2020 Big Ten Conference football season

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2020 Big Ten Conference football season
LeagueNCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision
SportFootball
DurationOctober 24, 2020
through December 19, 2020
Number of teams14
TV partner(s)Fox Sports (Fox/FS1, Big Ten Network), ESPN (ESPN, ESPN2, ABC)
2021 NFL Draft
Top draft pickJustin Fields (Ohio State)
Picked byChicago Bears, 11th overall
Regular season
East Division championsOhio State
West Division championsNorthwestern
Championship Game
ChampionsOhio State
  Runners-upNorthwestern
Finals MVPTrey Sermon, Ohio State
Football seasons
← 2019
2021 →
2020 Big Ten Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
East Division
No. 2 Ohio State xy$^   5 0     7 1  
No. 12 Indiana   6 1     6 2  
Penn State   4 5     4 5  
Maryland   2 3     2 3  
Rutgers   3 6     3 6  
Michigan   2 4     2 4  
Michigan State   2 5     2 5  
West Division
No. 10 Northwestern xy   6 1     7 2  
No. 16 Iowa   6 2     6 2  
Wisconsin   3 3     4 3  
Minnesota   3 4     3 4  
Nebraska   3 5     3 5  
Purdue   2 4     2 4  
Illinois   2 6     2 6  
Championship: Ohio State 22, Northwestern 10
  • ^ – College Football Playoff participant
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant
  • Note: Due to COVID-19, the Big Ten suspended the season on August 11, but later decided to begin play on October 24. In addition to the title game that was played on December 19, the conference seeded all remaining teams for "championship week" games.[1]
Rankings from AP Poll.

The 2020 Big Ten conference football season is the 125th season of college football play for the Big Ten Conference and part of the 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season. This was the Big Ten's seventh season with 14 teams. The defending league champion was Ohio State.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, the conference voted on August 11, 2020, to indefinitely postpone all fall athletics, including football, citing the worsening trends of the pandemic in the country. On September 16, the conference approved a shortened, eight-game football season beginning October 24, with the final week featuring the Big Ten championship game on December 19.

The Big Ten had two new coaches for the 2020 season. Rutgers hired former coach Greg Schiano to serve as head coach, replacing Chris Ash who was fired during the 2019 season.[2] Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio announced on February 4, 2020, that he was retiring from his position. The Spartans announced the hiring of Mel Tucker as the new head coach on February 12, 2020.[3] On December 13, Illinois fired its head coach Lovie Smith, and on December 19 announced the hiring of Bret Bielema as its new head coach.[4]

Previous season[edit]

On the field of play last season, Ohio State won the East Division title and made their fifth appearance in the Big Ten Championship Game and third consecutive appearance. In the West Division, Wisconsin and Minnesota tied for the division title, but the Badgers represented the division in the conference title game due to their head-to-head win over the Golden Gophers. Wisconsin made their sixth appearance in the conference title game overall. In that championship game, Ohio State defeated Wisconsin 34–21 to win their third consecutive Big Ten championship. With that win, the Buckeyes landed a spot in the 2019–20 College Football Playoff as the #2 seed.[5]

Nine teams participated in bowl games in the 2018 season, and the league went 5–4 in those games. Ohio State made the College Football Playoff but fell to Clemson 29–23 in the Fiesta Bowl.

Delay of season[edit]

On July 9, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, the Big Ten announced that all competition in fall sports, including football, would be played exclusively in-conference, in order to "have the greatest flexibility to adjust its own operations throughout the season and make quick decisions in real-time".[6] An updated 10-game conference-only schedule was released on August 5, 2020.[7]

On August 11, in the wake of multiple Group of Five conferences deciding to do so,[8] the council of the Big Ten voted 11–3 to postpone fall athletics for the 2020–21 season (with all but Iowa, Nebraska, and Ohio State voting in favor). Commissioner Kevin Warren cited negative trends and uncertainties surrounding COVID-19 as a factor in the decision. The conference stated that it would evaluate options, including possibly playing in spring 2021 instead.[9][10][11] After the decision to postpone the season, the Big Ten formed a taskforce to investigate options for a return to play.[11] President Donald Trump criticized the Big Ten's decision to postpone fall football, as part of his general criticism of U.S. colleges and universities that have not resumed on-campus activities. All other Power Five conferences besides the Pac-12 (which also postponed its season shortly after the Big Ten's decision) were still planning to play in the fall.[12][13]

On September 14, it was reported that the Big Ten was considering the possibility of reversing its decision and playing a shortened conference football season as early as mid-to-late October.[14] On September 16, the Big Ten approved an eight-game conference season that would begin October 24, and conclude on December 19 with the Big Ten Championship Game. The conference originally planned to hold a slate of cross-division matchups between seeds alongside the championship game.[11][15]

The conference instituted a daily antigen testing protocol from September 30; PCR tests are used to confirm positives found via antigen testing. Players who test positive on both tests are removed from play for at least 21 days and undergo cardiac tests during this period, and will have to be cleared by a cardiologist before they can return to play. Positivity rates among participating teams and the local population will also be a factor: teams with a positivity rate above 5% or a population positivity rate above 7% will be required to halt all activity for seven days.[11]

Preseason[edit]

2020 Big Ten Spring Football and number of signees on signing day:

Recruiting classes[edit]

Rankings
Team ESPN[16] Rivals[17] Scout & 24/7[18] Signees
Illinois 63 90 88 14
Indiana 55 48 58 20
Iowa 32 35 35 21
Maryland 33 32 31 28
Michigan 11 11 14 23
Michigan State 46 36 44 22
Minnesota 36 38 38 24
Nebraska 24 17 20 24
Northwestern 40 53 47 17
Ohio State 5 5 5 25
Penn State 12 15 15 27
Purdue 28 30 32 20
Rutgers 60 67 61 23
Wisconsin 26 28 26 20

Big Ten Media Days[edit]

Preseason media polls[edit]

Below are the results of the media poll with total points received next to each school and first-place votes in parentheses. For the 2020 poll, Ohio State was voted as the favorite to win both the East Division and the Big Ten Championship Game. This is the 10th iteration of the preseason media poll conducted by Cleveland.com, which polls at least one credentialed media member for each Big Ten team. Only twice in the last ten years has the media accurately predicted the Big Ten champion.[19]

East
Predicted finish Team Votes (1st place)
1 Ohio State 237 (33)
2 Penn State 204 (1)
3 Michigan 169
4 Indiana 134
5 Michigan State 94
6 Maryland 76
7 Rutgers 38
West
Predicted finish Team Votes (1st place)
1 Wisconsin 221 (19)
2 Minnesota 209.5 (14)
3 Iowa 157
4 Nebraska 117
5 Purdue 105
6 Northwestern 87.5 (1)
7 Illinois 55
Media poll (Big Ten Championship)
Rank Team Votes
1 Ohio State over Wisconsin 19
2 Ohio State over Minnesota 13
3 Ohio State over Northwestern 1
4 Penn State over Minnesota 1

Preseason awards[edit]

Preseason All-Big Ten[edit]

Rankings[edit]

The AP and Coaches Polls ranked Big Ten teams in the preseason, but then removed those teams after the league suspended play.

The Coaches Poll returned to ranking Big Ten teams with the Sept. 20 poll. The AP Poll returned Big Ten teams to the rankings with the Sept. 27 poll.

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

Schedule[edit]

Index to colors and formatting
Big Ten member won
Big Ten member lost
Big Ten teams in bold

All times Eastern time.

† denotes Homecoming game

Regular season schedule[edit]

The Regular season was scheduled to begin on September 3 and end on November 28. The Big Ten Championship Game was scheduled to be held on December 5, 2020.

On July 9, 2020, the Big Ten Conference announced that all non-conference contests in all fall sports, including football, would be canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The league then moved to institute a 10-game, conference-only schedule in football, which would include multiple open weeks for teams in order to introduce flexibility into the schedule. On August 5, the Big Ten released the new reconfigured 10-game conference-only schedule.[20] On August 11, 2020, the conference decided to postpone all fall sports and evaluate option to restart competition in spring 2021.[9]

On September 16, 2020, the Big Ten announced that the football season would start on the weekend of October 24. There will be an eight-game regular season taking place over eight weeks. Each team will play all the other teams in its division, plus two crossover games with teams in the other division. Then the league championship game will be played on December 19. Also on the weekend of December 19, there will be crossover divisional games featuring the 2nd place teams from each division facing off, the 3rd places teams meeting each other, etc. The new schedule was released on September 19.[21][22]

On December 9, the Big Ten waived its rule of requiring teams to play a minimum of six league games to be eligible for the Big Ten Championship Game, allowing Ohio State (5-0) to represent the East Division.[23]

Week #1[edit]

Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance
October 23 8:00 p.m. Illinois No. 14T Wisconsin Camp Randall StadiumMadison, WI BTN  WIS 45–7   0
October 24 12:00 p.m. Rutgers Michigan State Spartan StadiumEast Lansing, MI BTN  RUT 38–27   376
October 24 12:00 p.m. Nebraska No. 5 Ohio State Ohio StadiumColumbus, OH FOX  OSU 52–17   1,344
October 24 3:30 p.m. No. 8 Penn State Indiana Memorial StadiumBloomington, IN FS1  IU 36–35 OT  995
October 24 3:30 p.m. Iowa Purdue Ross-Ade StadiumWest Lafayette, IN BTN  PUR 24–20   900
October 24 7:30 p.m. No. 18 Michigan No. 21 Minnesota TCF Bank StadiumMinneapolis, MN (Little Brown Jug, College GameDay) ABC  MICH 49–24   589
October 24 7:30 p.m. Maryland Northwestern Ryan FieldEvanston, IL BTN  NW 43–3   0
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Week #2[edit]

Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance
October 30 7:30 p.m. Minnesota Maryland Maryland StadiumCollege Park, MD ESPN  MD 45–44 OT  0
October 31 12:00 p.m. Michigan State No. 13 Michigan Michigan StadiumAnn Arbor, MI (Paul Bunyan Trophy) FOX  MSU 27–24   615
October 31 12:00 p.m. Purdue Illinois Memorial StadiumChampaign, IL (Purdue Cannon) BTN  PUR 31–24   838
October 31 3:30 p.m. Northwestern Iowa Kinnick StadiumIowa City, IA ESPN  NW 21–20   1,432
October 31 3:30 p.m. No. 17 Indiana Rutgers SHI StadiumPiscataway, NJ BTN  IU 37–21   0
October 31 7:30 p.m. No. 3 Ohio State No. 18 Penn State Beaver StadiumUniversity Park, PA (OSU-PSU rivalry) ABC  OSU 38–25   1,500
October 31 3:30 p.m. No. 9 Wisconsin Nebraska Memorial StadiumLincoln, NE (Freedom Trophy) FS1  CANCELED[24]  
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

The Wisconsin at Nebraska game was canceled due to a COVID-19 outbreak at Wisconsin[24]

Week #3[edit]

Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance
November 7 12:00 p.m. No. 23 Michigan No. 13 Indiana Memorial StadiumBloomington, IN FS1  IU 38–21   1,034
November 7 12:00 p.m. Nebraska Northwestern Ryan FieldEvanston, IL BTN  NW 21–13   0
November 7 12:00 p.m. Michigan State Iowa Kinnick StadiumIowa City, IA ESPN  IA 49–7   1,441
November 7 3:30 p.m. Maryland Penn State Beaver StadiumUniversity Park, PA (MD-PSU rivalry) BTN  MD 35–19   1,500
November 7 3:30 p.m. Minnesota Illinois Memorial StadiumChampaign, IL BTN  MN 41–14   863
November 7 7:30 p.m. Rutgers No. 3 Ohio State Ohio StadiumColumbus, OH BTN  OSU 49–27   1,275
November 7 3:30 p.m. Purdue No. 10 Wisconsin Camp Randall StadiumMadison, WI ABC  CANCELED [25]  
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

The Purdue at Wisconsin game was canceled due to a COVID-19 outbreak at Wisconsin[25]

Week #4[edit]

Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance
November 13 7:00 p.m. Iowa Minnesota TCF Bank StadiumMinneapolis, MN (Floyd of Rosedale) FS1  IA 35–7   771
November 14 12:00 p.m. Penn State Nebraska Memorial StadiumLincoln, NE FS1  NEB 30–23   0
November 14 12:00 p.m. No. 10 Indiana Michigan State Spartan StadiumEast Lansing, MI (Old Brass Spittoon) ABC  IU 24–0   340
November 14 1:00 p.m. Illinois Rutgers SHI StadiumPiscataway, NJ BTN  ILL 23–20   0
November 14 5:00 p.m. No. 23 Northwestern Purdue Ross-Ade StadiumWest Lafayette, IN BTN  NW 27–20   886
November 14 7:30 p.m. No. 13 Wisconsin Michigan Michigan StadiumAnn Arbor, MI ABC  WIS 49–11   605
November 14 3:30 p.m. No. 3 Ohio State Maryland Maryland StadiumCollege Park, MD BTN  CANCELED[26]  
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

The Ohio State at Maryland game was canceled due to a COVID-19 outbreak at Maryland.[26]

Week #5[edit]

Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance
November 20 7:30 p.m. Purdue Minnesota TCF Bank StadiumMinneapolis, MN BTN  MIN 34–31   593
November 21 12:00 p.m. No. 9 Indiana No. 3 Ohio State Ohio StadiumColumbus, OH FOX  OSU 42–35   635
November 21 12:00 p.m. Illinois Nebraska Memorial StadiumLincoln, NE FS1  ILL 41–23   0
November 21 3:30 p.m. No. 10 Wisconsin No. 19 Northwestern Ryan FieldEvanston, IL ABC  NW 17–7   1
November 21 3:30 p.m. Iowa Penn State Beaver StadiumUniversity Park, PA BTN  IA 41–21   1,500
November 21 7:30 p.m. Michigan Rutgers SHI StadiumPiscataway, NJ BTN  MICH 48–42 3OT  0
November 21 12:00 p.m. Michigan State Maryland Maryland StadiumCollege Park, MD BTN  CANCELED[27]  
Homecoming. #Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Michigan State at Maryland was canceled due to COVID-19 cases at Maryland.[27]

Week #6[edit]

Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance
November 27 1:00 p.m. Nebraska Iowa Kinnick StadiumIowa City, IA (Heroes Trophy) FOX  IA 26–20   1,469
November 28 12:00 p.m. Penn State Michigan Michigan StadiumAnn Arbor, MI (Big Noon Kickoff) ABC  PSU 27–17   0
November 28 12:00 p.m. Maryland No. 12 Indiana Memorial StadiumBloomington, IN ESPN2  IU 27–11   963
November 28 3:30 p.m. No. 11 Northwestern Michigan State Spartan StadiumEast Lansing, MI ESPN  MSU 29–20   0
November 28 4:00 p.m. Rutgers Purdue Ross-Ade StadiumWest Lafayette, IN FS1  RUT 37–30   728
November 28 12:00 p.m. No. 3 Ohio State Illinois Memorial StadiumChampaign, IL (Illibuck Trophy) FS1  CANCELED [28]  
November 28 2:00 p.m. Minnesota No. 18 Wisconsin Camp Randall StadiumMadison, WI (Paul Bunyan's Axe) BTN  CANCELED[29]  
Homecoming. #Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Ohio State at Illinois was canceled after positive COVID-19 at Ohio State.[28]

Minnesota at Wisconsin was canceled after positive COVID-19 tests at Minnesota.[29]

Week #7[edit]

Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance
December 5 12:00 p.m. No. 3 Ohio State Michigan State Spartan StadiumEast Lansing, MI ABC  OSU 52–12   0
December 5 12:00 p.m. Nebraska Purdue Ross-Ade StadiumWest Lafayette, IN BTN  NEB 37–27   808
December 5 12:00 p.m. Penn State Rutgers SHI StadiumPiscataway, NJ FS1  PSU 23–7   0
December 5 3:30 p.m. No. 10 Indiana No. 18 Wisconsin Camp Randall StadiumMadison, WI ABC  IU 14–6   0
December 5 3:30 p.m. No. 24 Iowa Illinois Memorial StadiumChampaign, IL FS1  IA 35–21   875
December 5 12:00 p.m. No. 16 Northwestern Minnesota TCF Bank StadiumMinneapolis, MN BTN  CANCELED[30]  
December 5 3:30 p.m. Maryland Michigan Michigan StadiumAnn Arbor, MI BTN  CANCELED[31]  
Homecoming. #Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Northwestern at Minnesota was canceled after COVID issues at Minnesota.[30]

Maryland at Michigan was canceled after COVID issues at Michigan.[31]

Week #8[edit]

Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance
December 12 12:00 p.m. Minnesota Nebraska Memorial StadiumLincoln, NE ($5 Bits of Broken Chair Trophy) FS1  MIN 24–17   0
December 12 12:00 p.m. Rutgers Maryland Maryland StadiumCollege Park, MD BTN  RUT 27–24 OT  0
December 12 12:00 p.m. Illinois No. 15 Northwestern Ryan FieldEvanston, IL (Land of Lincoln Trophy) ESPN2  NW 28–10   0
December 12 12:00 p.m. Michigan State Penn State Beaver StadiumUniversity Park, PA (Land Grant Trophy) ABC  PSU 39–24   0
December 12 3:30 p.m. No. 25 Wisconsin No. 19 Iowa Kinnick StadiumIowa City, IA (Heartland Trophy) FS1  IA 28–7   1,445
December 12 12:00 p.m. Michigan No. 3 Ohio State Ohio StadiumColumbus, OH (The Game) FOX  CANCELED[32]  
December 12 3:30 p.m. Purdue No. 8 Indiana Memorial StadiumBloomington, IN (Old Oaken Bucket) BTN  CANCELED[33]  
Homecoming. #Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Michigan at Ohio State game was canceled after COVID-19 issues at Michigan.[32]

Purdue at Indiana was canceled by mutual agreement after increased COVID-19 issues at both schools.[33]

Week #9: Big Ten Championship Game and Champions Week games[edit]

Logo of the Champions Week
Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance
Big Ten Championship Game
December 19 12:00 p.m. No. 15 Northwestern No. 3 Ohio State Lucas Oil StadiumIndianapolis, IN FOX  OSU 22–10   3,178
Champions Week Games[34]
December 18 7:30 p.m. Nebraska Rutgers SHI StadiumPiscataway, NJ BTN  NEB 28–21   0
December 19 4:00 p.m. Minnesota Wisconsin Camp Randall StadiumMadison, WI (Paul Bunyan's Axe) BTN  WIS 20–17 OT  0
December 19 5:30 p.m. Illinois Penn State Beaver StadiumUniversity Park, PA FS1  PSU 56–21   0
December 18 7:30 p.m. Purdue No. 7 Indiana Memorial StadiumBloomington, IN (Old Oaken Bucket) BTN  CANCELED[35]  
December 19 7:00 p.m. Michigan No. 18 Iowa Kinnick StadiumIowa City, IA ESPN  CANCELED[36]  
December 19 7:30 p.m. Michigan State Maryland Maryland StadiumCollege Park, MD BTN  CANCELED[37]  
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Note: The additional games were originally planned to be cross-divisional matchups of the teams with the same standings – second place vs. second place, third place vs. third place, and so on. The schedule was changed to preserve rivalry games that were canceled during the regular season, and to avoid rematches.

Indiana-Purdue game canceled due to COVID-19 issues at both schools.[35]

Nebraska's game with Rutgers has been adjusted from a 3:00 PM to a 6:30 PM kickoff time on Friday, December 18 after the cancellation of the Indiana-Purdue game.[38]

Michigan-Iowa game canceled due to COVID-19 issues at Michigan.[36]

Maryland-Michigan State game canceled due to COVID-19 issues at Maryland.[37]

Canceled regular season games[edit]

The following non-conference games were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic:[39]

Sept. 3

  • Florida Atlantic at Minnesota

Sept. 4

  • Illinois State at Illinois

Sept. 5

Sept. 12

Sept. 19

Sept. 26

Oct. 3

  • Wisconsin vs. Notre Dame (at Green Bay, WI)

Nov. 14

  • Morgan State at Northwestern

Postseason[edit]

Bowl games[edit]

Games below do not include bowl games that Big Ten teams may be selected for in the College Football Playoff semifinals (the Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl on January 1, 2021) or potential At-Large bids in New Year's Six Bowls (the Cotton Bowl on December 30, 2020, and Peach Bowl on January 1, 2021).

Five Big Ten teams accepted bowl bids for the 2020–21 season, with Ohio State being selected for the College Football Playoff.[40]

Bowl game Date Site Television Time (EST) Big Ten team Opponent Score Attendance
Duke's Mayo Bowl December 30 Bank of America StadiumCharlotte, NC ESPN 12:00 p.m. Wisconsin Wake Forest W 42–28 1,500
Music City Bowl December 30 Nissan StadiumNashville, TN ESPN 4:00 p.m. #15 Iowa Missouri CANCELED
Citrus Bowl January 1 Camping World StadiumOrlando, FL ABC 1:00 p.m. #14 Northwestern Auburn W 35–19 0
Outback Bowl January 2 Raymond James StadiumTampa, FL ABC 12:30 p.m. #11 Indiana Mississippi L 20–26 11,025
College Football Playoff
Sugar Bowl (Semifinal) January 1 Mercedes-Benz SuperdomeNew Orleans, LA ESPN 8:00 p.m. #3 Ohio State #2 Clemson W 49–28 3,000
CFP National Championship January 11 Hard Rock StadiumMiami Gardens, FL ESPN 8:00 p.m. #3 Ohio State #1 Alabama L 24–52 14,926

Rankings are from CFP rankings. All times Eastern Time Zone. Big Ten teams shown in bold.

Big Ten records vs other conferences[edit]

2020–2021 records against non-conference foes:

Postseason

Power Conferences 5 Record
ACC 2-0
Big 12 0-0
Pac-12 0-0
BYU/Notre Dame 0-0
SEC 1-2
Power 5 Total 3-2
Other FBS Conferences Record
American 0-0
C–USA 0-0
Independents (Excluding Notre Dame) 0-0
MAC 0-0
Mountain West 0-0
Sun Belt 0-0
Other FBS Total 0-0
Total Bowl Record 3-2

Awards and honors[edit]

Player of the week honors[edit]

Week Offensive Defensive Special Teams Freshman
Player Position Team Player Position Team Player Position Team Player Position Team
Week 1 (Oct. 23) [41] David Bell WR PUR Jamar Johnson S IU Charlie Kuhbander PK NW Graham Mertz QB WIS
Graham Mertz QB WIS Olakunle Fatukasi LB RUT
Week 2 (Nov. 2) [42] Taulia Tagovailoa QB MD Tommy Togiai DT OSU Charles Campbell PK IU Ricky White WR MSU
Justin Fields QB OSU Brandon Joseph S NW
Week 3 (Nov. 9) [43] Mohamed Ibrahim RB MIN Chris Bergin LB NW Charlie Jones WR/PR IA Rakim Jarrett WR MD
Week 4 (Nov. 16) [44] Ty Fryfogle WR IU Zach VanValkenburg DE IA James McCourt K ILL Isaiah Williams QB ILL
Week 5 (Nov. 23) [45] Ty Fryfogle WR IU Blake Gallagher LB NW Giles Jackson KR MICH Brandon Joseph S NW
Week 6 (Nov. 30) [46] Stevie Scott III RB IU Antjuan Simmons LB MSU Keith Duncan K IA Keyvone Lee RB PSU
Matt Coghlin K MSU
Week 7 (Dec. 7) [47] Justin Fields QB OSU Micah McFadden LB IU Haydon Whitehead P IU Joey Porter Jr. CB PSU
Drue Chrisman P OSU
Week 8 (Dec. 14) [48] Ihmir Smith-Marsette WR IA Mariano Sori-Marin LB MIN Jahan Dotson PR PSU Cam Porter RB NW

Big Ten Individual Awards[edit]

The following individuals won the conference's annual player and coach awards:

Award Player School
Graham-George Offensive Player of the Year Justin Fields Ohio State
Griese-Brees Quarterback of the Year Justin Fields Ohio State
Richter-Howard Receiver of the Year Ty Fryfogle Indiana
Ameche-Dayne Running Back of the Year Mohamed Ibrahim Minnesota
Kwalick-Clark Tight End of the Year Pat Freiermuth Penn State
Rimington-Pace Offensive Lineman of the Year Wyatt Davis Ohio State
Nagurski-Wooden Defensive Player of the Year Daviyon Nixon Iowa
Smith-Brown Defensive Lineman of the Year Daviyon Nixon Iowa
Butkus-Fitzgerald Linebacker of the Year Paddy Fisher Northwestern
Tatum-Woodson Defensive Back of the Year Shaun Wade Ohio State
Thompson-Randle El Freshman of the Year Brandon Joseph Northwestern
Bakken-Andersen Kicker of the Year Connor Culp Nebraska
Eddleman-Fields Punter of the Year Tory Taylor Iowa
Rodgers-Dwight Return Specialist of the Year Aron Cruickshank Rutgers
Hayes-Schembechler Coach of the Year (Coaches) Tom Allen Indiana
Dave McClain Coach of the Year (Media) Tom Allen Indiana
Dungy-Thompson Humanitarian Award Vincent Smith Michigan
Ford-Kinnick Leadership Award Napoleon Haris Northwestern

All-Conference Teams[edit]

2020 Big Ten All-Conference Teams and Awards[49]

Coaches Honorable Mention: ILLINOIS: Chase Brown, Mike Epstein, Blake Hayes, Doug Kramer, Vederian Lowe, James McCourt, Roderick Perry II; INDIANA: Harry Crider, Cam Jones, Whop Philyor, Reese Taylor, Haydon Whitehead; IOWA: Dane Belton, Riley Moss, Mekhi Sargent, Ihmir Smith-Marsette, Cody Ince, Kyler Schott, Sam LaPorta; MARYLAND: Chance Campbell, Nick Cross, Jaelyn Duncan, Mo Kite, Tarheeb Still; MICHIGAN: Hassan Haskins, Daxton Hill, Carlo Kemp, Kwity Paye, Brad Robbins, Andrew Stueber; MICHIGAN STATE: Drew Beesley, Matt Coghlin; MINNESOTA: Coney Durr, Boye Mafe, Tanner Morgan, John Michael Schmitz, Conner Olson, Blaise Andries, Sam Schlueter; NEBRASKA: Marquel Dismuke, JoJo Domann, Matt Farniok, Will Honas, Brenden Jaimes, Wan'Dale Robinson, Ben Stille, Deontai Williams; NORTHWESTERN: Derek Adams, Chris Bergin, Earnest Brown IV, Charlie Kuhbander, Eku Leota, John Raine; OHIO STATE: Sevyn Banks, Tuf Borland, Luke Farrell, Marcus Hooker, Josh Proctor, Jeremy Ruckert, Trey Sermon, Tyreke Smith, Marcus Williamson; PENN STATE: Tariq Castro-Fields, Jahan Dotson, P. J. Mustipher, Joey Porter Jr., Antonio Shelton, Brandon Smith, Lamont Wade, Rasheed Walker; PURDUE: Jaylan Alexander, Cam Allen, J.D. Dellinger, Payne Durham, Gus Hartwig, Grant Hermanns, Spencer Holstege, Lorenzo Neal, Rondale Moore; RUTGERS: Michael Dwumfour, Christian Izien, Bo Melton, Reggie Sutton, Julius Turner, Mike Tverdov, Brendon White; WISCONSIN: Tyler Beach, Eric Burrell, Leo Chenal, Faion Hicks, Isaiahh Loudermilk, Jack Sanborn, Mason Stokke, Andy Vujnovich.

Media Honorable Mention: ILLINOIS: Mike Epstein, Doug Kramer, Vederian Lowe, James McCourt, Roderick Perry II; INDIANA: Harry Crider, Cam Jones, Whop Philyor, Reese Taylor, Haydon Whitehead; IOWA: Dane Belton, Seth Benson, Shaun Beyer, Matt Hankins, Cody Ince, Mark Kallenberger, Sam LaPorta, Riley Moss, Nick Niemann, Spencer Petras, Mekhi Sargent, Ihmir Smith-Marsette, Kyler Schott; MARYLAND: Chance Campbell, Nick Cross, Dontay Demus, Jaelyn Duncan, Jake Funk, Rakim Jarrett, Johnny Jordan, Mo Kite, Tarheeb Still, Taulia Tagovailoa; MICHIGAN: Michael Barrett, Hassan Haskins, Brad Hawkins, Daxton Hill, Brad Robbins; MICHIGAN STATE: Drew Beesley, Matt Coghlin, Jayden Reed; MINNESOTA: Coney Durr, Boye Mafe, Tanner Morgan, Sam Schlueter, John Michael Schmitz; NEBRASKA: Dicaprio Bootle, Marquel Dismuke, JoJo Domann, Matt Farniok, Will Honas, Brenden Jaimes, Ben Stille, Cam Taylor-Britt, Deontai Williams; NORTHWESTERN: Derek Adams, Chris Bergin, Earnest Brown IV, Ramaud Chiaokhiao-Bowman, Charlie Kuhbander, JR Pace, John Raine; OHIO STATE: Sevyn Banks, Tuf Borland, Baron Browning, Drue Chrisman, Zach Harrison, Haskell Garrett, Marcus Hooker, Harry Miller, Nicholas Petit-Frere, Trey Sermon, Tyreke Smith; PENN STATE: Jaquan Brisker, Tariq Castro-Fields, Jahan Dotson, Will Fries, P. J. Mustipher, Antonio Shelton, Brandon Smith; PURDUE: Cam Allen, J.D. Dellinger, Gus Hartwig, Grant Hermanns, Spencer Holstege, George Karlaftis, Greg Long, Lorenzo Neal, Rondale Moore, Brennan Thieneman; RUTGERS: Michael Dwumfour, Tyshon Fogg, Christian Izien, Bo Melton, Raiqwon O'Neil, Julius Turner, Mike Tverdov, Avery Young; WISCONSIN: Eric Burrell, Leo Chenal, Faion Hicks, Caesar Williams.

All-Americans[edit]

The 2020 College Football All-America Team is composed of the following College Football All-American first teams chosen by the following selector organizations: Associated Press (AP), Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), Walter Camp Foundation (WCFF), The Sporting News (TSN), Sports Illustrated (SI), USA Today (USAT) ESPN, CBS Sports (CBS), FOX Sports (FOX) College Football News (CFN), Bleacher Report (BR), Scout.com, Phil Steele (PS), SB Nation (SB), Athlon Sports, Pro Football Focus (PFF), The Athletic, and Yahoo! Sports (Yahoo!).

Currently, the NCAA compiles consensus all-America teams in the sports of Division I-FBS football and Division I men's basketball using a point system computed from All-America teams named by coaches associations or media sources. The system consists of three points for a first-team honor, two points for second-team honor, and one point for third-team honor. Honorable mention and fourth team or lower recognitions are not accorded any points. Football consensus teams are compiled by position and the player accumulating the most points at each position is named first team consensus all-American. Currently, the NCAA recognizes All-Americans selected by the AP, AFCA, FWAA, TSN, and the WCFF to determine Consensus and Unanimous All-Americans. Any player named to the First Team by all five of the NCAA-recognized selectors is deemed a Unanimous All-American.[50][51]

Position Player School Selector Unanimous Consensus
First Team All-Americans
C Tyler Linderbaum Iowa Athletic, USAT
OG Wyatt Davis Ohio State AFCA, AP, ESPN, FWAA, PS, TSN, WCFF * *
DL Haskell Garrett Ohio State CBS
DL Daviyon Nixon Iowa AFCA, AP, Athletic, ESPN, FWAA, PS, TSN, WCFF, USAT * *
CB Greg Newsome II Northwestern Athletic
CB Shaun Wade Ohio State AFCA, AP, ESPN, TSN *
S Brandon Joseph Northwestern AFCA, AP, CBS, TSN, WCFF, USAT *
DB Tiawan Mullen Indiana FWAA, PS
Position Player School Selector
Second Team All-Americans
WR Chris Olave Ohio State Athletic, PS
WR Garrett Wilson Ohio State FWAA
C Tyler Linderbaum Iowa AP, CBS, FWAA, PS, WCFF
C Josh Myers Ohio State TSN
OG Wyatt Davis Ohio State CBS, USAT
OG Kendrick Green Illinois USAT
OT Alaric Jackson Iowa AFCA
DL Jonathon Cooper Ohio State AFCA
DL Daviyon Nixon Iowa CBS
DT Haskell Garrett Ohio State AP, Athletic, TSN, WCFF
LB Paddy Fisher Northwestern AFCA, CBS
LB Micah McFadden Indiana PS
CB Tiawan Mullen Indiana Athletic
CB Greg Newsome II Northwestern FWAA, PS, USAT
CB Shaun Wade Ohio State CBS, FWAA, PS, WCFF
S Jaquan Brisker Penn State CBS
CB Brandon Joseph Northwestern Athletic
DB Shakur Brown Michigan State WCFF
P Tory Taylor Iowa Athletic
Position Player School Selector
Third Team All-Americans
RB Mohamed Ibrahim Minnesota AP
RB Trey Sermon Ohio State PS
WR Ty Fryfogle Indiana AP
WR Garrett Wilson Ohio State PS
OL Alaric Jackson Iowa PS
DL Haskell Garrett Ohio State PS
LB Micah McFadden Indiana AP
LB Blake Gallagher Northwestern PS
CB Greg Newsome II Northwestern AP
CB Brandon Joseph Northwestern PS
Position Player School Selector
Fourth Team All-Americans
QB Justin Fields Ohio State PS
RB Mohamed Ibrahim Minnesota PS
WR Ty Fryfogle Indiana PS
OL Josh Myers Ohio State PS
LB Paddy Fisher Northwestern PS

*Associated Press All-America Team (AP)
*CBS Sports All-America Team (CBS)
*ESPN Sports All-America Team (ESPN)
*The Athletic All-America Team (Athletic)
*USA Today All-America Team (USAT)
*The Sporting News All-America Team (TSN)
*Football Writers Association of America All-America Team (FWAA)
*American Football Coaches Association All-America Team (AFCA)
*Phil Steele All-America Team (PS) Archived December 1, 2021, at the Wayback Machine
*Walter Camp Football Foundation All-America Team (WCFF)


All–Academic[edit]

National award winners[edit]

Home attendance[edit]

Due to COVID-19, the Big Ten is not allowing fans into stadiums for the 2020 season. Family members and limited staff are permitted. Some schools count and track those numbers and some do not.

Team Stadium Capacity Game 1 Game 2 Game 3 Game 4 Game 5 Total Average % of Capacity
Illinois Memorial Stadium 60,670 838 863 (Canceled) 875 2,576 859 1.4%
Indiana Memorial Stadium 52,656 995 1,034 963 (Canceled) 2,992 997 1.9%
Iowa Kinnick Stadium 69,250 1,432 1,441 1,469 1,445 5,787 1,447 2.1%
Maryland Maryland Stadium 51,802 0 (Canceled) (Canceled) 0 0 0 0.0%
Michigan Michigan Stadium 107,601 615 605 0 (Canceled) 1,220 407 0.4%
Michigan State Spartan Stadium 75,005 376 340 0 0 716 179 0.2%
Minnesota TCF Bank Stadium 50,805 589 771 593 (Canceled) 1,953 651 1.3%
Nebraska Memorial Stadium 85,458 (Canceled) 0 0 0 0 0 0.0%
Northwestern Ryan Field 47,130 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0%
Ohio State Ohio Stadium 102,780 1,344 1,275 635 (Canceled) 3,254 1,085 1.1%
Penn State Beaver Stadium 106,572 1,500 1,500 1,500 0 0 4,500 900 0.8%
Purdue Ross–Ade Stadium 57,236 900 886 728 808 3,322 831 1.5%
Rutgers SHI Stadium 52,454 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0%
Wisconsin Camp Randall Stadium 80,321 0 (Canceled) (Canceled) 0 0 0 0 0.0%

2021 NFL Draft[edit]

The Big Ten had 44 players selected in the 2021 NFL Draft, the second-most of any conference, trailing only the SEC who had 65.

Team Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4 Round 5 Round 6 Round 7 Total
Illinois 1 1 2
Indiana 1 1
Iowa 1 2 1 4
Maryland 1 1
Michigan 1 3 2 2 8
Michigan State
Minnesota 1 1 2
Nebraska 1 1 2
Northwestern 2 1 3
Ohio State 1 2 3 1 2 1 10
Penn State 2 1 3 6
Purdue 1 1 2
Rutgers
Wisconsin 1 2 3
* compensatory selection
× 2020 Resolution JC-2A selection
Rnd. Pick No. NFL team Player Pos. College Conf. Notes
1 11 Chicago Bears Justin Fields  QB Ohio State Big Ten
from N.Y. Giants[R1 - 1]
1 12 Dallas Cowboys Micah Parsons  LB Penn State Big Ten
from San Francisco via Miami and Philadelphia [R1 - 2]
1 13 Los Angeles Chargers Rashawn Slater  OT Northwestern Big Ten
1 21 Indianapolis Colts Kwity Paye  DE Michigan Big Ten
1 26 Cleveland Browns Greg Newsome II  CB Northwestern Big Ten
1 27 Baltimore Ravens Rashod Bateman  WR Minnesota Big Ten
1 31 Baltimore Ravens Odafe Oweh  DE Penn State Big Ten
from Kansas City [R1 - 3]
2 49 Arizona Cardinals Rondale Moore  WR Purdue Big Ten
2 55 Pittsburgh Steelers Pat Freiermuth  TE Penn State Big Ten
2 60 New Orleans Saints Pete Werner  LB Ohio State Big Ten
2 62 Green Bay Packers Josh Myers  C Ohio State Big Ten
3 68 Atlanta Falcons Jalen Mayfield  OT Michigan Big Ten
3 74 Washington Football Team Benjamin St-Juste  CB Minnesota Big Ten
from San Francisco [R3 - 1]
3 84 Dallas Cowboys Chauncey Golston  DE Iowa Big Ten
from Indianapolis via Philadelphia[R3 - 2]
3 86 Minnesota Vikings Wyatt Davis  OG Ohio State Big Ten
from Seattle via N.Y. Jets [R3 - 3]
3 87 Pittsburgh Steelers Kendrick Green  OG Illinois Big Ten
3 88 San Francisco 49ers Trey Sermon  RB Ohio State Big Ten
3 89 Houston Texans Nico Collins  WR Michigan Big Ten
102 San Francisco 49ers Ambry Thomas  CB Michigan Big Ten
2020 Resolution JC-2A selection[a]
105 Denver Broncos Baron Browning  LB Ohio State Big Ten
2020 Resolution JC-2A selection[b] via New Orleans
4 113 Detroit Lions Derrick Barnes  LB Purdue Big Ten
from Carolina via Cleveland [R4 - 1]
4 132 Cleveland Browns Tommy Togiai  OT Ohio State Big Ten
5 145 Jacksonville Jaguars Luke Farrell  TE Ohio State Big Ten
5 156 Pittsburgh Steelers Isaiahh Loudermilk  DT Wisconsin Big Ten
from Dallas via Philadelphia, [R5 - 1] Miami, and Philadelphia
5 157 Minnesota Vikings Ihmir Smith-Marsette  WR Iowa Big Ten
5 158 Carolina Panthers Daviyon Nixon  DT Iowa Big Ten
5 159 Los Angeles Chargers Brenden Jaimes  OT Nebraska Big Ten
5 160 Baltimore Ravens Shaun Wade  CB Ohio State Big Ten
from Arizona
5 164 Denver Broncos Jamar Johnson  S Indiana Big Ten
5 167 Las Vegas Raiders Nate Hobbs  CB Illinois Big Ten
from Seattle [R5 - 4]
5 174 Los Angeles Rams Earnest Brown IV  DE Northwestern Big Ten
from Buffalo via Houston
5* 177 New England Patriots Cameron McGrone  LB Michigan Big Ten
33rd compensatory selection [N 1]
5* 184 Baltimore Ravens Ben Mason  FB Michigan Big Ten
6 185 Los Angeles Chargers Nick Niemann  LB Iowa Big Ten
from Jacksonville via Tennessee [R6 - 1]
6 202 Cincinnati Bengals Chris Evans  RB Michigan Big Ten
from Miami via Houston [R6 - 2]
6 213 Buffalo Bills Rachad Wildgoose  CB Wisconsin Big Ten
6 214 Green Bay Packers Cole Van Lanen  OG Wisconsin Big Ten
6* 225 Washington Football Team Camaron Cheeseman  LS Michigan Big Ten
from Philadelphia
7 233 Los Angeles Rams Jake Funk  RB Maryland Big Ten
from Cincinnati via Houston [R7 - 1]
7 238 Dallas Cowboys Matt Farniok  OG Nebraska Big Ten
7 239 Denver Broncos Jonathon Cooper  DE Ohio State Big Ten
from N.Y. Giants [R7 - 2]
7 246 Washington Football Team Shaka Toney  DE Penn State Big Ten
7 247 Arizona Cardinals Michal Menet  C Penn State Big Ten
from Chicago via Las Vegas [R7 - 3]
7 248 Indianapolis Colts Will Fries  OG Penn State Big Ten

Draft Notes

  1. ^ San Francisco received 2021, 2022, and 2023 third-round selections when its defensive coordinator Robert Saleh was hired by the New York Jets as head coach and its vice president of player personnel Martin Mayhew was hired by Washington as general manager.[52][53][54]
  2. ^ New Orleans received 2021 and 2022 third-round selections when its director of pro scouting Terry Fontenot was hired by Atlanta as general manager.[55]
  1. ^ a b "Chicago Bears select QB Justin Fields with No. 11 pick in NFL draft after making deal with New York Giants". ESPN.com. April 30, 2021. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
  2. ^ Shook, Nick (March 26, 2021). "49ers acquire No. 3 overall pick from Dolphins; Miami gets No. 12 pick, two future firsts". NFL.com. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  3. ^ a b Patra, Kevin (March 26, 2021). "Dolphins acquire No. 6 pick in 2021 draft from Eagles for No. 12 pick, 2022 first-rounder". NFL.com. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  4. ^ a b "Eagles trade up, get Bama WR Smith at No. 10". ESPN.com. April 30, 2021. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
  5. ^ Lambert, Ivan (April 25, 2020). "Goodbye Trent". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 26, 2020. Williams will now become a member of the San Francisco 49ers; while in return the Redskins received a fifth round choice in this year's draft (156th overall) and also a third round choice in the 2021 draft.
  6. ^ "Philadelphia Eagles trade QB Carson Wentz to Indianapolis Colts for two draft picks". ESPN. February 19, 2021. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
  7. ^ Cimini, Rich (July 25, 2020). "New York Jets trade Jamal Adams to Seattle Seahawks, get two first-round picks". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
  8. ^ Smith, Eric (April 29, 2021). "Vikings Trade Down with Jets in 2021 NFL Draft's 1st Round". Minnesota Vikings. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
  9. ^ a b c d e "2021 NFL Draft trade tracker: Full details of every move". NFL.com. Archived from the original on April 30, 2021. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
  10. ^ Archer, Todd (April 25, 2020). "Dallas Cowboys make rare trade with Eagles to draft center Tyler Biadasz". ESPN. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
  11. ^ "Here Are Reported Details On Patriots' Marcus Cannon Trade To Texans". NES. March 18, 2021. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
  12. ^ Eisen, Michael (April 30, 2021). "Giants trade up for UCF CB Aaron Robinson". Giants.com.
  13. ^ Boyle, John (March 21, 2021). "Seahawks Acquire Guard Gabe Jackson In Trade With Raiders". Seahawks.com.
  14. ^ Davenport, Turron (October 14, 2020). "Unhappy LB Correa traded by Titans to Jaguars". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on October 15, 2020. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  15. ^ Comway, Tyler (November 2, 2020). "Desmond King Traded to Titans; Chargers Acquire 6th-Round Draft Pick". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on November 2, 2020. Retrieved March 20, 2020.
  16. ^ Patra, Kevin (August 31, 2019). "Texans trade for Dolphins' Laremy Tunsil, Kenny Stills". NFL.com. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  17. ^ a b "Bengals Trade Quarterback Ryan Finley To Texans". Sports Illustrated. March 19, 2021. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
  18. ^ O'Halloran, Ryan (September 2, 2020). "Broncos trade cornerback Isaac Yiadom to New York Giants". The Denver Post. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  19. ^ "Sources: Bears trade for Raiders kicker Pineiro". ESPN. May 6, 2019.
  20. ^ "Cardinals Make Trade For 3-Time Pro Bowl Center Rodney Hudson". azcardinals.com. March 17, 2021. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
  1. ^ Hensley, Jamison (April 23, 2021). "Sources: Chiefs shipping first-round pick, 3 others to Ravens for package highlighted by Orlando Brown Jr". ESPN. Archived from the original on April 23, 2021. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
  1. ^ No. 11: NY Giants → Chicago (D). NY Giants traded its first-round selection (11th overall) to Chicago in exchange for first- and fifth-round selections (20th and 164th overall), alongside their first and fourth-round selections in 2022.[trade 1]
  2. ^ Multiple trades:
           No. 12: San Francisco → Miami (PD). See No. 3: Miami → San Francisco.[trade 2]
           No. 6: Philadelphia → Miami (PD).No. 12: Miami → Philadelphia (PD). See [trade 3]
           No. 12: Philadelphia → Dallas (D). See No. 10: Dallas → Philadelphia.[trade 4]
  3. ^ No. 31: Kansas City → Baltimore (PD). Kansas City traded a first, third, and fourth-round selection (31st, 94th, and 136th overall) and a 2022 fifth-round selection to Baltimore in exchange for a second-round selection (58th overall), a 2022 sixth-round selection, and offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr.[Trade 1]
  1. ^ No. 74: San Francisco → Washington (PD). San Francisco traded third-round and 2020 fifth-round selections to Washington in exchange for offensive tackle Trent Williams.[trade 5]
  2. ^ Multiple trades:
           No. 84: Indianapolis → Philadelphia (PD). Indianapolis traded a third-round selection and a 2022 conditional second-round selection, which could go up to the first round, to Philadelphia in exchange for quarterback Carson Wentz.[trade 6]
           No. 84: Philadelphia → Dallas (D). See No. 10: Dallas → Philadelphia.[trade 4]
  3. ^ Multiple trades:
           No. 86: Seattle → N.Y. Jets (PD). See No. 23: Seattle → N.Y. Jets.[trade 7]
           No. 86: N.Y. Jets → Minnesota (D). See No. 14: Minnesota → N.Y. Jets.[trade 8]
  4. ^ No. 88: L.A. Rams → San Francisco (D). The L.A. Rams traded a third-round selection (88th overall) to San Francisco in exchange for two fourth-round selections (117th and 121st overall).[trade 9]
  5. ^ Multiple trades:
           No. 89: Cleveland → Carolina (D). See No. 52: Carolina → Cleveland.[trade 9]
           No. 89: Carolina → Houston (D). Carolina traded a third-round selection (89th overall) to Houston in exchange for fourth- and fifth-round selections (109th and 158th overall) and a 2022 fourth-round selection.[trade 9]
  1. ^ No. 113: Carolina → Cleveland (D). See No. 52: Carolina → Cleveland.[trade 9]
  1. ^ Multiple trades:
           No. 156: Dallas → Philadelphia (PD). Dallas traded 2020 and 2021 fifth-round selections to Philadelphia in exchange for a 2020 fourth-round selection.[trade 10]
           No. 156: Philadelphia → Miami (PD). See No. 6: Philadelphia → Miami.[trade 3]
  2. ^ Multiple trades:
           No. 158: New England → Houston (PD). See No. 122: Houston → New England.[trade 11]       No. 158: Houston → Carolina (D). See No. 89: Carolina → Houston.[trade 9]
  3. ^ Multiple trades:
           No. 164: Chicago → N.Y. Giants (D). See No. 11: N.Y. Giants → Chicago.[trade 1]
           No. 164: N.Y. Giants → Denver (D). See No. 71: Denver → N.Y. Giants.[trade 12]
  4. ^ No. 167: Seattle → Las Vegas (PD). Seattle traded a fifth-round selection to Las Vegas in exchange for offensive guard Gabe Jackson.[trade 13]
  1. ^ Multiple trades:
           No. 185: Jacksonville → Tennessee (PD). Jacksonville traded a sixth-round selection to Tennessee in exchange for a seventh-round selection and linebacker Kamalei Correa.[trade 14]
           No. 185: Tennessee → L.A. Chargers (PD). Tennessee traded Jacksonville's six-round selection to the Los Angeles Chargers in exchange for cornerback Desmond King.[trade 15]
  2. ^ Multiple trades:
           No. 202: Miami → Houston (PD). See No. 3: Houston → Miami.[trade 16]       No. 202: Houston → Cincinnati (PD). Houston traded Miami's sixth-round pick in exchange for a seventh-round selection and quarterback Ryan Finley.[trade 17]
  1. ^ No. 233: Cincinnati → Houston. See No. 202: Houston → Cincinnati.[trade 17]
  2. ^ No. 239: N.Y. Giants → Denver (PD). The New York Giants traded a seventh-round selection to Denver in exchange for cornerback Isaac Yiadom.[trade 18]
  3. ^ Multiple trades:
           No. 247: Chicago → Las Vegas (PD). Chicago traded a conditional seventh-round selection to Las Vegas, based in Oakland at the time of trade, in exchange for kicker Eddy Piñeiro.[trade 19]
           No. 247: Las Vegas → Arizona (PD). See No. 79: Arizona → Las Vegas.[trade 20]
  1. ^ The NFL originally announced 32 compensatory selections. On March 19, it released a revised list of 33 selections. After correcting an error in the original calculation, the Patriots earned an additional fifth-round compensatory selection. The NFL Management Council and NFLPA agreed to add an extra compensatory selection instead of removing a previously awarded one.[56]

Head coaches[edit]

Current through January 11, 2021

Team Head coach Years at school Overall record Record at school B1G record
Illinois Lovie Smith* 5 17–39 (.304) 17–39 (.304) 10–33 (.233)
Illinois Rod Smith* 1 0–1 (.000) 0–1 (.000) 0–1 (.000)
Indiana Tom Allen* 4 24–22 (.522) 24–22 (.522) 15–19 (.441)
Iowa Kirk Ferentz 22 180–127 (.586) 168–106 (.613) 103–77 (.572)
Maryland Mike Locksley* 2 8–43 (.157) 6–17 (.261) 4–16 (.200)
Michigan Jim Harbaugh 6 107–49 (.686) 49–22 (.690) 34–16 (.680)
Michigan State Mel Tucker 1 7–12 (.368) 2–5 (.286) 2–5 (.286)
Minnesota P. J. Fleck 4 56–41 (.577) 26–19 (.578) 15–19 (.441)
Nebraska Scott Frost 3 31–27 (.534) 12–20 (.375) 9–17 (.346)
Northwestern Pat Fitzgerald 15 106–81 (.567) 106–81 (.567) 63–60 (.512)
Ohio State Ryan Day* 2 23–2 (.920) 23–2 (.920) 15–0 (1.000)
Penn State James Franklin 7 84–43 (.661) 60–28 (.682) 38–23 (.623)
Purdue Jeff Brohm 4 49–35 (.583) 19–25 (.432) 14–19 (.424)
Rutgers Greg Schiano* 12 71–73 (.493) 71–73 (.493) 3–6 (.333)
Wisconsin Paul Chryst 6 75–38 (.664) 56–19 (.747) 37–13 (.740)

* Tom Allen was hired to replace Kevin Wilson in December 2016 at Indiana and coached the Hoosiers in their 2016 bowl game, going 0–1.

* Mike Locksley served as interim head coach at Maryland in 2015 and coached for six games, going 1–5.[57]

* Ryan Day served as interim head coach at Ohio State for the first three games of the 2018 season while Urban Meyer served a three-game suspension and went 3–0.[58]

* Greg Schiano served as head coach at Rutgers from 2001 through 2011 then left for the NFL. Following the conclusion of the 2019 season, Schiano returned to Rutgers for his second stint as head coach. The Scarlet Knights competed in the Big East Conference in his previous stay at the school.

* Lovie Smith was relieved of his coaching duties at Illinois on December 13. Offensive coordinator Rod Smith was named interim coach for the final game of the 2020 season.[59]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Stevens, Matthew. "Big Ten To Play A "Championship Weekend" 9th Game Of 2020 Season". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
  2. ^ "Greg Schiano Returns as Rutgers Head Football Coach". Rutgers University Athletics.
  3. ^ Michigan State twitter account announcing the hiring of Mel Tucker
  4. ^ Hilbert, Evan. "'Illinois and the Big Ten is home for me': Bret Bielema to take over Illini football". USA Today. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
  5. ^ "Ohio State drops to No. 2, LSU up to No. 1 in final College Football Playoff rankings: See social media reaction". cleveland. December 8, 2019.
  6. ^ "Big Ten going to conference-only slate this fall". ESPN.com. July 9, 2020. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
  7. ^ "Big Ten Announces Plans for 2020 Football Season, Medical Protocols for All Sports". BigTen.org. August 5, 2020. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
  8. ^ "Mountain West postpones football, fall sports". ESPN.com. August 10, 2020. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
  9. ^ a b "Big Ten Statement on Fall Season". BigTen.org. August 11, 2020. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
  10. ^ "Big Ten nixes fall football season, eyes spring". ESPN.com. August 11, 2020. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
  11. ^ a b c d "Big Ten football to resume weekend of Oct. 24". ESPN.com. September 16, 2020. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
  12. ^ Blinder, Alan; Martin, Jonathan (September 12, 2020). "Trump and Biden Seek an Electoral Edge From an Unlikely Source: College Football". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
  13. ^ Klar, Rebecca (September 10, 2020). "Trump pushes for schools to stay open, Big Ten to play football". TheHill. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
  14. ^ Kim, Allen (September 14, 2020). "Big Ten officials to vote on whether to reverse course and hold an abbreviated fall college sports season". CNN. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
  15. ^ Pickman, Ben (December 13, 2020). "Big Ten Announces Champions Week Schedule". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
  16. ^ "2020 Football Class Rankings".
  17. ^ "2020 Team Rankings".
  18. ^ "2020 Football Recruiting Team Rankings".
  19. ^ Baird, Nathan (July 31, 2020). "Ohio State voted 2020 Big Ten favorite in cleveland.com Preseason Poll". Cleveland.com.
  20. ^ "Big Ten Conference" (PDF). bigten.org.
  21. ^ "The Big Ten Conference Adopts Stringent Medical Protocols; Football Season to Resume October 23-24, 2020". bigten.org. May 31, 2023.
  22. ^ "Big Ten Announces Schedule for 2020 Football Season". bigten.org. May 31, 2023.
  23. ^ Ohio State Will Advance to Big Ten Football Championship Game
  24. ^ a b "Badgers halt, won't play Huskers after outbreak". ESPN.com. October 28, 2020.
  25. ^ a b Swinton, Elizabeth (November 3, 2020). "Wisconsin's Game Against Purdue Canceled With 27 COVID-19 Cases in Program". Sports Illustrated.
  26. ^ a b "Ohio State vs. Maryland game canceled as COVID-19 cases force Terps to pause football-related activities". CBSSports.com. November 11, 2020.
  27. ^ a b Lee, Edward (November 19, 2020). "Maryland cancels football game vs. Michigan State after 15 more players, head coach test positive for coronavirus". baltimoresun.com.
  28. ^ a b Ohio State Buckeyes cancel Saturday's game vs. Illinois
  29. ^ a b "UW-Minnesota cancellation ends 113-year streak". ESPN.com. November 24, 2020.
  30. ^ a b Minnesota Provides COVID-19 Update: Nov. 30
  31. ^ a b Michigan cancels Maryland game, pauses activities
  32. ^ a b Michigan-Ohio State football game called off due to COVID-19 cases with Wolverines
  33. ^ a b Indiana, Purdue Agree to Call Off Rivalry Game
  34. ^ "Champions Week Programm" (PDF). Big Ten Conference. December 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 16, 2020. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  35. ^ a b Indiana-Purdue Old Oaken Bucket Game Canceled
  36. ^ a b Michigan-Iowa game canceled over COVID-19
  37. ^ a b Maryland Athletics Cancels Saturday's Football Game Against Michigan State
  38. ^ "Nebraska-Rutgers Now Set for 6:30 PM (CT) on Friday". Archived from the original on December 15, 2020. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  39. ^ "Big Ten Statement on 2020-21 Fall Season". bigten.org. April 5, 2023.
  40. ^ Five Big Ten Schools Headed to Bowl Games
  41. ^ "Big Ten Football Players of the Week". BigTen.org. Big Ten Conference. October 26, 2020. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  42. ^ "Big Ten Football Players of the Week". BigTen.org. Big Ten Conference. November 2, 2020. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
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