# 2015 Big Ten Conference football season

The 2015 Big Ten Conference football season was the 120th season of college football play for the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The conference began its season on Thursday, September 3, with Michigan and Minnesota opening their seasons. The remainder of the teams in the conference began their seasons on September 4 and 5.
This was the Big Ten's second season with 14 teams. The league was home to the defending national champion and inaugural winner of the College Football Playoff in Ohio State.
The Big Ten also welcomed four new head coaches for the 2015 season. Jim Harbaugh replaced Brady Hoke as head coach at Michigan, Mike Riley took over for Bo Pelini at Nebraska, Paul Chryst came in as the head man at Wisconsin, replacing Gary Andersen, and Bill Cubit served as the interim head coach at Illinois after Tim Beckman was fired just one week before the beginning of the season. There were also two coaching changes made during the middle of the 2015 season. On October 13, Maryland dismissed coach Randy Edsall and named his offensive coordinator Mike Locksley as interim coach for the rest of the season. On October 28, Jerry Kill retired as Minnesota's head coach due to health concerns. His defensive coordinator Tracy Claeys was named as interim coach before being named the permanent replacement on November 11.
In preseason polling, Ohio State was unanimously voted to repeat as the Big Ten champion by the media in the Big Ten Preseason poll, receiving all 40 first place votes. The Badgers were favorites to win the Big Ten West Division with 32 votes, followed by Nebraska with five and Minnesota with three.
At the conclusion of the regular season, Iowa won the West Division championship with a perfect 12-0 (8-0) record. Michigan State and Ohio State finished tied atop the East Division standings, both at 11-1 (7-1), but Michigan State's head-to-head victory placed the Spartans into the Big Ten Championship Game opposite Iowa. Following the season, Illinois removed the interim tag from Bill Cubit's title and gave him a two-year contract as head coach, while Rutgers has decided to part ways with Kyle Flood.
In the Big Ten Championship Game, Michigan State defeated Iowa 16-13 to win their second Big Ten championship in three years. With the win, the Spartans advance to the College Football Playoff. Iowa and Ohio State were both placed into New Year's Six Bowls, going to the Rose and Fiesta Bowls, respectively. A total of 10 Big Ten teams went to bowl games in 2015, including Nebraska and Minnesota, both with 5-7 records.

## Rankings

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

## Schedule

In 2015, Penn State will be the only Big Ten team that will not play a non-conference game against a Power Five conference team.
* 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

### Week 1

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 3 | 8:30 p.m. | Michigan | Utah | Rice-Eccles Stadium • Salt Lake City, UT | FS1 | L 24–17 | 47,825 |
| September 3 | 9:00 p.m. | No. 2 Texas Christian | Minnesota | TCF Bank Stadium • Minneapolis, MN | ESPN | L 23–17 | 54,147 |
| September 4 | 7:00 p.m. | No. 5 Michigan State | Western Michigan | Waldo Stadium • Kalamazoo, MI | ESPNU | W 37–24 | 30,885 |
| September 5 | 12:00 p.m. | No. 21 Stanford | Northwestern | Ryan Field • Evanston, IL | ESPN | W 16–6 | 36,024 |
| September 5 | 12:00 p.m. | Richmond | Maryland | Byrd Stadium • College Park, MD | ESPNU | W 50–21 | 38,117 |
| September 5 | 12:00 p.m. | Norfolk State | Rutgers | High Point Solutions Stadium • Piscataway, NJ | ESPNNEWS | W 63–13 | 47,453 |
| September 5 | 12:00 p.m. | Illinois State | Iowa | Kinnick Stadium • Iowa City, IA | BTN | W 31–14 | 59,450 |
| September 5 | 2:00 p.m. | Kent State | Illinois | Memorial Stadium • Champaign, IL | | W 52–3 | 36,693 |
| September 5 | 3:30 p.m. | Brigham Young | Nebraska | Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, NE | ABC | L 33–28 | 89,959 |
| September 5 | 3:30 p.m. | Penn State | Temple | Lincoln Financial Field • Philadelphia, PA | ESPN | L 27–10 | 69,176 |
| September 5 | 4:00 p.m. | Southern Illinois | Indiana | Memorial Stadium • Bloomington, IN | ESPNNEWS | W 48–47 | 36,071 |
| September 5 | 8:00 p.m. | No. 20 Wisconsin | No. 3 Alabama | AT&T Stadium • Arlington, TX (Cowboys Classic) | ABC | L 35–17 | 64,279 |
| September 6 | 3:00 p.m. | Purdue | Marshall | Joan C. Edwards Stadium • Huntington, WV | FS1 | L 41–31 | 38,791 |
| September 7 | 8:00 p.m. | No. 1 Ohio State | Virginia Tech | Lane Stadium • Blacksburg, VA | ESPN | W 42-24 | 65,632 |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||

### Week 2

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 12 | 12:00 p.m. | Oregon State | Michigan | Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI | ABC | W 35–7 | 109,651 |
| September 12 | 12:00 p.m. | Miami (OH) | Wisconsin | Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, WI | ESPNU | W 58–0 | 76,535 |
| September 12 | 12:00 p.m. | Buffalo | Penn State | Beaver Stadium • University Park, PA | ESPN2 | W 27–14 | 93,065 |
| September 12 | 12:00 p.m. | Western Illinois | Illinois | Memorial Stadium • Champaign, IL | BTN | W 44–0 | 37,733 |
| September 12 | 12:00 p.m. | Bowling Green | Maryland | Byrd Stadium • College Park, MD | BTN | L 48–27 | 36,332 |
| September 12 | 12:00 p.m. | Indiana State | Purdue | Ross–Ade Stadium • West Lafayette, IN | ESPNNEWS | W 38–14 | 41,158 |
| September 12 | 3:30 p.m. | Hawaii | No. 1 Ohio State | Ohio Stadium • Columbus, OH | BTN | W 38–0 | 107,145 |
| September 12 | 3:30 p.m. | Washington State | Rutgers | High Point Solutions Stadium • Piscataway, NJ | ESPNU | L 37–34 | 46,536 |
| September 12 | 3:30 p.m. | Minnesota | Colorado State | Hughes Stadium • Fort Collins, CO | CBS Sports Network | W 23–20 $^{OT}$ | 32,500 |
| September 12 | 4:00 p.m. | Eastern Illinois | Northwestern | Ryan Field • Evanston, IL | ESPNNEWS | W 41–0 | 29,131 |
| September 12 | 4:30 p.m. | Iowa | Iowa State | Jack Trice Stadium • Ames, IA (Cy-Hawk Series) | FOX | W 31–17 | 61,500 |
| September 12 | 8:00 p.m. | Florida International | Indiana | Memorial Stadium • Bloomington, IN | BTN | W 36–22 | 41,509 |
| September 12 | 8:00 p.m. | South Alabama | Nebraska | Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, NE | BTN | W 48–9 | 89,822 |
| September 12 | 8:00 p.m. | No. 7 Oregon | No. 5 Michigan State | Spartan Stadium • East Lansing, MI | ABC | W 31–28 | 76,526 |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||

### Week 3

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 19 | 12:00 p.m. | Air Force | No. 4 Michigan State | Spartan Stadium • East Lansing, MI | ABC | W 35–21 | 74,211 |
| September 19 | 12:00 p.m. | Illinois | North Carolina | Kenan Memorial Stadium • Chapel Hill, NC | ESPN2 | L 48–14 | 41,000 |
| September 19 | 12:00 p.m. | South Florida | Maryland | Byrd Stadium • College Park, MD | ESPNNEWS | W 35–17 | 36,827 |
| September 19 | 12:00 p.m. | UNLV | Michigan | Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI | BTN | W 28–7 | 108,683 |
| September 19 | 12:00 p.m. | Kent State | Minnesota | TCF Bank Stadium • Minneapolis, MN | BTN | W 10–7 | 52,823 |
| September 19 | 12:30 p.m. | No. 23 Northwestern | Duke | Wallace Wade Stadium • Durham, NC | ESPN3 | W 19–10 | 24,127 |
| September 19 | 3:30 p.m. | Nebraska | Miami (FL) | Sun Life Stadium • Miami Gardens, FL | ABC / ESPN2 | L 36–33 $^{OT}$ | 53,580 |
| September 19 | 3:30 p.m. | Northern Illinois | No. 1 Ohio State | Ohio Stadium • Columbus, OH | ABC / ESPN2 | W 20–13 | 104,095 |
| September 19 | 3:30 p.m. | Virginia Tech | Purdue | Ross–Ade Stadium • West Lafayette, IN | ESPNU | L 51–24 | 45,759 |
| September 19 | 3:30 p.m. | Troy | No. 24 Wisconsin | Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, WI | BTN | W 28–3 | 77,157 |
| September 19 | 4:00 p.m. | Western Kentucky | Indiana | Memorial Stadium • Bloomington, IN | ESPNNEWS | W 38–35 | 44,823 |
| September 19 | 8:00 p.m. | Pittsburgh | Iowa | Kinnick Stadium • Iowa City, IA | BTN | W 27–24 | 63,636 |
| September 19 | 8:00 p.m. | Rutgers | Penn State | Beaver Stadium • University Park, PA | BTN | PSU 28–3 | 103,323 |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||

### Week 4

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 26† | 12:00 p.m. | Kansas | Rutgers | High Point Solutions Stadium • Piscataway, NJ | BTN | W 27–14 | 46,136 |
| September 26 | 12:00 p.m. | Bowling Green | Purdue | Ross–Ade Stadium • West Lafayette, IN | BTN | L 35–28 | 33,160 |
| September 26 | 12:00 p.m. | Central Michigan | No. 2 Michigan State | Spartan Stadium • East Lansing, MI | BTN | W 30–10 | 75,218 |
| September 26 | 12:00 p.m. | No. 22 Brigham Young | Michigan | Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI | ABC | W 31–0 | 108,940 |
| September 26† | 12:00 p.m. | Southern Mississippi | Nebraska | Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, NE | ESPNEWS | W 36–28 | 89,899 |
| September 26 | 12:30 p.m. | Indiana | Wake Forest | BB&T Field • Winston-Salem, NC | ACCN | W 31–24 | 22,508 |
| September 26 | 2:00 p.m. | Maryland | West Virginia | Milan Puskar Stadium • Morgantown, WV (MD-WV rivalry) | FS1 | L 45–6 | 61,174 |
| September 26 | 3:30 p.m. | San Diego State | Penn State | Beaver Stadium • University Park, PA | BTN | W 37–21 | 95,107 |
| September 26 | 3:30 p.m. | Western Michigan | No. 1 Ohio State | Ohio Stadium • Columbus, OH | ABC/ESPN2 | W 38–12 | 106,123 |
| September 26 | 3:30 p.m. | North Texas | Iowa | Kinnick Stadium • Iowa City, IA | ESPNU | W 62–16 | 56,401 |
| September 26† | 3:30 p.m. | Ohio | Minnesota | TCF Bank Stadium • Minneapolis, MN | BTN | W 27–24 | 53,917 |
| September 26 | 4:00 p.m. | Middle Tennessee State | Illinois | Memorial Stadium • Champaign, IL | ESPNEWS | W 27–25 | 44,366 |
| September 26 | 8:00 p.m. | Ball State | No. 17 Northwestern | Ryan Field • Evanston, IL | BTN | W 24–19 | 30,107 |
| September 26 | 8:00 p.m. | Hawaii | No. 22 Wisconsin | Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, WI | BTN | W 28–0 | 80,829 |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||

### Week 5

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| October 3 | 12:00 a.m. | No. 22 Michigan | Maryland | Byrd Stadium • College Park, MD | BTN | MICH 28–0 | 51,802 |
| October 3 | 12:00 p.m. | Iowa | No. 19 Wisconsin | Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, WI (Heartland Trophy) | ESPN | IA 10–6 | 80,933 |
| October 3† | 12:00 p.m. | Purdue | No. 2 Michigan State | Spartan Stadium • East Lansing, MI | ESPN2 | MSU 24–21 | 74,418 |
| October 3 | 12:00 p.m. | Minnesota | No. 16 Northwestern | Ryan Field • Evanston, IL | BTN | NW 27–0 | 30,044 |
| October 3 | 12:00 p.m. | Army | Penn State | Beaver Stadium • University Park, PA | ESPNU | W 20–14 | 107,387 |
| October 3 | 3:30 p.m. | No. 1 Ohio State | Indiana | Memorial Stadium • Bloomington, IN | ABC/ESPN2 | OSU 34–27 | 52,929 |
| October 3 | 4:00 p.m. | Nebraska | Illinois | Memorial Stadium • Champaign, IL | BTN | ILL 14–13 | 40,138 |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||
| Date | Bye Week |
| October 3 | Rutgers |

### Week 6

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| October 10† | 12:00 p.m. | Indiana | Penn State | Beaver Stadium • University Park, PA | ESPN | PSU 29–7 | 97,873 |
| October 10† | 12:00 p.m. | Illinois | No. 22 Iowa | Kinnick Stadium • Iowa City, IA | ESPN2 | IA 29–20 | 66,693 |
| October 10† | 12:00 p.m. | Maryland | No. 1 Ohio State | Ohio Stadium • Columbus, OH | BTN | OSU 49–28 | 107,869 |
| October 10 | 3:30 p.m. | Wisconsin | Nebraska | Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, NE (Freedom Trophy) | ABC/ESPN2 | WIS 23–21 | 89,886 |
| October 10† | 3:30 p.m. | No. 13 Northwestern | No. 18 Michigan | Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI | BTN | MICH 38–0 | 110,452 |
| October 10 | 3:30 p.m. | Minnesota | Purdue | Ross–Ade Stadium • West Lafayette, IN | ESPNU | MIN 41–13 | 33,780 |
| October 10 | 8:00 p.m. | No. 4 Michigan State | Rutgers | High Point Solutions Stadium • Piscataway, NJ | BTN | MSU 31–24 | 50,373 |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||

### Week 7

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| October 17† | 12:00 p.m. | Purdue | Wisconsin | Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, WI | BTN | WIS 24–7 | 80,794 |
| October 17† | 12:00 p.m. | No. 17 Iowa | No. 20 Northwestern | Ryan Field • Evanston, IL | ABC/ESPN2 | IA 40–10 | 44,135 |
| October 17 | 3:30 p.m. | Nebraska | Minnesota | TCF Bank Stadium • Minneapolis, MN ($5 Bits of Broken Chair Trophy) | ESPN2 | NEB 48–25 | 52,062 |
| October 17 | 3:30 p.m. | No. 7 Michigan State | No. 12 Michigan | Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI (Paul Bunyan Trophy) | ESPN | MSU 27–23 | 111,740 |
| October 17† | 3:30 p.m. | Rutgers | Indiana | Memorial Stadium • Bloomington, IN | BTN | RUT 55–52 | 40,567 |
| October 17 | 8:00 p.m. | Penn State | No. 1 Ohio State | Ohio Stadium • Columbus, OH (OSU-PSU rivalry) | ABC | OSU 38–10 | 108,423 |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||
| Date | Bye Week | Bye Week |
| October 17 | Illinois | Maryland |

### Week 8

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| October 24 | 12:00 p.m. | Northwestern | Nebraska | Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, NE | ESPN2 | NW 30–28 | 89,493 |
| October 24 | 3:30 p.m. | Indiana | No. 7 Michigan State | Spartan Stadium • East Lansing, MI (Old Brass Spittoon) | ABC/ESPN2 | MSU 52–26 | 74,144 |
| October 24 | 3:30 p.m. | Penn State | Maryland | M&T Bank Stadium • Baltimore, MD (Maryland-PSU rivalry) | ESPN | PSU 31–30 | 68,948 |
| October 24† | 3:30 p.m. | Wisconsin | Illinois | Memorial Stadium • Champaign, IL | BTN | WIS 24–13 | 45,438 |
| October 24 | 8:00 p.m. | No. 1 Ohio State | Rutgers | High Point Solutions Stadium • Piscataway, NJ | ABC | OSU 49–7 | 53,111 |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||
| Date | Bye Week | Bye Week | Bye Week | Bye Week |
| October 24 | #12 Iowa | #15 Michigan | Minnesota | Purdue |

### Week 9

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| October 31 | 12:00 p.m. | Rutgers | Wisconsin | Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, WI | BTN | WIS 48–10 | 74,575 |
| October 31 | 12:00 p.m. | Nebraska | Purdue | Ross–Ade Stadium • West Lafayette, IN | ESPNU | PUR 55–45 | 31,351 |
| October 31 | 12:00 p.m. | Illinois | Penn State | Beaver Stadium • University Park, PA | ESPN2 | PSU 39–0 | 94,417 |
| October 31 | 3:30 p.m. | Maryland | No. 10 Iowa | Kinnick Stadium • Iowa City, IA | ABC / ESPN2 | IA 31–15 | 62,667 |
| October 31 | 7:00 p.m. | No. 15 Michigan | Minnesota | TCF Bank Stadium • Minneapolis, MN (Little Brown Jug) | ESPN | MICH 29–26 | 50,709 |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||
| Date | Bye Week | Bye Week | Bye Week | Bye Week |
| October 31 | Indiana | #6 Michigan State | Northwestern | #1 Ohio State |

### Week 10

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| November 7 | 12:00 p.m. | Penn State | Northwestern | Ryan Field • Evanston, IL | ESPNU | NW 23–21 | 34,116 |
| November 7† | 12:00 p.m. | Illinois | Purdue | Ross–Ade Stadium • West Lafayette, IN (Purdue Cannon) | BTN | ILL 48–14 | 40,197 |
| November 7 | 3:30 p.m. | No. 10 Iowa | Indiana | Memorial Stadium • Bloomington, IN | ESPN | IA 35–27 | 44,739 |
| November 7 | 3:30 p.m. | Wisconsin | Maryland | Byrd Stadium • College Park, MD | BTN | WIS 31–24 | 44,678 |
| November 7 | 3:30 p.m. | Rutgers | No. 16 Michigan | Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI | BTN | MICH 49–16 | 109,879 |
| November 7 | 7:00 p.m. | No. 6 Michigan State | Nebraska | Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, NE | ESPN | NEB 39–38 | 90,094 |
| November 7 | 8:00 p.m. | Minnesota | No. 1 Ohio State | Ohio Stadium • Columbus, OH | ABC | OSU 28–14 | 108,075 |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||

### Week 11

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| November 14 | 12:00 p.m. | Purdue | No. 24 Northwestern | Ryan Field • Evanston, IL | BTN | NW 21–14 | 30,003 |
| November 14 | 12:00 p.m. | No. 2 Ohio State | Illinois | Memorial Stadium • Champaign, IL (Illibuck) | ABC | OSU 28–3 | 51,515 |
| November 14 | 12:00 p.m. | Maryland | No. 14 Michigan State | Spartan Stadium • East Lansing, MI | ESPN2 | MSU 24–7 | 73,406 |
| November 14 | 3:30 p.m. | Nebraska | Rutgers | High Point Solutions Stadium • Piscataway, NJ | BTN | NEB 31–14 | 45,606 |
| November 14 | 3:30 p.m. | No. 15 Michigan | Indiana | Memorial Stadium • Bloomington, IN | ABC/ESPN2 | MICH 48–41 $^{2OT}$ | 49,557 |
| November 14 | 8:00 p.m. | Minnesota | No. 8 Iowa | Kinnick Stadium • Iowa City, IA (Floyd of Rosedale) | BTN | IA 40–35 | 70,585 |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||
| Date | Bye Week | Bye Week |
| November 14 | Penn State | #23 Wisconsin |

### Week 12

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| November 21 | 12:00 p.m. | No. 14 Michigan | Penn State | Beaver Stadium • University Park, PA | ABC | MI 28–16 | 107,418 |
| November 21 | 12:00 p.m. | Purdue | No. 6 Iowa | Kinnick Stadium • Iowa City, IA | ESPN2 | IA 40–20 | 62,920 |
| November 21 | 12:00 p.m. | Illinois | Minnesota | TCF Bank Stadium • Minneapolis, MN | ESPNNEWS | MIN 32–23 | 47,976 |
| November 21 | 12:00 p.m. | Indiana | Maryland | Byrd Stadium • College Park, MD | BTN | IND 47–28 | 33,685 |
| November 21 | 12:00 p.m. | Rutgers | Army | Michie Stadium • West Point, NY | CBS Sports Network | W 31–21 | 30,113 |
| November 21 | 3:30 p.m. | No. 9 Michigan State | No. 2 Ohio State | Ohio Stadium • Columbus, OH | ABC | MSU 17–14 | 108,975 |
| November 21 | 3:30 p.m. | No. 20 Northwestern | No. 21 Wisconsin | Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, WI | BTN | NW 13–7 | 75,276 |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||
| Date | Bye Week |
| November 21 | Nebraska |

### Week 13

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| November 27 | 3:30 p.m. | No. 3 Iowa | Nebraska | Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, NE (Heroes Trophy) | ABC | IA 28–20 | 90,830 |
| November 28 | 12:00 p.m. | No. 8 Ohio State | No. 12 Michigan | Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI (The Game) | ABC | OSU 42–13 | 111,829 |
| November 28 | 12:00 p.m. | Indiana | Purdue | Ross–Ade Stadium • West Lafayette, IN (Old Oaken Bucket) | BTN | IND 54–36 | 37,152 |
| November 28 | 12:00 p.m. | Maryland | Rutgers | High Point Solutions Stadium • Piscataway, NJ | BTN | MD 46–41 | 44,846 |
| November 28 | 3:30 p.m. | Penn State | No. 6 Michigan State | Spartan Stadium • East Lansing, MI (Land Grant Trophy) | ESPN | MSU 55–16 | 74,705 |
| November 28 | 3:30 p.m. | Wisconsin | Minnesota | TCF Bank Stadium • Minneapolis, MN (Paul Bunyan's Axe) | BTN | WIS 31–21 | 52,850 |
| November 28 | 3:30 p.m. | No. 17 Northwestern | Illinois | Soldier Field • Chicago, IL (Land of Lincoln Trophy) | ESPNU | NW 24–14 | 33,514 |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||

### Big Ten Championship Game

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | Ref. |
| December 5 | 8:00 p.m. | No. 5 Michigan State | No. 4 Iowa | Lucas Oil Stadium • Indianapolis, IN | FOX | MSU 16–13 | 66,985 | |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||

## Bowl games

Big Ten bowl games for the 2015 season are:
| Bowl game | Date | Site | Television | Time (EST) | Big Ten team | Opponent | Score | Attendance |
| Pinstripe Bowl | December 26 | Yankee Stadium • New York, NY | ABC | 3:30 p.m. | Indiana | Duke | Duke 44–41 $^{OT}$ | 37,218 |
| Foster Farms Bowl | December 26 | Levi's Stadium • Santa Clara, CA | ESPN | 9:15 p.m. | Nebraska | UCLA | NEB 37–29 | 33,527 |
| Quick Lane Bowl | December 28 | Ford Field • Detroit, MI | ESPN2 | 5:00 p.m. | Minnesota | Central Michigan | MIN 21–14 | 34,217 |
| Holiday Bowl | December 30 | Qualcomm Stadium • San Diego, CA | ESPN | 10:30 p.m. | #23 Wisconsin | USC | WIS 23–21 | 48,329 |
| Outback Bowl | January 1 | Raymond James Stadium • Tampa, FL | ESPN2 | 12:00 p.m. | #12 Northwestern | Tennessee | TENN 45–6 | 53,202 |
| Citrus Bowl | January 1 | Florida Citrus Bowl • Orlando, FL | ABC | 1:00 p.m. | #17 Michigan | #19 Florida | MICH 41–7 | 63,113 |
| TaxSlayer Bowl | January 2 | EverBank Field • Jacksonville, FL | ESPN | 12:00 p.m. | Penn State | Georgia | UGA 24–17 | 58,212 |
| New Year's Six Bowls |||||||||
| Fiesta Bowl | January 1 | University of Phoenix Stadium • Glendale, AZ | ESPN | 1:00 p.m. | #7 Ohio State | #8 Notre Dame | OSU 44–28 | 71,123 |
| Rose Bowl | January 1 | Rose Bowl • Pasadena, CA | ESPN | 5:00 p.m. | #6 Iowa | #5 Stanford | STAN 45–16 | 94,268 |
| College Football Playoff |||||||||
| Cotton Bowl (Semifinal) | December 31 | AT&T Stadium • Arlington, TX | ESPN | 8:00 p.m. | #3 Michigan State | #2 Alabama | ALA 38–0 | 82,812 |
Rankings are from AP Poll. All times Eastern Time Zone.

## Records against FBS conferences

2015 records against FBS conferences (through January 2, 2016):
| Conference | Record |
| ACC | 3–4 |
| American | 2–1 |
| Big 12 | 2–2 |
| C-USA | 5–1 |
| Independents | 4–1 |
| MAC | 11-2 |
| Mountain West | 6–0 |
| Pac-12 | 5–3 |
| SEC | 1–4 |
| Sun Belt | 2–0 |
| Total | 41-18 |

## Players of the Week

| Week | Offensive | Offensive | Offensive | Defensive | Defensive | Defensive | Special Teams | Special Teams | Special Teams | Freshman | Freshman | Freshman |
| Week | Player | Position | Team | Player | Position | Team | Player | Position | Team | Player | Position | Team |
| Week 1 | Braxton Miller | HB | OSU | Anthony Walker | LB | NW | William Likely | DB | MD | Clayton Thorson | QB | NW |
| Week 2 | C. J. Beathard | QB | IA | Riley Bullough | LB | MSU | Janarion Grant | WR | RUT | L.J. Scott | RB | MSU |
| Week 2 | Terrell Newby | RB | NEB | Riley Bullough | LB | MSU | Janarion Grant | WR | RUT | Saquon Barkley | RB | PSU |
| Week 3 | Aaron Burbridge | WR | MSU | Anthony Walker | LB | NW | Marshall Koehn | PK | IA | Jonathan Crawford | S | IND |
| Week 3 | Aaron Burbridge | WR | MSU | Anthony Walker | LB | NW | Marshall Koehn | PK | IA | Saquon Barkley | RB | PSU |
| Week 4 | Tommy Armstrong | QB | NEB | Shilique Calhoun | DE | MSU | Cameron Johnston | P | OSU | Taiwan Deal | RB | WIS |
| Week 4 | Jordan Howard | RB | IND | Anthony Zettel | DT | PSU | Cameron Johnston | P | OSU | Taiwan Deal | RB | WIS |
| Week 5 | Ezekiel Elliott | RB | OSU | Desmond King | DB | IA | Sam Foltz | P | NEB | L.J. Scott | RB | MSU |
| Week 5 | Ezekiel Elliott | RB | OSU | Joe Schobert | LB | WIS | Sam Foltz | P | NEB | L.J. Scott | RB | MSU |
| Week 6 | Jordan Canzeri | RB | IA | Jourdan Lewis | CB | MI | Jehu Chesson | WR | MI | Jabrill Peppers | S | MI |
| Week 6 | Jordan Canzeri | RB | IA | Jourdan Lewis | CB | MI | Jehu Chesson | WR | MI | Shannon Brooks | RB | MIN |
| Week 7 | Akrum Wadley | RB | IA | Shilique Calhoun | DE | MSU | Jalen Watts-Jackson | DB | MSU | T. J. Edwards | LB | WIS |
| Week 8 | Connor Cook | QB | MSU | Dean Lowry | DE | NW | Drew Meyer | P | WIS | Clayton Thorson | QB | NW |
| Week 8 | J. T. Barrett | QB | OSU | Dean Lowry | DE | NW | Drew Meyer | P | WIS | Clayton Thorson | QB | NW |
| Week 9 | David Blough | QB | PUR | Anthony Brown | CB | PUR | William Likely | DB | MD | Jabrill Peppers | S | MICH |
| Week 10 | Tommy Armstrong Jr. | QB | NEB | Vonn Bell | S | OSU | Janarion Grant | WR | RUT | Ke'Shawn Vaughn | RB | ILL |
| Week 11 | Jehu Chesson | WR | MICH | Malik McDowell | DL | MSU | Griffin Oakes | PK | IND | Shannon Brooks | RB | MINN |
| Week 11 | Jake Rudock | QB | MICH | Malik McDowell | DL | MSU | Griffin Oakes | PK | IND | Shannon Brooks | RB | MINN |
| Week 12 | Nate Sudfeld | QB | IND | Jon Reschke | LB | MSU | Griffin Oakes | PK | IND | Shannon Brooks | RB | MIN |
| Week 12 | Nate Sudfeld | QB | IND | Deonte Gibson | DE | NW | Michael Geiger | PK | MSU | Shannon Brooks | RB | MIN |
| Week 13 | Nate Sudfeld | QB | IND | Anthony Walker | LB | NW | Drew Meyer | P | WIS | Parker Hesse | DE | IA |
| Week 13 | Ezekiel Elliott | RB | OSU | Anthony Walker | LB | NW | Drew Meyer | P | WIS | Parker Hesse | DE | IA |

## Players of the Year

2015 Big Ten Player of the Year Awards
| Award | Player | School |
| Graham-George Offensive Player of the Year | Ezekiel Elliott | Ohio State |
| Nagurski-Woodson Defensive Player of the Year | Carl Nassib | Penn State |
| Thompson-Randle El Freshman of the Year | Jabrill Peppers | Michigan |
| Griese-Brees Quarterback of the Year | Connor Cook | Michigan State |
| Richter-Howard Receiver of the Year | Aaron Burbridge | Michigan State |
| Ameche-Dayne Running Back of the Year | Ezekiel Elliott | Ohio State |
| Kwalick-Clark Tight End of the Year | Jake Butt | Michigan |
| Rimington-Pace Offensive Lineman of the Year | Taylor Decker | Ohio State |
| Smith-Brown Defensive Lineman of the Year | Joey Bosa | Ohio State |
| Butkus-Fitzgerald Linebacker of the Year | Joe Schobert | Wisconsin |
| Tatum-Woodson Defensive Back of the Year | Desmond King | Iowa |
| Bakken-Andersen Kicker of the Year | Griffin Oakes | Indiana |
| Eddleman-Fields Punter of the Year | Sam Foltz | Nebraska |
| Rodgers-Dwight Return Specialist of the Year | William Likely | Maryland |
| Hayes-Schembechler Coach of the Year (coaches vote) | Kirk Ferentz | Iowa |
| Dave McClain Coach of the Year (media vote) | Kirk Ferentz | Iowa |

## All-conference players

2015 Big Ten All-Conference Honors
Unanimous selections in ALL CAPS
| Position | Player | Team |
| First Team Offense (Coaches) |||
| QB | Connor Cook | Michigan State |
| RB | Jordan Howard | Indiana |
| RB | EZEKIEL ELLIOTT | Ohio State |
| WR | Jehu Chesson | Michigan |
| WR | Aaron Burbridge | Michigan State |
| TE | Jake Butt | Michigan |
| C | Jack Allen | Michigan State |
| OG | Jordan Walsh | Iowa |
| OG | Pat Elflein | Ohio State |
| OT | Jack Conklin | Michigan State |
| OT | TAYLOR DECKER | Ohio State |
| First Team Defense (Coaches) |||
| DL | Joe Bosa | Ohio State |
| DL | Shilique Calhoun | Michigan State |
| DL | Carl Nassib | Penn State |
| DL | Yannick Ngakoue | Maryland |
| LB | Anthony Walker Jr. | Northwestern |
| LB | Joshua Perry | Ohio State |
| LB | Joe Schobert | Wisconsin |
| DB | Desmond King | Iowa |
| DB | William Likely | Maryland |
| DB | Jourdan Lewis | Michigan |
| DB | Jabrill Peppers | Michigan |
| First Team Special Teams (Coaches) |||
| K | Griffin Oakes | Indiana |
| P | Sam Foltz | Nebraska |
| RS | William Likely | Maryland |
| Position | Player | Team |
| Second Team Offense (Coaches) |||
| QB | C.J. Beathard | Iowa |
| RB | Justin Jackson | Northwestern |
| RB | Saquon Barkley | Penn State |
| WR | Jordan Westerkamp | Nebraska |
| WR | Alex Erickson | Wisconsin |
| TE | Dan Vitale | Northwestern |
| C | Austin Blythe | Iowa |
| OG | Dan Feeney | Indiana |
| OG | Brian Allen | Michigan State |
| OT | Alex Lewis | Nebraska |
| OT | Jason Spriggs | Indiana |
| Second Team Defense (Coaches) |||
| DL | Malik McDowell | Michigan State |
| DL | Maliek Collins | Nebraska |
| DL | Dean Lowry | Northwestern |
| DL | Adolphus Washington | Ohio State |
| LB | Josey Jewell | Iowa |
| LB | Darron Lee | Ohio State |
| LB | Raekwon McMillan | Ohio State |
| DB | Nick VanHoose | Northwestern |
| DB | Eli Apple | Ohio State |
| DB | Vonn Bell | Ohio State |
| DB | Michael Caputo | Wisconsin |
| Second Team Special Teams (Coaches) |||
| K | Marshall Koehn | Iowa |
| P | Cameron Johnston | Ohio State |
| RS | Jabrill Peppers | Michigan |
| Position | Player | Team |
| Third Team Offense (Coaches) |||
| QB | Nate Sudfeld | Indiana |
| RB | Josh Ferguson | Illinois |
| RB | Jordan Canzeri | Iowa |
| WR | Michael Thomas | Ohio State |
| WR | Chris Godwin | Penn State |
| TE | Josiah Price | Michigan State |
| C | Jacoby Boren | Ohio State |
| OG | Donavon Clark | Michigan State |
| OG | Billy Price | Ohio State |
| OT | Erik Magnuson | Michigan |
| OT | Tyler Marz | Wisconsin |
| Third Team Defense (Coaches) |||
| DL | Nate Meier | Iowa |
| DL | Chris Wormley | Michigan |
| DL | Austin Johnson | Penn State |
| DL | Anthony Zettel | Penn State |
| LB | Riley Bullough | Michigan State |
| LB | Darien Harris | Michigan State |
| LB | Vince Biegel | Wisconsin |
| DB | Jordan Lomax | Iowa |
| DB | Demetrious Cox | Michigan State |
| DB | Eric Murray | Minnesota |
| DB | Matthew Harris | Northwestern |
| Third Team Special Teams (Coaches) |||
| K | Ryan Santoso | Minnesota |
| P | Peter Mortell | Minnesota |
| RS | Janarion Grant | Rutgers |
Coaches Honorable Mention: ILLINOIS: Geronimo Allison, Taylor Barton, V'Angelo Bentley (return specialist), Clayton Fejedelem, Ted Karras, Mason Monheim, T.J. Neal, Austin Schmidt, Dawuane Smoot, Jihad Ward; INDIANA: Simmie Cobbs, Michael Cooper, Darius Latham, Nick Mangieri, Zack Shaw; IOWA: Cole Fisher, Jaleel Johnson, Dillon Kidd, Desmond King (return specialist), Ben Niemann, Matt VandeBerg, Sean Welsh; MARYLAND: Jermaine Carter, Michael Dunn, Quinton Jefferson; MICHIGAN: Kenny Allen, Joe Bolden, Ben Braden, Mason Cole, Amara Darboh, Graham Glasgow, Ryan Glasgow, Willie Henry, Kyle Kalis, Desmond Morgan, Blake O'Neil, Jake Rudock, De'Veon Smith, Jarrod Wilson; MICHIGAN STATE: Jon Reschke, R.J. Shelton, Lawrence Thomas; MINNESOTA: Briean Boddy-Calhoun, Shannon Brooks, De'Vondre Campbell, Theiren Cockran, Brandon Lingen, KJ Maye, Jalen Myrick, Jonah Pirsig, Steven Richardson; NEBRASKA: Drew Brown, Nate Gerry, Andy Janovich, Joshua Kalu; NORTHWESTERN: Deonte Gibson, Solomon Vault (return specialist); OHIO STATE: Tyquan Lewis, Jalin Marshall (return specialist), Braxton Miller, Tyvis Powell, Nick Vannett; PENN STATE: Marcus Allen, Jason Cabinda, Trevor Williams; PURDUE: Anthony Brown, Markell Jones, Robert Kugler, Jake Replogle, Frankie Williams; RUTGERS: Leonte Caroo, Steve Longa, Keith Lumpkin; WISCONSIN: T.J. Edwards, Troy Fumagalli, Darius Hillary, Tanner McEvoy.
| Position | Player | Team |
| First Team Offense (Media) |||
| QB | Connor Cook | Michigan State |
| RB | Jordan Howard | Indiana |
| RB | EZEKIEL ELLIOTT | Ohio State |
| WR | Alex Erickson | Wisconsin |
| WR | Aaron Burbridge | Michigan State |
| TE | Jake Butt | Michigan |
| C | Jack Allen | Michigan State |
| OG | Dan Feeney | Indiana |
| OG | Pat Elflein | Ohio State |
| OT | Jack Conklin | Michigan State |
| OT | Taylor Decker | Ohio State |
| First Team Defense (Media) |||
| DL | Joey Bosa | Ohio State |
| DL | Yannick Ngakoue | Maryland |
| DL | Shilique Calhoun | Michigan State |
| DL | Carl Nassib | Penn State |
| LB | Anthony Walker Jr. | Northwestern |
| LB | Raekwon McMillan | Ohio State |
| LB | Joe Schobert | Wisconsin |
| DB | DESMOND KING | Iowa |
| DB | Jourdan Lewis | Michigan |
| DB | Jabrill Peppers | Michigan |
| DB | Vonn Bell | Ohio State |
| First Team Special Teams (Media) |||
| K | Griffin Oakes | Indiana |
| P | Sam Foltz | Nebraska |
| RS | William Likely | Maryland |
| Position | Player | Team |
| Second Team Offense (Media) |||
| QB | C.J. Beathard | Iowa |
| RB | Justin Jackson | Northwestern |
| RB | Saquon Barkley | Penn State |
| WR | Jordan Westerkamp | Nebraska |
| WR | Chris Godwin | Penn State |
| TE | Dan Vitale | Northwestern |
| C | Austin Blythe | Iowa |
| OG | Jordan Walsh | Iowa |
| OG | Brian Allen | Michigan State |
| OT | Jason Spriggs | Indiana |
| OT | Tyler Marz | Wisconsin |
| Second Team Defense (Media) |||
| DL | Malik McDowell | Michigan State |
| DL | Dean Lowry | Northwestern |
| DL | Adolphus Washington | Ohio State |
| DL | Austin Johnson | Penn State |
| LB | Josey Jewell | Iowa |
| LB | Riley Bullough | Michigan State |
| LB | Joshua Perry | Ohio State |
| DB | William Likely | Maryland |
| DB | Clayton Fejedelem | Illinois |
| DB | Nick VanHoose | Northwestern |
| DB | Michael Caputo | Wisconsin |
| Second Team Special Teams (Media) |||
| K | Drew Brown | Nebraska |
| P | Cameron Johnston | Ohio State |
| RS | Janarion Grant | Rutgers |
| Position | Player | Team |
| Third Team Offense (Media) |||
| QB | Nate Sudfeld | Indiana |
| RB | Josh Ferguson | Illinois |
| RB | Jordan Canzeri | Iowa |
| WR | Michael Thomas | Ohio State |
| WR | Leonte Carroo | Rutgers |
| TE | Josiah Price | Michigan State |
| C | Jacoby Boren | Ohio State |
| OG | Ted Karras | Illinois |
| OG | Kyle Kalis | Michigan |
| OT | Erik Magnuson | Michigan |
| OT | Alex Lewis | Nebraska |
| Third Team Defense (Media) |||
| DL | Nate Meier | Iowa |
| DL | Maliek Collins | Nebraska |
| DL | Deonte Gibson | Northwestern |
| DL | Anthony Zettel | Penn State |
| LB | Darron Lee | Ohio State |
| LB | Steve Longa | Rutgers |
| LB | Vince Biegel | Wisconsin |
| DB | Eric Murray | Minnesota |
| DB | Nate Gerry | Nebraska |
| DB | Matthew Harris | Northwestern |
| DB | Briean Boddy-Calhoun | Minnesota |
| Third Team Special Teams (Media) |||
| K | Kenny Allen | Michigan |
| P | Peter Mortell | Minnesota |
| RS | Solomon Vault | Northwestern |
Media Honorable Mention: ILLINOIS: Geronimo Allison, Taylor Barton, V'Angelo Bentley (return specialist), Mason Monheim, T.J. Neal, Austin Schmidt, Dawuane Smoot, Jihad Ward; INDIANA: Simmie Cobbs, Michael Cooper, Nick Mangieri, Marcus Oliver, Mitchell Paige (return specialist); IOWA: Cole Fisher, Jaleel Johnson, Dillon Kidd, Jordan Lomax, Desmond King (return specialist), Marshall Koehn, Matt VandeBerg, Sean Welsh; MARYLAND: Jermaine Carter, Sean Davis, Brandon Ross; MICHIGAN: Joe Bolden, Ben Braden, Jehu Chesson, Mason Cole, Amara Darboh, Graham Glasgow, Ryan Glasgow, Willie Henry, Royce Jenkins-Stone, Jourdan Lewis (return specialist), Desmond Morgan, Blake O'Neil, Jabrill Peppers (return specialist), Jake Rudock, Chris Wormley; MICHIGAN STATE: Donavan Clark, Demetrious Cox, Darien Harris, Joel Heath, Jon Reschke; MINNESOTA: Shannon Brooks, De'Vondre Campbell, Theiren Cockran, Brandon Lingen, Jack Lynn, KJ Maye, Jonah Pirsig, Cody Poock, Steven Richardson, Ryan Santoso; NEBRASKA: Cethan Carter; OHIO STATE: Eli Apple, Gareon Conley, Tyquan Lewis, Jalin Marshall (wide receiver/return specialist), Braxton Miller, Billy Price, Tyvis Powell, Nick Vannett; PENN STATE: Marcus Allen, Jason Cabinda, Grant Haley, DaeSean Hamilton; PURDUE: Anthony Brown, Markell Jones, Robert Kugler, Jake Replogle, Frankie Williams; RUTGERS: Quentin Gause, Keith Lumpkin, Chris Muller; WISCONSIN: Michael Dieter, Tanner McEvoy, Troy Fumagalli, Chikwe Obasih, Sojourn Shelton.

## All-Americans

The 2015 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), College Football News (CFN), Scout.com, 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.
| Position | Player | School | Selector | Unanimous | Consensus |
| First Team All-Americans ||||||
| TE | Jake Butt | Michigan | CBS, SI | | |
| OL | Jack Allen | Michigan State | AP, CBS, SI, FOX | | |
| OL | Jack Conklin | Michigan State | TSN, USA Today, CBS, Athlon | | |
| OL | Taylor Decker | Ohio State | AFCA, AP, WCFF, CBS, SI, FOX | | * |
| OL | Dan Feeney | Indiana | ESPN | | |
| OL | Jason Spriggs | Indiana | FWAA, Phil Steele | | |
| OL | Jordan Walsh | Iowa | FOX | | |
| DL | Joey Bosa | Ohio State | AFCA, WCFF, USA Today, CBS, SI, ESPN, Athlon, Phil Steele | | * |
| DL | Malik McDowell | Michigan State | FOX | | |
| DL | Carl Nassib | Penn State | AFCA, AP, FWAA, TSN, WCFF, CBS, SI, ESPN, FOX, Athlon, Phil Steele | * | * |
| DL | Adolphus Washington | Ohio State | TSN | | |
| LB | Joe Schobert | Wisconsin | FWAA, ESPN, Phil Steele | | |
| CB | Desmond King | Iowa | AP, AFCA, FWAA, TSN, WCFF, USA Today, CBS, SI, ESPN, FOX, Athlon, Phil Steele | * | * |
| CB | Jourdan Lewis | Michigan | USA Today, SI | | |
| S | Vonn Bell | Ohio State | AP, TSN, SI, Athlon | | |
| PR | William Likely | Maryland | FWAA, Phil Steele | | |
| Position | Player | School | Selector |
| Second Team All-Americans ||||
| RB | Ezekiel Elliott | Ohio State | USA Today, SI, AP, FWAA, Athlon, Phil Steele |
| TE | Jake Butt | Michigan | AP, FOX, TSN, Athlon |
| OL | Jack Allen | Michigan State | USA Today, WCFF, FWAA, Athlon, Phil Steele |
| OL | Jack Conklin | Michigan State | AP, WCFF, FWAA |
| OL | Taylor Decker | Ohio State | USA Today, FWAA, TSN, Athlon, Phil Steele |
| OL | Pat Elflein | Ohio State | SI, AP |
| OL | Dan Feeney | Indiana | CBS, Athlon |
| OL | Jason Spriggs | Indiana | WCFF, TSN |
| DL | Joey Bosa | Ohio State | AP, FOX, TSN |
| DL | Shilique Calhoun | Michigan State | CBS, WCFF, FWAA |
| DL | Carl Nassib | Penn State | USA Today |
| DL | Adolphus Washington | Ohio State | CBS |
| LB | Darron Lee | Ohio State | SI |
| LB | Raekwon McMillan | Ohio State | WCFF |
| LB | Joe Schobert | Wisconsin | USA Today, CBS, WCFF, AP, TSN, Athlon |
| LB | Anthony Walker | Northwestern | SI, FOX |
| CB | Jourdan Lewis | Michigan | WCFF, AP, FWAA, FOX, Athlon, Phil Steele |
| S | Vonn Bell | Ohio State | FOX |
| S | Jabrill Peppers | Michigan | CBS, SI, TSN |
| RET | William Likely | Maryland | USA Today, SI, Athlon |
| AP | Jabrill Peppers | Michigan | FOX |
| Position | Player | School | Selector |
| Third Team All-Americans ||||
| OL | Austin Blythe | Iowa | AP, Athlon |
| OL | Jack Conklin | Michigan State | Phil Steele |
| OL | Pat Elflein | Ohio State | Athlon |
| OL | Dan Feeney | Indiana | AP |
| OL | Jason Spriggs | Indiana | AP |
| OL | Jordan Walsh | Iowa | Athlon |
| DL | Joey Bosa | Ohio State | Phil Steele |
| DL | Shilique Calhoun | Michigan State | AP, Phil Steele |
| LB | Anthony Walker | Northwestern | AP, Athlon |
| LB | Raekwon McMillan | Ohio State | Phil Steele |
| Position | Player | School | Selector |
| Fourth Team All-Americans ||||
| OL | Austin Blythe | Iowa | Phil Steele |
| DL | Yannick Ngakoue | Maryland | Phil Steele |
| K | Griffin Oakes | Indiana | Phil Steele |
| AP | Jabrill Peppers | Michigan | Phil Steele |
| Position | Player | School | Selector |
| Honorable Mention All-Americans ||||
| QB | Connor Cook | Michigan State | SI |
| WR | Aaron Burbridge | Michigan State | SI |
| TE | George Kittle | Iowa | SI |
| WR | Aaron Burbridge | Michigan State | SI |
| OL | Austin Blythe | Iowa | SI |
| OL | Jack Conklin | Michigan State | SI |
| OL | Dan Feeney | Indiana | SI |
| OL | Jason Spriggs | Indiana | SI |
| OL | Jordan Walsh | Iowa | SI |
| DT | Shilique Calhoun | Michigan State | SI |
| DT | Adolphus Washington | Ohio State | SI |
| DT | Anthony Zettel | Penn State | SI |
| LB | Raekwon McMillan | Ohio State | SI |
| LB | Joshua Perry | Ohio State | SI |
| LB | Joe Schobert | Wisconsin | SI |
| CB | Nick VanHoose | Northwestern | SI |
| P | Cameron Johnston | Ohio State | SI |
| AP | Jabrill Peppers | Michigan | SI |
*AFCA All-America Team *USA Today All-America Team *CBS Sports All-America Team *Sports Illustrated All-America Team *Walter Camp Football Foundation All-America Team *Associated Press All-America Team Archived 2017-05-27 at archive.today *ESPN.com All-America Team *Football Writers Association of America All-America Team *Fox Sports All-America Team *Sporting News All-America Team Archived 2015-12-19 at the Wayback Machine *Athlon Sports All-America Team *Phil Steele All-America Team Archived 2015-12-22 at the Wayback Machine

## Academic All-Americans

2015 CoSIDA Academic-All Americans
| Player | School | Team |
| CoSIDA Academic All-Americans |||
| Jacoby Boren | Ohio State | First Team |
| Jack Willoughby | Ohio State | First Team |
| Jordan Lomax | Iowa | Second Team |
| Brandon Lingen | Minnesota | Second Team |
| Tyler Yazujian | Penn State | Second Team |
| Robert Kugler | Purdue | Second Team |

## National award winners

Jim Thorpe Award Desmond King, Iowa
Lombardi Award Carl Nassib, Penn State
Lott IMPACT Trophy Carl Nassib, Penn State
Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Kirk Ferentz, Iowa
NCAA List of National Award Winners

## Attendance

| 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 | 36,693 | 37,733 | 44,366 | 40,138 | 45,438 | 51,515 | – | 255,883 | 42,647 | 70.3% |
| Indiana | Memorial Stadium | 52,929 | 36,071 | 41,509 | 44,823 | 52,929 | 40,567 | 44,739 | 49,557 | 310,195 | 44,314 | 83.7% |
| Iowa | Kinnick Stadium | 70,585 | 59,450 | 63,636 | 56,401 | 66,693 | 62,667 | 70,585 | 62,920 | 442,352 | 63,193 | 89.5% |
| Maryland | Byrd Stadium | 51,802 | 38,117 | 36,332 | 36,827 | 51,802 | 44,678 | 33,685 | – | 241,441 | 40,240 | 77.7% |
| Michigan | Michigan Stadium | 107,601 | 109,651 | 108,683 | 108,940 | 110,452 | 111,740 | 109,879 | 111,829 | 771,174 | 110,168 | 102.4% |
| Michigan State | Spartan Stadium | 75,005 | 76,526 | 74,211 | 75,218 | 74,418 | 74,144 | 73,406 | 74,705 | 522,628 | 74,661 | 99.5% |
| Minnesota | TCF Bank Stadium | 52,525 | 54,147 | 52,823 | 53,917 | 52,062 | 50,709 | 47,976 | 52,850 | 364,484 | 52,069 | 99.1% |
| Nebraska | Memorial Stadium | 87,091 | 89,959 | 89,822 | 89,899 | 89,886 | 89,493 | 90,094 | 90,830 | 629,983 | 89,998 | 103.3% |
| Northwestern | Ryan Field | 47,130 | 36,024 | 29,131 | 30,107 | 30,044 | 44,135 | 34,116 | 30,003 | 233,560 | 33,366 | 70.8% |
| Ohio State | Ohio Stadium | 104,944 | 107,145 | 104,095 | 106,123 | 107,869 | 108,423 | 108,075 | 108,975 | 750,705 | 107,244 | 102.2% |
| Penn State | Beaver Stadium | 106,572 | 93,065 | 103,323 | 95,107 | 107,387 | 97,873 | 94,417 | 107,418 | 698,590 | 99,799 | 93.6% |
| Purdue | Ross–Ade Stadium | 57,236 | 41,158 | 45,759 | 33,160 | 33,780 | 31,351 | 40,197 | 37,152 | 262,557 | 37,508 | 65.5% |
| Rutgers | High Point Solutions Stadium | 52,454 | 47,453 | 46,536 | 46,136 | 50,373 | 53,111 | 45,606 | 44,846 | 334,061 | 47,723 | 91.0% |
| Wisconsin | Camp Randall Stadium | 80,321 | 76,535 | 77,157 | 80,829 | 80,933 | 80,794 | 74,575 | 75,276 | 546,099 | 78,014 | 97.1% |
| Total | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 6,363,712 | 65,782 | – |

## 2016 NFL Draft

47 Big Ten athletes were selected in the 2016 NFL Draft.
| Team | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Round 4 | Round 5 | Round 6 | Round 7 | Total |
| Illinois | | 1 | | | | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Indiana | | 1 | | | 1 | 1 | | 3 |
| Iowa | | | | | | | 1 | 1 |
| Maryland | | 1 | 1 | | 1 | | | 3 |
| Michigan | | | 1 | 1 | | 1 | | 3 |
| Michigan State | 1 | | 1 | 1 | | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| Minnesota | | | | 2 | | | | 2 |
| Nebraska | | | 2 | 1 | | 1 | | 4 |
| Northwestern | | | | 1 | | 1 | | 2 |
| Ohio State | 5 | 2 | 3 | 2 | | | | 12 |
| Penn State | | 2 | 1 | | | 2 | | 5 |
| Purdue | | | | | | 1 | | 1 |
| Rutgers | | | 1 | | | | | 1 |
| Wisconsin | | | | 1 | | 1 | | 2 |
| * | = Compensatory Selections |
| Rnd. | Pick No. | NFL team | Player | Pos. | College | Conf. | Notes |
| 1 | 3 | San Diego Chargers | Joey Bosa | DE | Ohio State | Big Ten | |
| 1 | 4 | Dallas Cowboys | Ezekiel Elliott | RB | Ohio State | Big Ten | |
| 1 | 8 | Tennessee Titans | Jack Conklin | OT | Michigan State | Big Ten | from Miami via Philadelphia and Cleveland |
| 1 | 10 | New York Giants | Eli Apple | CB | Ohio State | Big Ten | |
| 1 | 16 | Detroit Lions | Taylor Decker | OT | Ohio State | Big Ten | |
| 1 | 20 | New York Jets | Darron Lee | LB | Ohio State | Big Ten | |
| 2 | 43 | Tennessee Titans | Austin Johnson | DT | Penn State | Big Ten | from Philadelphia via Los Angeles |
| 2 | 44 | Oakland Raiders | Jihad Ward | DT | Illinois | Big Ten | |
| 2 | 47 | New Orleans Saints | Michael Thomas | WR | Ohio State | Big Ten | |
| 2 | 48 | Green Bay Packers | Jason Spriggs | OT | Indiana | Big Ten | from Indianapolis |
| 2 | 51 | New York Jets | Christian Hackenberg | QB | Penn State | Big Ten | |
| 2 | 58 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Sean Davis | CB | Maryland | Big Ten | |
| 2 | 61 | New Orleans Saints | Vonn Bell | S | Ohio State | Big Ten | from Arizona via New England |
| 3 | 65 | Cleveland Browns | Carl Nassib | DE | Penn State | Big Ten | |
| 3 | 67 | Dallas Cowboys | Maliek Collins | DT | Nebraska | Big Ten | |
| 3 | 69 | Jacksonville Jaguars | Yannick Ngakoue | LB | Maryland | Big Ten | |
| 3 | 75 | Oakland Raiders | Shilique Calhoun | DE | Michigan State | Big Ten | |
| 3 | 80 | Buffalo Bills | Adolphus Washington | DT | Ohio State | Big Ten | |
| 3 | 85 | Houston Texans | Braxton Miller | WR | Ohio State | Big Ten | |
| 3 | 86 | Miami Dolphins | Leonte Carroo | WR | Rutgers | Big Ten | from Minnesota |
| 3 | 94 | Seattle Seahawks | Nick Vannett | TE | Ohio State | Big Ten | from Denver |
| 3* | 95 | Detroit Lions | Graham Glasgow | OG | Michigan | Big Ten | |
| 3* | 96 | New England Patriots | Vincent Valentine | DT | Nebraska | Big Ten | |
| 4 | 99 | Cleveland Browns | Joe Schobert | LB | Wisconsin | Big Ten | |
| 4 | 100 | Oakland Raiders | Connor Cook | QB | Michigan State | Big Ten | from Tennessee via Philadelphia |
| 4 | 102 | San Diego Chargers | Joshua Perry | LB | Ohio State | Big Ten | |
| 4 | 106 | Kansas City Chiefs | Eric Murray | CB | Minnesota | Big Ten | from Chicago via Tampa Bay |
| 4 | 115 | Atlanta Falcons | De'Vondre Campbell | LB | Minnesota | Big Ten | |
| 4 | 130 | Baltimore Ravens | Alex Lewis | OT | Nebraska | Big Ten | from Denver |
| 4* | 132 | Baltimore Ravens | Willie Henry | DT | Michigan | Big Ten | |
| 4* | 137 | Green Bay Packers | Dean Lowry | DE | Northwestern | Big Ten | |
| 4* | 139 | Buffalo Bills | Cardale Jones | QB | Ohio State | Big Ten | Extra compensatory pick authorized by NFLMC and NFLPA |
| 5 | 147 | Seattle Seahawks | Quinton Jefferson | DT | Maryland | Big Ten | |
| 5 | 150 | Chicago Bears | Jordan Howard | RB | Indiana | Big Ten | |
| 6 | 176 | | Andy Janovich | FB | Nebraska | Big Ten | from Cleveland |
| 6 | 187 | Washington Redskins | Nate Sudfeld | QB | Indiana | Big Ten | from New Orleans |
| 6 | 189 | Dallas Cowboys | Anthony Brown | CB | Purdue | Big Ten | from Oakland |
| 6 | 191 | Detroit Lions | Jake Rudock | QB | Michigan | Big Ten | |
| 6 | 197 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Dan Vitale | FB | Northwestern | Big Ten | from Washington |
| 6 | 198 | San Diego Chargers | Derek Watt | FB | Wisconsin | Big Ten | from Minnesota |
| 6 | 202 | Detroit Lions | Anthony Zettel | DE | Penn State | Big Ten | from Seattle |
| 6 | 204 | Miami Dolphins | Jordan Lucas | S | Penn State | Big Ten | from New England via Chicago |
| 6* | 213 | San Francisco 49ers | Aaron Burbridge | WR | Michigan State | Big Ten | |
| 6* | 221 | New England Patriots | Ted Karras III | OG | Illinois | Big Ten | |
| 7 | 224 | San Diego Chargers | Donavon Clark | OG | Michigan State | Big Ten | |
| 7 | 245 | Cincinnati Bengals | Clayton Fejedelem | S | Illinois | Big Ten | |
| 7 | 248 | Indianapolis Colts | Austin Blythe | C | Iowa | Big Ten | |
In the explanations below, (PD) indicates trades completed prior to the start of the draft (i.e. Pre-Draft), while (D) denotes trades that took place during the 2016 draft.

### Round one

* ↑ No. 8: multiple trades:    No. 8: Miami → Philadelphia (PD). Miami traded its first-round selection (8th) to Philadelphia in exchange for linebacker Kiko Alonso, cornerback Byron Maxwell, and Philadelphia's first-round selection (13th).     No. 8: Philadelphia → Cleveland (PD). see No. 2: Cleveland → Philadelphia.     No. 8: Cleveland → Tennessee (D). Cleveland traded its first- and sixth-round selections (8th and 176th) to Tennessee in exchange for Tennessee's first- and third-round selections (15th and 76th) as well as its 2017 second-round selection.

### Round two

* ↑ No. 43: multiple trades:    No. 43: Philadelphia → Los Angeles (PD). Philadelphia traded its second-round selection in this year's draft, a 2015 fourth-round selection and quarterback Nick Foles to Los Angeles in exchange for Los Angeles's 2015 fifth-round selection and quarterback Sam Bradford. The trade also included a possible conditional fourth-round selection in this year's draft that Philadelphia would have received if Bradford took less than 50 percent of the snaps in 2015. Bradford took the majority of snaps for Philadelphia in 2015, so the fourth-round pick was returned to Los Angeles.    No. 43: Los Angeles → Tennessee (PD). see No. 1: Tennessee → Los Angeles.
* ↑ No. 48: Indianapolis → Green Bay (D). Indianapolis traded its second-round selection (48th) to Green Bay in exchange for Green Bay's second-, fourth- and seventh-round selections (57th, 125th, and 248th).
* ↑ No. 61: multiple trades:    No. 61: Arizona → New England (PD). Arizona traded its second-round selection and guard Jonathan Cooper to New England in exchange for defensive end Chandler Jones.    No. 61: New England → New Orleans (D). New England traded its second-round selection to New Orleans in exchange for New Orleans' third- and fourth-round selections (78th and 112nd).

### Round three

* ↑ No. 86: Minnesota → Miami (D). Minnesota traded this selection to Miami in exchange for Miami's sixth-round selection (186th) and Miami's third- and fourth-round selections in 2017.
* ↑ No. 94: Denver → Seattle (PD). see No. 26: Seattle → Denver.

### Round four

* ↑ No. 100: multiple trades:    No. 100: Tennessee → Philadelphia (PD). Tennessee traded its fourth-round selection to Philadelphia in exchange for running back DeMarco Murray and Philadelphia's fourth-round selection (113th).    No. 100: Philadelphia → Cleveland (PD). see No. 2: Cleveland → Philadelphia.
* ↑ No. 106: multiple trades:    No. 106: Chicago → Tampa Bay (D). see No. 9: Tampa Bay → Chicago.    No. 106: Tampa Bay → Kansas City (D). see No. 59: Kansas City → Tampa Bay.
* ↑ No. 130: Denver → Baltimore (PD). Denver traded this selection to Baltimore in exchange for Baltimore's fifth-round selection (144th) and center Gino Gradkowski.

### Round six

* ↑ No. 176: Cleveland → Tennessee (D). see No. 8: Cleveland → Tennessee.
* ↑ No. 187: New Orleans → Washington (PD). New Orleans traded this selection along with its sixth-round selection in the 2015 NFL draft (187th) to Washington in exchange for Washington's fifth-round selection.
* ↑ No. 189: Oakland → Dallas (PD). see No. 143: Dallas → Oakland.
* ↑ No. 197: Washington → Tampa Bay (PD). Washington traded this selection to Tampa Bay in exchange for Tampa Bay's seventh-round selection (232nd) and safety Dashon Goldson.
* ↑ No. 198: Minnesota → San Diego (PD). Minnesota traded this selection to San Diego in exchange for offensive lineman Jeremiah Sirles.
* ↑ No. 202: Seattle → Detroit (PD). Seattle traded this selection to Detroit in exchange for cornerback Mohammed Seisay.
* ↑ No. 204: multiple trades:    No. 204: New England → Chicago (PD). New England traded this selection to Chicago in exchange for linebacker Jon Bostic.    No. 204: Chicago → New England (PD). see No. 127: New England → Chicago

### Round seven
## Head coaches

*Maryland fired Randy Edsall six games into the season. Offensive coordinator Mike Locksley was named interim coach for the remainder of the season
*Jerry Kill stepped down as Minnesota's coach on October 28, 2015 due to health reasons. Defensive coordinator Tracy Claeys was named interim coach for a couple of weeks and then named the permanent replacement on November 11.