# 2008 Big Ten Conference football season

The 2008 Big Ten Conference football season was the 113th season for the Big Ten.

## Preseason

Ohio State was selected as the preseason favorite to win the conference with Wisconsin and Illinois second and third, respectively by the Media. Ohio State running back Chris Wells was chosen as the Preseason Big Ten Offensive Player of the year while fellow Buckeye linebacker James Laurinaitis was named the Preseason Big Ten Defensive Player of the year.
Purdue Head Coach Joe Tiller entered his final season, while Michigan's Rich Rodriguez began his first in Ann Arbor.
In a given year, each Big Ten team will play eight of the other Big Ten teams. Thus for any given team in a given year, there are two others which will not be competed against. Below is the breakdown of "no-plays" for 2008:
Team—Does not play
* Illinois—Michigan State, Purdue
* Indiana—Michigan, Ohio State
* Iowa—Michigan, Ohio State
* Michigan—Indiana, Iowa
* Michigan State—Illinois, Minnesota
* Minnesota—Michigan State, Penn State
* Northwestern—Penn State, Wisconsin
* Ohio State—Indiana, Iowa
* Penn State—Minnesota, Northwestern
* Purdue—Illinois, Wisconsin
* Wisconsin—Northwestern, Purdue

## Standings

| Team | Conference | Conference | Overall | Overall | Rank | Rank |
| Team | Wins | Losses | Wins | Losses | AP | Coaches |
| Penn State | 7 | 1 | 11 | 2 | 8 | 8 |
| Ohio State | 7 | 1 | 10 | 3 | 9 | 11 |
| Michigan State | 6 | 2 | 9 | 4 | 24 | 24 |
| Northwestern | 5 | 3 | 9 | 4 | RV | RV |
| Iowa | 5 | 3 | 9 | 4 | 20 | 20 |
| Wisconsin | 3 | 5 | 7 | 6 | | |
| Minnesota | 3 | 5 | 7 | 6 | | |
| Illinois | 3 | 5 | 5 | 7 | | |
| Purdue | 2 | 6 | 4 | 8 | | |
| Michigan | 2 | 6 | 3 | 9 | | |
| Indiana | 1 | 7 | 3 | 9 | | |

## Rankings

| AP Poll | Pre | Wk 1 | Wk 2 | Wk 3 | Wk 4 | Wk 5 | Wk 6 | Wk 7 | Wk 8 | Wk 9 | Wk 10 | Wk 11 | Wk 12 | Wk 13 | Wk 14 | Wk 15 | Final |
| Illinois | 20 | 24T | 24 | 22 | 22 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Indiana | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Iowa | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 20 |
| Michigan | 24 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Michigan State | | | | | | | 23 | 20 | | 22 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 22 | 21 | 19 | 24 |
| Minnesota | | | | | | | | | 25 | 20 | | | | | | | |
| Northwestern | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 24 | 24 | 22 | |
| Ohio State | 2 (21) | 3 (15) | 5 (1) | 13 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 |
| Penn State | 22 | 19 | 17 | 16 | 12 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 (6) | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 8 |
| Purdue | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Wisconsin | 13 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 18 | | | | | | | | | | | |

## Schedule

* August 30:
Akron @ Wisconsin Coastal Carolina @ Penn State Maine @ Iowa Syracuse @ Northwestern Western Kentucky @ Indiana Youngstown State @ Ohio State Utah @ Michigan Northern Illinois @ Minnesota Michigan State @ California Illinois @ Missouri
* September 6:
Eastern Illinois @ Illinois Eastern Michigan @ Michigan State Marshall @ Wisconsin Miami (Ohio) @ Michigan Northern Colorado @ Purdue Ohio @ Ohio State Florida International @ Iowa Oregon State @ Penn State Murray State @ Indiana Northwestern @ Duke Minnesota @ Bowling Green
* September 13:
Florida Atlantic @ Michigan State Louisiana @ Illinois Montana State @ Minnesota Southern Illinois @ Northwestern Iowa State @ Iowa Oregon @ Purdue Penn State @ Syracuse Michigan @ Notre Dame Ohio State @ Southern California Wisconsin @ Fresno State
* September 20:
Central Michigan @ Purdue Florida Atlantic @ Minnesota Iowa @ Pittsburgh Ohio @ Northwestern Temple @ Penn State Troy @ Ohio State Notre Dame @ Michigan State Ball State @ Indiana
* September 27:
Michigan State @ Indiana Minnesota @ Ohio State Northwestern @ Iowa Purdue @ Notre Dame Wisconsin @ Michigan Illinois @ Penn State
* October 4:
Indiana @ Minnesota Iowa @ Michigan State Penn State @ Purdue Illinois @ Michigan Ohio State @ Wisconsin
* October 11:
Iowa @ Indiana Minnesota @ Illinois Toledo @ Michigan Michigan State @ Northwestern Purdue @ Ohio State Penn State @ Wisconsin
* October 18:
Purdue @ Northwestern Wisconsin @ Iowa Ohio State @ Michigan State Michigan @ Penn State Indiana @ Illinois
* October 25:
Illinois @ Wisconsin Minnesota @ Purdue Northwestern @ Indiana Penn State @ Ohio State Michigan State @ Michigan
* November 1:
Northwestern @ Minnesota Central Michigan @ Indiana Iowa @ Illinois Michigan @ Purdue Wisconsin @ Michigan State
* November 8:
Illinois @ Western Michigan Michigan @ Minnesota Ohio State @ Northwestern Penn State @ Iowa Purdue @ Michigan State Wisconsin @ Indiana
* November 15:
Indiana @ Penn State Minnesota @ Wisconsin Northwestern @ Michigan Ohio State @ Illinois Purdue @ Iowa
* November 22:
Iowa @ Minnesota California Polytechnic State @ Wisconsin Illinois @ Northwestern Indiana @ Purdue Michigan @ Ohio State Michigan State @ Penn State

## Key matchups

| Date | Visitor | Home | Significance |
| August 30 | Michigan State 31 | California 38 | In the first matchup between these two teams since 2002, the Cal Bears handed the Spartans their 8th consecutive loss by seven points or less. |
| August 30 | Utah 25 | Michigan 23 | In Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez's first game for the Wolverines, the Utes beat Michigan to sustain their position as the non-BCS team with the most victories against BCS teams (14). |
| August 30 | Illinois 42 | Missouri 52 | This is the first time that both teams were ranked when they went against each other. Missouri's win over the Fighting Illini drops Illinois's record to 7–15 in the Arch Rivalry. The Tigers have also won the past four games against Illinois. |
| August 30 | Syracuse 10 | Northwestern 30 | Northwestern's win over Syracuse is the first non-conference BCS win since 2004. The Wildcats also won their fourth-straight season opening game. |
| September 6 | Oregon State 14 | Penn State 45 | The Nittany Lions improved their all-time record against Pac-10 teams to 23-11. This also marks Penn State's tenth consecutive win against a non-conference team and seventh against a Pac-10 team at home. With the loss, it dropped Oregon State's record against the Big Ten to 0–2. |
| September 6 | Northwestern 24 | Duke 20 | In the only Big Ten-ACC season matchup in the 2008 season, Northwestern avenged a 2007 home loss that snapped Duke's 22-game losing streak. This also improved the Wildcats' record in Durham to 5-3. |
| September 13 | Michigan 17 | Notre Dame 35 | In a rainy matchup between the two winningest programs in the FBS, the Irish forced six turnovers to avenge two blowout losses by Michigan the last 2 seasons. |
| September 13 | Penn State 55 | Syracuse 13 | The first game since 1990 between these two teams was dominated by the Nittany Lions. Penn State outgained Syracuse 560-169 and allowed only eight first downs in the entire game. |
| September 13 | Iowa State 5 | Iowa 17 | In this annual matchup for the Cy-Hawk Trophy, the Iowa defense held the Cyclones to only 3 points despite Iowa State's offense being within the Hawkeye 30-yard line six times. With the win, Iowa has won the trophy 21 times over Iowa State's 11. |
| September 13 | Oregon 32 | Purdue 26 | This Big Ten-Pac-10 game played in West Lafayette, Indiana, #16 Oregon needed two overtimes to put upset-minded Purdue away. Purdue also snapped a 13-game home win streak in August/September and with Oregon's win, the Boilermakers lost 15 straight games vs. ranked opponents, with its last win vs. Iowa in 2003. |
| September 13 | Ohio State 3 | USC 35 | These teams that have combined for three BCS championships and five BCS National Championship game appearances saw USC dominate the Buckeyes in the Coliseum by holding Ohio State to only 3 points. The Buckeyes had a streak of 141 consecutive games scoring at least one touchdown snapped. The last time Ohio State was kept out of the end zone was against Michigan November 23, 1996, in a 13-9 loss. |
| September 20 | Notre Dame 7 | Michigan State 23 | Playing for the Megaphone Trophy, neither of these teams had won at home since 2001. This year proved different as MSU defeated Notre Dame in East Lansing. The Spartans were led by Javon Ringer's 201 yards on the ground in the win against the Irish. |
| September 20 | Iowa 20 | Pitt 21 | In this Big Ten-Big East matchup is the first game between these teams since 1952, the Hawkeyes had more total yards than the Panthers (361-259), but went home with a loss after not allowing a touchdown in the first three games of the 2008 season. |
| September 27 | Michigan State 42 | Indiana 29 | In the Big Ten conference opener for both teams, the Old Brass Spittoon remained in East Lansing after Michigan State Running Back Javon Ringer, who had rushed for 200 yards in two straight games, ran just 2 yards shy of making a third straight 200 yard game. |
| September 27 | Purdue 21 | Notre Dame 38 | In the only nonconference matchup of the week, the Shillelagh Trophy was returned to South Bend after the Irish avenged a 2007 loss in Ross–Ade Stadium. Purdue has also lost 15 of its last 16 games at Notre Dame Stadium dating back to 1976. |
| October 18 | Michigan 17 | Penn State 46 | The Nittany Lions received their first win against the Wolverines since 1996 and avenged a nine-game losing streak to Michigan. |
| October 18 | Wisconsin 16 | Iowa 38 | In another Big Ten traveling trophy game, the Hawkeyes returned the Heartland Trophy to Iowa City, Iowa, after a two-year losing streak against the Badgers. Wisconsin also dropped to 0-4 in the Big Ten for the first time since the 1996 season. |
| October 25 | Michigan State 35 | Michigan 21 | This intrastate rivalry intensified in the 2007 season when Wolverine player Mike Hart dubbed the Spartans as Michigan's little brother. The Spartans returned the Paul Bunyan Trophy to East Lansing which was in the Wolverines' possession since 2002. It also marked the first time Michigan State won in Michigan Stadium since 1990. |
| October 25 | Penn State 13 | Ohio State 6 | This rivalry matchup was again the featured point of College Gameday of the week for the 4th straight year. In front of an Ohio Stadium record crowd of 105,711, the Nittany Lions won their first game in Columbus since 1978. With Penn State's win, the all-time series is tied at 12-12. Ohio State dropped only its third Big Ten game since the 2005 season. |
| November 8 | Michigan 29 | Minnesota 6 | The second oldest traveling trophy in the nation was up for grabs in this matchup between the Golden Gophers and Wolverines. The Little Brown Jug was won again by Michigan for the past nineteen of the last twenty times. Michigan also won its 12th straight win in the Metrodome and stopped a five-game losing streak. |
| November 15 | Minnesota 32 | Wisconsin 35 | The oldest matchup in the FBS saw Minnesota with a two-touchdown lead at halftime in Camp Randall Stadium. Wisconsin, however, capped a second-half rally with a pair of safeties and a touchdown off a Minnesota turnover in the fourth quarter to win the matchup. The Badgers have won the last five matchups against the Gophers to keep Paul Bunyan's Axe in Madison. |
| November 15 | Ohio State 30 | Illinois 20 | The Buckeyes avenged their 2007 loss against the Illini when Ohio State was ranked 1st in the polls. Ohio State ran its consecutive Big Ten road win to 15 and also returned the Illibuck to Columbus with Ohio State holding a 57-23 advantage over Illinois. |
| November 22 | Michigan 7 | Ohio State 42 | The Michigan-Ohio State rivalry is one of the greatest sports rivalries. This annual matchup as the last regular season game has decided 24 Big Ten championships including this season's matchup. The Buckeyes won their fifth straight game against the Wolverines and continued their home winning streak against Michigan to 4. Ohio State clinched a share of a 4th straight Big Ten championship after beating Michigan. The Wolverines have not won since the 100th matchup between the archrivals in 2003. |
| November 22 | Michigan State 18 | Penn State 49 | In this snowy matchup, Penn State returned the Land Grant Trophy to Happy Valley after avenging a 2007 season loss to the Spartans. Penn State increased its record against the Spartans to 12-4 since 1993. Penn State clinched a share of the Big Ten championship with a win over Michigan State and also a Rose Bowl berth for the first time since the 1994 season after beating Ohio State earlier in this season. The win also marked the 800th win in school history which is only the 6th team in the FBS and 3rd from the Big Ten to do so. |
| November 22 | Iowa 55 | Minnesota 0 | The Floyd of Rosedale stayed with the Hawkeyes after a dominating win by Iowa. Shonn Greene set the Iowa single-season rushing record with 1,729 yards breaking Tavian Banks' record set in 1997. It was Minnesota's final time playing its home games in the Metrodome as the school moves into TCF Bank Stadium next season. |
| November 22 | Illinois 10 | Northwestern 27 | This was the last battle for the Sweet Sioux Tomahawk, which the schools agreed to retire after the NCAA declared it to be abusive to Native Americans. While the schools had agreed that Northwestern would be the trophy's final resting place regardless of the game result, the Wildcats won the trophy on the field, making it five wins in the last six matchups. The win for Northwestern meant a nine win season for only the fifth time in school history. It also knocked Illinois out of a bowl game after making it to the 2008 Rose Bowl. |
| November 22 | Indiana 10 | Purdue 62 | In Purdue Head Coach Joe Tiller's final game, the Old Oaken Bucket was returned to the Boilermakers after their performance against the Hoosiers. This was also the most lopsided game in the series between these two teams since 1893. |

## Spring games
### April 12

* Michigan

### April 19

* Illinois
* Indiana
* Iowa
* Michigan State
* Ohio State
* Penn State
* Purdue
* Wisconsin

### April 25

* Minnesota

### April 26

* Northwestern

## Homecoming games
### September 27

* Northwestern 22, Iowa 17

### October 4

* Michigan State 16, Iowa 13
* Illinois 45, Michigan 20

### October 11

* Minnesota 27, Illinois 20

### October 18

* Northwestern 48, Purdue 26
* Penn State 46, Michigan 17

### October 25

* Indiana 21, Northwestern 19
* Minnesota 17, Purdue 6
* Wisconsin 27, Illinois 17
* Penn State 13, Ohio State 6

### November 1

* Northwestern 24, Minnesota 17

## Statistical leaders
### Team

Scoring Offense :
| Team | G | PTS | AVG |
| Penn State | 12 | 482 | 40.2 |
| Iowa | 12 | 396 | 30.3 |
| Illinois | 12 | 344 | 28.7 |
| Wisconsin | 12 | 344 | 28.7 |
Scoring Defense :
| Team | G | PTS | AVG |
| Penn State | 12 | 149 | 12.4 |
| Ohio State | 12 | 157 | 13.1 |
| Iowa | 12 | 159 | 13.3 |
| Northwestern | 12 | 232 | 19.3 |
Passing Offense :
| Team | ATT | YDS | TD | YDS/G |
| Illinois | 393 | 3,232 | 22 | 269.3 |
| Purdue | 502 | 2,995 | 16 | 249.6 |
| Penn State | 346 | 2,887 | 22 | 240.6 |
| Minnesota | 380 | 2,597 | 14 | 216.4 |
Rushing Offense :
| Team | ATT | YDS | TD | YDS/G |
| Wisconsin | 529 | 2,544 | 31 | 212 |
| Penn State | 482 | 2,539 | 35 | 211.6 |
| Ohio State | 501 | 20 | 191.6 |
| Iowa | 468 | 2,272 | 27 | 189.3 |
Total Offense :
| Team | RUSH | PASS | TOTAL | TD | YDS/G |
| Penn State | 2,539 | 2,887 | 5,426 | 57 | 452.2 |
| Illinois | 2,034 | 3,232 | 5,266 | 39 | 438.8 |
| Wisconsin | 2,544 | 2,313 | 4,857 | 41 | 404.8 |
| Purdue | 1,498 | 2,995 | 4,493 | 35 | 374.4 |
Passing Defense :
| Team | ATT | YDS | TD | YDS/G |
| Ohio State | 382 | 1,972 | 10 | 164.3 |
| Penn State | 364 | 2,016 | 6 | 168.0 |
| Purdue | 359 | 2,199 | 14 | 183.3 |
| Wisconsin | 367 | 2,269 | 13 | 189.1 |
Rushing Defense :
| Team | ATT | YDS | TD | YDS/G |
| Penn State | 395 | 1,151 | 11 | 95.9 |
| Iowa | 383 | 1,179 | 7 | 98.3 |
| Ohio State | 377 | 1,379 | 6 | 114.9 |
| Northwestern | 424 | 1,532 | 15 | 127.7 |
Total Defense :
| Team | RUSH | PASS | TOTAL | TD | YDS/G |
| Penn State | 1,151 | 2,016 | 3,167 | 17 | 263.9 |
| Ohio State | 1,379 | 1,972 | 3,351 | 16 | 279.3 |
| Iowa | 1,179 | 2,295 | 3,474 | 15 | 289.5 |
| Wisconsin | 1,599 | 2,269 | 3,868 | 34 | 322.3 |
3rd Downs :
| Team | CONV | ATT | PCT |
| Penn State | 85 | 161 | 52.8 |
| Northwestern | 86 | 188 | 45.7 |
| Ohio State | 70 | 160 | 43.8 |
| Illinois | 67 | 162 | 41.4 |
Opp. 3rd Downs :
| Team | CONV | ATT | PCT |
| Penn State | 53 | 172 | 30.8 |
| Iowa | 62 | 183 | 33.9 |
| Northwestern | 61 | 180 | 33.9 |
| Ohio State | 60 | 170 | 35.3 |
Red Zone Offense :
| Team | ATT | TD | FG | TOTAL | PCT |
| Ohio State | 38 | 23 | 13 | 36 | 94.7 |
| Penn State | 61 | 41 | 16 | 57 | 93.4 |
| Minnesota | 37 | 24 | 9 | 33 | 89.2 |
| Northwestern | 51 | 27 | 18 | 45 | 86.5 |
Red Zone Defense :
| Team | ATT | TD | FG | TOTAL | PCT |
| Iowa | 28 | 12 | 9 | 21 | 75 |
| Northwestern | 39 | 19 | 14 | 30 | 76.9 |
| Michigan State | 39 | 22 | 9 | 30 | 76.9 |
| Purdue | 47 | 24 | 13 | 37 | 78.7 |
Turnover Margin :
| Team | GAIN | LOSS | DIFF |
| Ohio State | 28 | 13 | +15 |
| Minnesota | 30 | 18 | +12 |
| Penn State | 22 | 13 | +9 |
| Iowa | 27 | 21 | +6 |
Penalties :
| Team | NO. | YDS | AVG/G |
| Penn State | 40 | 335 | 28 |
| Iowa | 47 | 396 | 33 |
| Purdue | 60 | 484 | 40.3 |
| Michigan | 57 | 500 | 41.7 |

### Individual

Passing :
| Player | School | COMP | ATT | YDS | TD | INT | PASS EFF. |
| Juice Williams | Illinois | 219 | 381 | 3,173 | 22 | 16 | 138.1 |
| Adam Weber | Minnesota | 236 | 376 | 2,585 | 14 | 8 | 128.6 |
| Curtis Painter | Purdue | 227 | 379 | 2,400 | 13 | 11 | 118.6 |
| Daryll Clark | Penn State | 171 | 285 | 2,319 | 17 | 4 | 145.2 |
Rushing :
| Player | School | ATT | YDS | YPC | TD |
| Shonn Greene | Iowa | 278 | 1,729 | 6.2 | 17 |
| Javon Ringer | Michigan State | 370 | 1,590 | 4.3 | 21 |
| Evan Royster | Penn State | 185 | 1,202 | 6.5 | 12 |
| Kory Sheets | Purdue | 234 | 1,131 | 4.8 | 16 |
Receiving :
| Player | School | REC | YDS | YPC | TD |
| Arrelious Benn | Illinois | 67 | 1,055 | 15.7 | 3 |
| Eric Decker | Minnesota | 76 | 925 | 12.2 | 6 |
| Desmond Tardy | Purdue | 67 | 876 | 13.1 | 5 |
| Greg Orton | Purdue | 69 | 720 | 10.4 | 5 |
Tackles :
| Player | School | SOLO | AST | TOTAL | AVG/G |
| Brit Miller | Illinois | 72 | 60 | 132 | 11 |
| James Laurinaitis | Ohio State | 46 | 75 | 121 | 10.1 |
| Greg Jones | Michigan State | 72 | 43 | 115 | 9.6 |
| Anthony Heygood | Purdue | 65 | 49 | 114 | 9.5 |
Sacks :
| Player | School | SACKS | YARDS |
| Aaron Maybin | Penn State | 12.0 | 78 |
| Jammie Kirlew | Indiana | 10.5 | 86 |
| Brandon Graham | Michigan | 10 | 64 |
| William VanDeSteeg | Minnesota | 9.5 | 69 |
Interceptions :
| Player | School | INT | YARDS | TD |
| Pat Angerer | Iowa | 5 | 34 | 0 |
| Otis Wiley | Michigan State | 4 | 84 | 1 |
| Kurt Coleman | Ohio State | 4 | 18 | 0 |
Kick Returns :
| Player | School | RET | YDS | TD | AVG | LONG |
| Desmond Tardy | Purdue | 12 | 345 | 0 | 28.8 | 68 |
| Derrick Williams | Penn State | 18 | 486 | 2 | 27.0 | 94 |
| Aaron Valentin | Purdue | 16 | 411 | 0 | 25.7 | 64 |
| Troy Stoudermire | Minnesota | 36 | 909 | 0 | 25.2 | 58 |
Punt Returns :
| Player | School | RET | YDS | TD | AVG | LONG |
| Ray Small | Ohio State | 23 | 348 | 1 | 15.1 | 80 |
| Marcus Sherels | Minnesota | 14 | 174 | 0 | 12.4 | 34 |
| Andy Brodell | Iowa | 36 | 383 | 1 | 10.6 | 81 |
| Otis Wiley | Michigan State | 23 | 234 | 0 | 10.2 | 78 |
Kicking :
| Player | School | PAT | FG | PTS | PTS/G |
| Kevin Kelly | Penn State | 57/57 | 19/23 | 114 | 9.5 |
| Phillip Welch | Wisconsin | 30/31 | 17/20 | 81 | 8.1 |
| Brett Swenson | Michigan State | 34/34 | 20/25 | 94 | 7.8 |

## All-Big Ten Conference Team

First Team Offense :
| Individual | Team | Position |
| Daryll Clark | Penn State | Quarterback |
| Shonn Greene | Iowa | Running Back |
| Javon Ringer | Michigan State | Running Back |
| Eric Decker | Minnesota | Receiver |
| Derrick Williams | Penn State | Receiver |
| A.Q. Shipley | Penn State | Center |
| Seth Olsen | Iowa | Guard |
| Rich Ohrnberger | Penn State | Guard |
| Alex Boone | Ohio State | Tackle |
| Gerald Cadogan | Penn State | Tackle |
| Brandon Myers | Iowa | Tight End |
| Kevin Kelly | Penn State | Kicker |
First Team Defense :
| Individual | Team | Position |
| Mitch King | Iowa | Line |
| Corey Wootton | Northwestern | Line |
| Aaron Maybin | Penn State | Line |
| Jared Odrick | Penn State | Line |
| Greg Jones | Michigan State | Linebacker |
| James Laurinaitis | Ohio State | Linebacker |
| Navorro Bowman | Penn State | Linebacker |
| Vontae Davis | Illinois | Defensive Back |
| Otis Wiley | Michigan State | Defensive Back |
| Malcolm Jenkins | Ohio State | Defensive Back |
| Anthony Scirrotto | Penn State | Defensive Back |
| Zoltan Mesko | Michigan | Punter |

## Awards
### National awards

Doak Walker Award
* RB Shonn Greene, Iowa
Rimington Trophy
* C A.Q. Shipley, Penn State
Lott Trophy
* LB James Laurinaitis, Ohio State
Jim Thorpe Award
* CB Malcolm Jenkins, Ohio State

### Conference honors

Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year
* RB Shonn Greene, Iowa
Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year
* LB James Laurinaitis, Ohio State
Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year
* C A.Q. Shipley, Penn State
Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year
* Mitch King, Iowa
Big Ten Freshman of the Year
* QB Terrelle Pryor, Ohio State
Dave McClain Coach of the Year (Big Ten Coach of the Year)
* Coach Joe Paterno, Penn State

## Bowl games

| Bowl Game | Date | Stadium | City | Television | Conference Matchups | Payout (US$) |
| Insight Bowl | December 31, 2008 | Sun Devil Stadium | Tempe, Arizona | NFL | Minnesota 21 vs. Kansas 42 | $1.2 Million |
| Champs Sports Bowl | December 27, 2008 | Citrus Bowl | Orlando, Florida | ESPN | Wisconsin 13 vs. Florida State 42 | $2.25 Million |
| Alamo Bowl | December 29, 2008 | Alamodome | San Antonio, Texas | ESPN | Northwestern 23 vs. Missouri 30 | $2.2 Million |
| Outback Bowl | January 1, 2009 | Raymond James Stadium | Tampa, Florida | ESPN | Iowa 31 vs. South Carolina 10 | $3 Million |
| Capital One | January 1, 2009 | Citrus Bowl | Orlando, Florida | ABC | Michigan State 12 vs. Georgia 24 | $4.25 Million |
| Fiesta Bowl | January 5, 2009 | University of Phoenix Stadium | Glendale, Arizona | Fox | Ohio State 21 vs. Texas 24 | $17.5 Million |
| Rose Bowl | January 1, 2009 | Rose Bowl | Pasadena, California | ABC | Penn State 24 vs. USC 38 | $18 Million |

## Attendance

The overall attendance for the Big Ten was a total of 5,399,659 fans attending 77 contests this year. This meant that conference schools averaged 70,125 fans per home contest this season. Each Big Ten team has seven home games during the season with two exceptions; Indiana played eight games in Memorial Stadium and Illinois played two neutral sites to limit the Illini to six games in Memorial Stadium. Below are the figures for each game, the total for the team's season and the average attendance per game. The rankings below are by average attendance per game.
| Team | Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 | Game 4 | Game 5 | Game 6 | Game 7 | Game 8 | Total | Average |
| Michigan | 108,421 | 106,724 | 109,833 | 109,750 | 107,267 | 110,146 | 107,856 | --- | 759,997 | 108,571 |
| Penn State | 106,577 | 108,159 | 105,106 | 109,626 | 110,017 | 108,445 | 109,845 | --- | 757,775 | 108,253 |
| Ohio State | 105,011 | 105,002 | 102,989 | 105,175 | 105,378 | 105,711* | 105,564 | --- | 734,830 | 104,975 |
| Wisconsin | 80,910 | 80,396 | 81,608 | 81,524 | 81,241 | 81,228 | 80,709 | --- | 567,616 | 81,088 |
| Michigan State | 71,789 | 70,321 | 76,366 | 77,526 | 77,360 | 75,121 | 75,522 | --- | 524,005 | 74,857 |
| Iowa | 70,585 | 70,585 | 70,585 | 70,585 | 70,585 | 70,585 | 67,676 | --- | 491,186 | 70,169 |
| Illinois | 60,131 | 58,632 | 62,870 | 62,870 | 62,870 | 62,870 | --- | --- | 370,243 | 61,707 |
| Purdue | 51,476 | 54,666 | 57,101 | 57,215 | 54,215 | 59,135 | 63,107 | --- | 396,915 | 56,702 |
| Minnesota | 44,029 | 43,929 | 41,003 | 40,511 | 54,122 | 55,040 | 64,071 | --- | 342,705 | 48,957 |
| Indiana | 30,067 | 30,123 | 41,349 | 31,832 | 33,428 | 30,698 | 26,140 | 30,618 | 254,255 | 31,781 |
| Northwestern | 20,015 | 19,062 | 22,069 | 32,527 | 27,163 | 47,130 | 32,166 | --- | 200,132 | 28,590 |
* denotes Ohio Stadium record vs. Penn State on October 25.