 7 Michigan State	No. 5 Ohio State	Ohio Stadium • Columbus, OH	ABC	OSU 56–7	101,858
November 20	12:00 p.m.	Rutgers	Penn State	Beaver Stadium • University Park, PA	BTN	PSU 28–0	106,038
November 20	2:00 p.m.	Illinois	No. 18 Iowa	Kinnick Stadium • Iowa City, IA	FS1	IA 33–23	64,132
November 20	3:30 p.m.	Minnesota	Indiana	Memorial Stadium • Bloomington, IN	BTN	MIN 35–14	38,079
November 20	3:30 p.m.	No. 8 Michigan	Maryland	Maryland Stadium • College Park, MD	BTN	MICH 59–18	36,181
November 20	3:30 p.m.	Nebraska	No. 19 Wisconsin	Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, WI (Freedom Trophy)	ABC	WIS 35–28	67,888
^#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
November 26	1:30 p.m.	No. 17 Iowa	Nebraska	Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, NE (Heroes Trophy)	BTN	IA 28–21	86,541
November 27	12:00 p.m.	No. 2 Ohio State	No. 6 Michigan	Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI (The Game)	FOX	MICH 42–27	111,156
November 27	12:00 p.m.	Maryland	Rutgers	SHI Stadium • Piscataway, NJ	BTN	MD 40–16	42,729
November 27	3:30 p.m.	Northwestern	Illinois	Memorial Stadium • Champaign, IL (Land of Lincoln Trophy)	BTN	ILL 47–14	27,624
November 27	3:30 p.m.	Indiana	Purdue	Ross-Ade Stadium • West Lafayette, IN (Old Oaken Bucket)	FS1	PUR 44–7	61,320
November 27	3:30 p.m.	Penn State	No. 12 Michigan State	Spartan Stadium • East Lansing, MI (Land Grant Trophy)	ABC	MSU 30–27	0
November 27	4:00 p.m.	No. 18 Wisconsin	Minnesota	Huntington Bank Stadium • Minneapolis, MN (Paul Bunyan's Axe)	FOX	MIN 23–13	49,736
^#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Ref.
December 4	8:00 p.m.	No. 2 Michigan	No. 15 Iowa	Lucas Oil Stadium • Indianapolis, IN	FOX	MICH 42–3	67,183
^#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Bowl game	Date	Site	Television	Time (EST)	Big Ten team	Opponent	Score	Attendance
Guaranteed Rate Bowl	December 28, 2021	Chase Field • Phoenix, AZ	ESPN	10:15 p.m.	Minnesota	West Virginia	W 18–6	21,220
Pinstripe Bowl	December 29, 2021	Yankee Stadium • New York, NY	ESPN	2:15 p.m.	Maryland	Virginia Tech	W 54–10	29,653
Music City Bowl	December 30, 2021	Nissan Stadium • Nashville, TN	ESPN	3:00 p.m.	Purdue	Tennessee	W 48–45 ^OT	69,489
Las Vegas Bowl	December 30, 2021	Allegiant Stadium • Las Vegas, NV	ESPN	10:30 p.m.	Wisconsin	Arizona State	W 20–13	32,515
Gator Bowl	December 31, 2021	TIAA Bank Field • Jacksonville, FL	ESPN	11:00 a.m.	Rutgers	#20 Wake Forest	L 10–38	28,508
Outback Bowl	January 1, 2022	Raymond James Stadium • Tampa, FL	ESPN2	12:30 p.m.	Penn State	#22 Arkansas	L 10–24	46,577
Citrus Bowl	January 1, 2022	Camping World Stadium • Orlando, FL	ABC	1:00 p.m.	#17 Iowa	#25 Kentucky	L 17–20	50,769
New Year's Six Bowls
Peach Bowl	December 30, 2021	Mercedes-Benz Stadium • Atlanta, GA	ESPN	7:00 p.m.	#11 Michigan State	#13 Pittsburgh	W 31–21	41,230
Rose Bowl	January 1, 2022	Rose Bowl • Pasadena, CA	ESPN	5:00 p.m.	#7 Ohio State	#10 Utah	W 48–45	87,842
College Football Playoff
Orange Bowl (semifinal)	December 31, 2021	Hard Rock Stadium • Miami Gardens, FL	ESPN	7:30 p.m.	#2 Michigan	#3 Georgia	L 11–34	66,839

Award	Head coach/Player	School	Position	Link
Lott Trophy	Aidan Hutchinson	Michigan	DE	^[29]
Doak Walker Award	Kenneth Walker III	Michigan State	RB	^[30]
Rimington Trophy	Tyler Linderbaum	Iowa	C	^[31]
Lou Groza Award	Jake Moody	Michigan	PK	^[32]
Walter Camp Award	Kenneth Walker III	Michigan State	RB	^[33]

Team	Stadium	Capacity	Game 1	Game 2	Game 3	Game 4	Game 5	Game 6	Game 7	Total	Average	% of Capacity
Illinois	Memorial Stadium	60,670	41,064	33,906	37,168	30,559	40,168	36,942	27,624	247,431	35,347	58.3%
Indiana	Memorial Stadium	52,656	47,417	52,656	50,571	52,656	40,171	38,079		281,550	46,925	89.1%
Iowa	Kinnick Stadium	69,250	68,166	61,932	65,456	69,250	69,250	69,250	64,132	467,436	66,777	96.4%
Maryland	Maryland Stadium	51,802	43,811	31,612	30,117	45,527	32,308	46,924	36,181	266,480	33,310	61.7%
Michigan	Michigan Stadium	107,601	109,295	108,345	106,263	105,790	109,449	109,890	111,156	760,188	108,598	100.9%
Michigan State	Spartan Stadium	75,005	70,103	70,332	70,075	76,549	67,437			354,496	70,899	94.5%
Minnesota	Huntington Bank Stadium	50,805	50,805	43,372	46,236	45,436	46,382	49,736		281,967	46,995	92.5%
Nebraska	Memorial Stadium	85,458	85,938	85,663	87,364	87,380	85,902	84,426	86,541	603,214	86,173	100.8%
Northwestern	Ryan Field	47,130	34,248	26,181	27,129	30,218	28,158	38,141		184,075	30,679	65.1%
Ohio State	Ohio Stadium	102,780	100,482	76,540	95,178	99,277	102,951	101,009	101,858	677,295	96,756	94.1%
Penn State	Beaver Stadium	106,572	105,323	109,958	105,790	105,951	105,001	109,534	106,038	751,595	107,371	100.7%
Purdue	Ross–Ade Stadium	57,236	53,656	52,840	51,111	61,320	57,282	61,320		337,529	56,255	98.3%
Rutgers	SHI Stadium	52,454	52,519	40,120	51,006	41,117	40,280	42,729		267,771	44,629	85.1%
Wisconsin	Camp Randall Stadium	80,321	76,832	70,967	74,855	76,314	74,209	73,194	67,888	514,259	73,466	91.5%

Rnd.	Pick No.	NFL team	Player	Pos.	College	Conf.	Notes
1	2	Detroit Lions	Aidan Hutchinson	DE	Michigan	Big Ten	2021 Lombardi Award, Lott Trophy, and Ted Hendricks Award winner
1	10	New York Jets	Garrett Wilson	WR	Ohio State	Big Ten	from Seattle ^{[R1 - 1]}
1	11	New Orleans Saints	Chris Olave	WR	Ohio State	Big Ten	from Washington ^{[R1 - 2]}
1	16	Washington Commanders	Jahan Dotson	WR	Penn State	Big Ten	from Indianapolis via Philadelphia and New Orleans ^{[R1 - 3]}
1	25	Baltimore Ravens	Tyler Linderbaum	C	Iowa	Big Ten	from Buffalo ^{[R1 - 4]} 2021 Rimington Trophy winner
1	30	Kansas City Chiefs	George Karlaftis	DE	Purdue	Big Ten
1	31	Cincinnati Bengals	Daxton Hill	S	Michigan	Big Ten
2	38	Atlanta Falcons	Arnold Ebiketie	OLB	Penn State	Big Ten	from Carolina via New York Jets and New York Giants ^{[R2 - 1]}
2	40	Seattle Seahawks	Boye Mafe	DE	Minnesota	Big Ten	from Denver ^{[R2 - 2]}
2	41	Seattle Seahawks	Kenneth Walker III	RB	Michigan State	Big Ten	2021 Walter Camp Award and Doak Walker Award winner
2	45	Baltimore Ravens	David Ojabo	OLB	Michigan	Big Ten
2	48	Chicago Bears	Jaquan Brisker	S	Penn State	Big Ten	from L.A. Chargers ^{[R2 - 3]}
2	51	Philadelphia Eagles	Cam Jurgens	C	Nebraska	Big Ten
2	60	Cincinnati Bengals	Cam Taylor-Britt	CB	Nebraska	Big Ten	from Tampa Bay via Buffalo ^{[R2 - 4]}
3	69	Tennessee Titans	Nicholas Petit-Frere	OT	Ohio State	Big Ten	from N.Y. Jets ^{[R3 - 1]}
3	96	Indianapolis Colts	Nick Cross	S	Maryland	Big Ten	from L.A. Rams via Denver ^{[R3 - 2]}
3*	97	Detroit Lions	Kerby Joseph	S	Illinois	Big Ten
3×	99	Cleveland Browns	David Bell	WR	Purdue	Big Ten	2020 Resolution JC-2A selection^[a]
3×	101	New York Jets	Jeremy Ruckert	TE	Ohio State	Big Ten	2020 Resolution JC-2A selection^[b] from New Orleans via Philadelphia and Tennessee ^{[R3 - 3]}
3×	103	Kansas City Chiefs	Leo Chenal	LB	Wisconsin	Big Ten	2020 Resolution JC-2A selection^[c]
3×	104	Los Angeles Rams	Logan Bruss	G	Wisconsin	Big Ten	2020 Resolution JC-2A selection^[d]
4	110	Baltimore Ravens	Daniel Faalele	OT	Minnesota	Big Ten	from N.Y. Giants ^{[R4 - 1]}
4	114	New York Giants	Dane Belton	S	Iowa	Big Ten	from Atlanta ^{[R4 - 2]}
4	120	Carolina Panthers	Brandon Smith	LB	Penn State	Big Ten	from New Orleans via Washington ^{[R4 - 3]}
4	129	Dallas Cowboys	Jake Ferguson	TE	Wisconsin	Big Ten
4	130	Baltimore Ravens	Jordan Stout	P	Penn State	Big Ten	from Buffalo ^{[R4 - 4]}
4	131	Tennessee Titans	Hassan Haskins	RB	Michigan	Big Ten
4*	143	Tennessee Titans	Chig Okonkwo	TE	Maryland	Big Ten
5	146	New York Giants	Micah McFadden	LB	Indiana	Big Ten	from N.Y. Jets ^{[R5 - 1]}
5	158	Seattle Seahawks	Tyreke Smith	DE	Ohio State	Big Ten	from Miami via New England and Kansas City ^{[R5 - 2]}
5	165	Minnesota Vikings	Esezi Otomewo	DE	Minnesota	Big Ten	from Las Vegas ^{[R5 - 3]}
6	184	Minnesota Vikings	Vederian Lowe	OT	Illinois	Big Ten	from N.Y. Jets ^{[R6 - 1]}
6	191	Minnesota Vikings	Jalen Nailor	WR	Michigan State	Big Ten	from Baltimore via Kansas City ^{[R6 - 2]}
6	206	Denver Broncos	Matt Henningsen	DT	Wisconsin	Big Ten	from Tampa Bay via N.Y. Jets and Philadelphia ^{[R6 - 3]}
6	207	Chicago Bears	Doug Kramer	C	Illinois	Big Ten	from San Francisco via N.Y. Jets and Houston ^{[R6 - 4]}
6	208	Pittsburgh Steelers	Connor Heyward	FB	Michigan State	Big Ten	from Kansas City ^{[R6 - 5]}
6*	218	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Ko Kieft	TE	Minnesota	Big Ten	from L.A. Rams
6*	221	San Francisco 49ers	Tariq Castro-Fields	CB	Penn State	Big Ten
7	229	Seattle Seahawks	Bo Melton	WR	Rutgers	Big Ten
7	232	Denver Broncos	Faion Hicks	DB	Wisconsin	Big Ten
7	238	Las Vegas Raiders	Thayer Munford	OT	Ohio State	Big Ten	from Miami via L.A. Rams ^{[R7 - 1]}
7	245	New England Patriots	Andrew Stueber	G	Michigan	Big Ten	from Dallas via Houston ^{[R7 - 2]}
7	249	Green Bay Packers	Rasheed Walker	OT	Penn State	Big Ten
7	251	Kansas City Chiefs	Isiah Pacheco	RB	Rutgers	Big Ten
7*	256	Arizona Cardinals	Jesse Luketa	LB	Penn State	Big Ten
7*	258	Green Bay Packers	Samori Toure	WR	Nebraska	Big Ten
7*	260	Los Angeles Chargers	Zander Horvath	FB	Purdue	Big Ten
7*	261	Los Angeles Rams	A. J. Arcuri	OT	Michigan State	Big Ten	from Tampa Bay

Team	Head coach	Years at school	Overall record	Record at school	B1G record
Illinois	Bret Bielema*	1	102–65 (.611)	5–7 (.417)	41–24 (.631)
Indiana	Tom Allen*	5	26–32 (.448)	26–32 (.448)	15–28 (.349)
Iowa	Kirk Ferentz	23	190–131 (.592)	178–110 (.618)	110–79 (.582)
Maryland	Mike Locksley*	3	15–49 (.234)	13–23 (.361)	7–22 (.241)
Michigan	Jim Harbaugh	7	119–51 (.700)	61–24 (.718)	42–17 (.712)
Michigan State	Mel Tucker	2	18–14 (.563)	13–7 (.650)	9–7 (.563)
Minnesota	P. J. Fleck	5	65–45 (.591)	35–23 (.603)	21–22 (.488)
Nebraska	Scott Frost	4	34–36 (.486)	15–29 (.341)	10–25 (.286)
Northwestern	Pat Fitzgerald	16	109–90 (.548)	109–90 (.548)	64–68 (.485)
Ohio State	Ryan Day*	3	34–4 (.895)	34–4 (.895)	23–1 (.958)
Penn State	James Franklin	8	91–49 (.650)	67–34 (.663)	42–28 (.600)
Purdue	Jeff Brohm	5	58–39 (.598)	28–29 (.491)	20–22 (.476)
Rutgers	Greg Schiano*	13	76–81 (.484)	76–81 (.484)	5–13 (.278)
Wisconsin	Paul Chryst	7	84–42 (.667)	65–23 (.739)	43–16 (.729)

v t e Big Ten Conference football
Current teams	Illinois Fighting Illini Indiana Hoosiers Iowa Hawkeyes Maryland Terrapins Michigan Wolverines Michigan State Spartans Minnesota Golden Gophers Nebraska Cornhuskers Northwestern Wildcats Ohio State Buckeyes Oregon Ducks Penn State Nittany Lions Purdue Boilermakers Rutgers Scarlet Knights UCLA Bruins USC Trojans Washington Huskies Wisconsin Badgers
Championships & awards	Conference champions All-time standings (1896–1958), (1959–present) Championship Game Individual awards All-Big Ten Conference teams Chicago Tribune Silver Football
Seasons	1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026

v t e 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season
Conference seasons	American ACC Big 12 Big Ten C-USA MAC Mountain West Pac-12 SEC Sun Belt
Inter-conference	Bowl games Rankings
All-Americans	2021 College Football All-America Team