# 1981 Big Ten Conference football season

The 1981 Big Ten Conference football season was the 86th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season.
The 1981 Big Ten co-champions were Iowa and Ohio State. In an odd twist of fate, the Hawkeyes and Buckeyes did not play each other, while all other conference teams played a full round-robin. Due to this, Iowa was awarded the Rose Bowl berth since its last appearance was in 1959; by comparison, Ohio State went to Pasadena seven times between 1969 and 1980.

## Season overview
### Results and team statistics

| Conf. Rank | Team | Head coach | AP final | AP high | Overall record | Conf. record | PPG | PAG |
| 1 (tie) | Ohio State | Earle Bruce | 15 | 7 | 9–3 | 6–2 | 32.2 | 21.1 |
| 1 (tie) | Iowa | Hayden Fry | 18 | 6 | 8–4 | 6–2 | 21.7 | 13.3 |
| 3 (tie) | Michigan | Bo Schembechler | 12 | 1 | 9–3 | 6–3 | 29.6 | 13.5 |
| 3 (tie) | Illinois | Mike White | NR | NR | 7–4 | 6–3 | 26.1 | 26.2 |
| 3 (tie) | Wisconsin | Dave McClain | NR | 14 | 7–5 | 6–3 | 22.3 | 18.2 |
| 6 (tie) | Minnesota | Joe Salem | NR | NR | 6–5 | 4–5 | 24.9 | 24.0 |
| 6 (tie) | Michigan State | Muddy Waters | NR | NR | 5–6 | 4–5 | 23.9 | 22.6 |
| 8 (tie) | Purdue | Jim Young | NR | NR | 5–6 | 3–6 | 22.0 | 21.9 |
| 8 (tie) | Indiana | Lee Corso | NR | NR | 3–8 | 3–6 | 13.1 | 26.6 |
| 10 | Northwestern | Dennis Green | NR | NR | 0–11 | 0–9 | 7.5 | 45.9 |
Key AP final = Team's rank in the final AP Poll of the 1981 season AP high = Team's highest rank in the AP Poll throughout the 1981 season PPG = Average of points scored per game PAG = Average of points allowed per game

### Bowl games

Four Big Ten teams played in bowl games at the end of the 1981 season.
| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| January 1, 1982 | | Washington | Iowa | Rose Bowl • Pasadena, CA (Rose Bowl) | NBC | L 0–28 | 105,611 |
| December 31, 1981 | 8 p.m. | Navy | Ohio State | Liberty Bowl • Memphis, TN (Liberty Bowl) | USA Network | W 31–28 | 43,216 |
| December 31, 1981 | | UCLA | Michigan | Houston Astrodome • Houston, TX (Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl) | Mizlou | W 33–14 | 50,107 |
| December 13, 1981 | | Tennessee | Wisconsin | Giants Stadium • East Rutherford, NJ (Garden State Bowl) | Mizlou | L 21–28 | 38,782 |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. All times are in Eastern Standard Time. |||||||||

## Statistical leaders

The Big Ten's individual statistical leaders include the following:

## All-Americans

The NCAA recognizes four selectors as "official" for the 1980 season. They are (1) the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), (2) the Associated Press (AP), (3) the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), and (4) the United Press International (UPI).

### Consensus All-Americans

* Anthony Carter, wide receiver, Michigan (AFCA, AP, FWAA, UPI)
* Ed Muransky, offensive tackle, Michigan (AP, UPI)
* Kurt Becker, offensive guard, Michigan (AFCA, AP)
* Tim Krumrie, middle guard, Wisconsin (AP, UPI)
* Reggie Roby, punter, Iowa (AP, UPI)

## 1982 NFL Draft

The following Big Ten players were selected in the first six rounds of the draft:
| Name | Position | Team | Round | Overall pick |
| Art Schlichter | Quarterback | Ohio State | 1 | 4 |
| Butch Woolfolk | Running back | Michigan | 1 | 18 |
| Ron Hallstrom | Guard | Iowa | 1 | 22 |
| Bubba Paris | Offensive tackle | Michigan | 2 | 29 |