2020 Big Ten Conference football season

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.

2020 Big Ten Conference football season
LeagueNCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision
SportFootball
DurationOctober 24—December 19, 2020
Number of teams14
TV partner(s)Fox Sports (Fox/FS1, Big Ten Network), ESPN (ESPN, ESPN2, ABC)
2021 NFL Draft
Regular season
East Division championsOhio State
West Division championsNorthwestern
Championship Game
ChampionsOhio State
  Runners-upNorthwestern
Finals MVPTrey Sermon, Ohio State
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.

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 couch Lovie Smith, and on December 19 announced the hiring of Bret Bielema as its new head coach.[4]

Previous season

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

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

Preseason media polls

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.[16]

East
Predicted finish Team Votes (1st place)
1Ohio State237 (33)
2Penn State204 (1)
3Michigan169
4Indiana134
5Michigan State94
6Maryland76
7Rutgers38
West
Predicted finish Team Votes (1st place)
1Wisconsin221 (19)
2Minnesota209.5 (14)
3Iowa157
4Nebraska117
5Purdue105
6Northwestern87.5 (1)
7Illinois55
Media poll (Big Ten Championship)
Rank Team Votes
1Ohio State over Wisconsin19
2Ohio State over Minnesota13
3Ohio State over Northwestern1
4Penn State over Minnesota1

Rankings
Main article: 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings

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.

 PreWk
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
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

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.[17] 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.[18][19]

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.[20]

Week #1
DateTimeVisiting teamHome teamSiteTVResultAttendance
October 23 8:00 PM Illinois No. 14T Wisconsin Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, WI BTN  WIS 45–7   0
October 24 12:00 PM Rutgers Michigan State Spartan Stadium • East Lansing, MI BTN  RUT 38–27   376
October 24 12:00 PM Nebraska No. 5 Ohio State Ohio Stadium • Columbus, OH FOX  OSU 52–17   1,344
October 24 3:30 PM No. 8 Penn State Indiana Memorial Stadium • Bloomington, IN FS1  IU 36–35 OT  995
October 24 3:30 PM Iowa Purdue Ross-Ade Stadium • West Lafayette, IN BTN  PUR 24–20   900
October 24 7:30 PM No. 18 Michigan No. 21 Minnesota TCF Bank Stadium • Minneapolis, MN (Little Brown Jug, College GameDay) ABC  MICH 49–24   589
October 24 7:30 PM Maryland Northwestern Ryan Field • Evanston, IL BTN  NW 43–3   0
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Week #2
DateTimeVisiting teamHome teamSiteTVResultAttendance
October 30 7:30 PM Minnesota Maryland Maryland Stadium • College Park, MD ESPN  MD 45–44 OT  0
October 31 12:00 PM Michigan State No. 13 Michigan Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI (Paul Bunyan Trophy) FOX  MSU 27–24   615
October 31 12:00 PM Purdue Illinois Memorial Stadium • Champaign, IL (Purdue Cannon) BTN  PUR 31–24   838
October 31 3:30 PM Northwestern Iowa Kinnick Stadium • Iowa City, IA ESPN  NW 21–20   1,432
October 31 3:30 PM No. 17 Indiana Rutgers SHI Stadium • Piscataway, NJ BTN  IU 37–21   0
October 31 7:30 PM No. 3 Ohio State No. 18 Penn State Beaver Stadium • University Park, PA (OSU-PSU rivalry) ABC  OSU 38–25   1,500
October 31 3:30 PM No. 9 Wisconsin Nebraska Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, NE (Freedom Trophy) FS1  CANCELED[21]   –
#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[21]

Week #3
DateTimeVisiting teamHome teamSiteTVResultAttendance
November 7 12:00 PM No. 23 Michigan No. 13 Indiana Memorial Stadium • Bloomington, IN FS1  IU 38–21   1,034
November 7 12:00 PM Nebraska Northwestern Ryan Field • Evanston, IL BTN  NW 21–13   0
November 7 12:00 PM Michigan State Iowa Kinnick Stadium • Iowa City, IA ESPN  IA 49–7   1,441
November 7 3:30 PM Maryland Penn State Beaver Stadium • University Park, PA (MD-PSU rivalry) BTN  MD 35–19   1,500
November 7 3:30 PM Minnesota Illinois Memorial Stadium • Champaign, IL BTN  MN 41–14   863
November 7 7:30 PM Rutgers No. 3 Ohio State Ohio Stadium • Columbus, OH BTN  OSU 49–27   1,275
November 7 3:30 PM Purdue No. 10 Wisconsin Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, WI ABC  CANCELED [22]   –
#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[22]

Week #4
DateTimeVisiting teamHome teamSiteTVResultAttendance
November 13 7:00 PM Iowa Minnesota TCF Bank Stadium • Minneapolis, MN (Floyd of Rosedale) FS1  IA 35–7   771
November 14 12:00 PM Penn State Nebraska Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, NE FS1  NEB 30–23   0
November 14 12:00 PM No. 10 Indiana Michigan State Spartan Stadium • East Lansing, MI (Old Brass Spittoon) ABC  IU 24–0   340
November 14 1:00 PM Illinois Rutgers SHI Stadium • Piscataway, NJ BTN  ILL 23–20   0
November 14 5:00 PM No. 23 Northwestern Purdue Ross-Ade Stadium • West Lafayette, IN BTN  NW 27–20   886
November 14 7:30 PM No. 13 Wisconsin Michigan Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI ABC  WIS 49–11   605
November 14 3:30 PM No. 3 Ohio State Maryland Maryland Stadium • College Park, MD BTN  CANCELED[23]   –
#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.[23]

Week #5
DateTimeVisiting teamHome teamSiteTVResultAttendance
November 20 7:30 PM Purdue Minnesota TCF Bank Stadium • Minneapolis, MN BTN  MIN 34–31   593
November 21 12:00 PM No. 9 Indiana No. 3 Ohio State Ohio Stadium • Columbus, OH FOX  OSU 42–35   635
November 21 12:00 PM Illinois Nebraska Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, NE FS1  ILL 41–23   0
November 21 3:30 PM No. 10 Wisconsin No. 19 Northwestern Ryan Field • Evanston, IL ABC  NW 17–7   1
November 21 3:30 PM Iowa Penn State Beaver Stadium • University Park, PA BTN  IA 41–21   1,500
November 21 7:30 PM Michigan Rutgers SHI Stadium • Piscataway, NJ BTN  MICH 48–42 3OT  0
November 21 12:00 PM Michigan State Maryland Maryland Stadium • College Park, MD BTN  CANCELED[24]   –
†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.[24]

Week #6
DateTimeVisiting teamHome teamSiteTVResultAttendance
November 27 1:00 PM Nebraska Iowa Kinnick Stadium • Iowa City, IA (Heroes Trophy) FOX  IA 26–20   1,469
November 28 12:00 PM Penn State Michigan Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI (Big Noon Kickoff) ABC  PSU 27–17   0
November 28 12:00 PM Maryland No. 12 Indiana Memorial Stadium • Bloomington, IN ESPN2  IU 27–11   963
November 28 3:30 PM No. 11 Northwestern Michigan State Spartan Stadium • East Lansing, MI ESPN  MSU 29–20   0
November 28 4:00 PM Rutgers Purdue Ross-Ade Stadium • West Lafayette, IN FS1  RUT 37–30   728
November 28 12:00 PM No. 3 Ohio State Illinois Memorial Stadium • Champaign, IL (Illibuck Trophy) FS1  CANCELED [25]   –
November 28 2:00 PM Minnesota No. 18 Wisconsin Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, WI (Paul Bunyan's Axe) BTN  CANCELED[26]   –
†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.[25]

Minnesota at Wisconsin was canceled after positive COVID-19 tests at Minnesota.[26]

Week #7
DateTimeVisiting teamHome teamSiteTVResultAttendance
December 5 12:00 PM No. 3 Ohio State Michigan State Spartan Stadium • East Lansing, MI ABC  OSU 52–12   0
December 5 12:00 PM Nebraska Purdue Ross-Ade Stadium • West Lafayette, IN BTN  NEB 37–27   808
December 5 12:00 PM Penn State Rutgers SHI Stadium • Piscataway, NJ FS1  PSU 23–7   0
December 5 3:30 PM No. 10 Indiana No. 18 Wisconsin Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, WI ABC  IU 14–6   0
December 5 3:30 PM No. 24 Iowa Illinois Memorial Stadium • Champaign, IL FS1  IA 35–21   875
December 5 12:00 PM No. 16 Northwestern Minnesota TCF Bank Stadium • Minneapolis, MN BTN  CANCELED[27]   –
December 5 3:30 PM Maryland Michigan Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI BTN  CANCELED[28]   –
†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.[27]

Maryland at Michigan was canceled after COVID issues at Michigan.[28]

Week #8
DateTimeVisiting teamHome teamSiteTVResultAttendance
December 12 12:00 PM Minnesota Nebraska Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, NE ($5 Bits of Broken Chair Trophy) FS1  MIN 24–17   0
December 12 12:00 PM Rutgers Maryland Maryland Stadium • College Park, MD BTN  RUT 27–24 OT  0
December 12 12:00 PM Illinois No. 15 Northwestern Ryan Field • Evanston, IL (Land of Lincoln Trophy) ESPN2  NW 28–10   0
December 12 12:00 PM Michigan State Penn State Beaver Stadium • University Park, PA (Land Grant Trophy) ABC  PSU 39–24   0
December 12 3:30 PM No. 25 Wisconsin No. 19 Iowa Kinnick Stadium • Iowa City, IA (Heartland Trophy) FS1  IA 28–7   1,445
December 12 12:00 PM Michigan No. 3 Ohio State Ohio Stadium • Columbus, OH (The Game) FOX  CANCELED[29]   –
December 12 3:30 PM Purdue No. 8 Indiana Memorial Stadium • Bloomington, IN (Old Oaken Bucket) BTN  CANCELED[30]   –
†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.[29]

Purdue at Indiana was canceled by mutual agreement after increased COVID-19 issues at both schools.[30]

Week #9: Big Ten Championship Game and Champions Week games
Logo of the Champions Week
See also: 2020 Big Ten Football Championship Game
DateTimeVisiting teamHome teamSiteTVResultAttendance
Big Ten Championship Game
December 19 12:00 PM No. 15 Northwestern No. 3 Ohio State Lucas Oil Stadium • Indianapolis, IN FOX  OSU 22–10   3,178
Champions Week Games[31]
December 18 7:30 PM Nebraska Rutgers SHI Stadium • Piscataway, NJ BTN  NEB 28–21   0
December 19 4:00 PM Minnesota Wisconsin Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, WI (Paul Bunyan's Axe) BTN  WIS 20–17 OT  0
December 19 5:30 PM Illinois Penn State Beaver Stadium • University Park, PA FS1  PSU 56–21   0
December 18 7:30 PM Purdue No. 7 Indiana Memorial Stadium • Bloomington, IN (Old Oaken Bucket) BTN  CANCELED[32]   –
December 19 7:00 PM Michigan No. 18 Iowa Kinnick Stadium • Iowa City, IA ESPN  CANCELED[33]   –
December 19 7:30 PM Michigan State Maryland Maryland Stadium • College Park, MD BTN  CANCELED[34]   –
#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.[32]

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.[35]

Michigan-Iowa game canceled due to COVID-19 issues at Michigan.[33]

Maryland-Michigan State game canceled due to COVID-19 issues at Maryland.[34]

Canceled regular season games

The following non-conference games were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic:[36]

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

Bowl games

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.[37]

See also: 2020–21 NCAA football bowl games
Bowl game Date Site Television Time (EST) Big Ten team Opponent Score Attendance
Duke's Mayo Bowl December 30 Bank of America Stadium • Charlotte, NC ESPN 12:00 PM Wisconsin Wake Forest W 42–28 1,500
Music City Bowl December 30 Nissan Stadium • Nashville, TN ESPN 4:00 PM #15 Iowa Missouri CANCELED –
Citrus Bowl January 1 Camping World Stadium • Orlando, FL ABC 1:00 PM #14 Northwestern Auburn W 35–19 0
Outback Bowl January 2 Raymond James Stadium • Tampa, FL ABC 12:30 PM #11 Indiana Mississippi L 20–26 11,025
College Football Playoff
Sugar Bowl (Semifinal) January 1 Mercedes-Benz Superdome • New Orleans, LA ESPN 8:00 PM #3 Ohio State #2 Clemson W 49–28 3,000
CFP National Championship January 11 Hard Rock Stadium • Miami Gardens, FL ESPN 8:00 PM #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

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

Player of the week honors
Week Offensive Defensive Special Teams Freshman
Player Position Team Player Position Team Player Position Team Player Position Team
Week 1 (Oct. 23) [38] 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) [39] 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) [40] Mohamed Ibrahim RB MIN Chris Bergin LB NW Charlie Jones WR/PR IA Rakim Jarrett WR MD
Week 4 (Nov. 16) [41] Ty Fryfogle WR IU Zach VanValkenburg DE IA James McCourt K ILL Isaiah Williams QB ILL
Week 5 (Nov. 23) [42] Ty Fryfogle WR IU Blake Gallagher LB NW Giles Jackson KR MICH Brandon Joseph S NW
Week 6 (Nov. 30) [43] 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) [44] Justin Fields QB OSU Micah McFadden LB IU Haydon Whitehead P IU Joey Porter CB PSU
Drue Chrisman P OSU
Week 8 (Dec. 14) [45] Ihmir Smith-Marsette WR IA Mariano Sori-Marin LB MIN Jahan Dotson PR PSU Cam Porter RB NW

Big Ten Individual Awards
See also: Big Ten Conference football individual awards

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
Main article: 2020 All-Big Ten Conference football team

2020 Big Ten All-Conference Teams and Awards[46]

Coaches Honorable Mention: ILLINOIS: Chase Brown, Mike Epstein, Blake Hayes, Doug Kramer, Vederian Lowe, James McCourt, Roderick Perry; 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, PJ Mustipher, Joey Porter, 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; 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, PJ 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'Neail, Julius Turner, Mike Tverdov, Avery Young; WISCONSIN: Eric Burrell, Leo Chenal, Faion Hicks, Caesar Williams.

All-Americans
For the complete All-America selections, see 2020 College Football All-America Team.

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.[47][48]

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)
*Walter Camp Football Foundation All-America Team (WCFF)


Home attendance

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
Main article: 2021 NFL Draft

The following list includes all Big Ten players who were drafted in the 2021 NFL Draft

Player Position School Draft
Round		 Round
Pick		 Overall
Pick		 Team

Head coaches

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.[49]

* 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.[50]

* 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.[51]

References
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