2011 Big Ten Conference football season

The 2011 Big Ten Conference football season is the 116th for the Big Ten. The conference started its season on Saturday, September 3, as each of the conference's teams began their respective 2011 season of NCAA Division I FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) competition. This season is Nebraska's first season as a member of the Big Ten, and also marks the creation of conference divisions (named Leaders and Legends), and a championship game.[1] The season was also notable for the Penn State child sex abuse scandal.

2011 Big Ten Conference football season
LeagueNCAA Division I FBS
SportFootball
DurationSeptember 3, 2011
through January 2012
Number of teams12
TV partner(s)ABC, ESPN Inc., Big Ten Network, FOX (championship game)
2012 NFL Draft
Top draft pickRiley Reiff (Iowa)
Picked byDetroit Lions, 23rd overall
Regular Season
Season MVPMontee Ball
Top scorerMontee Ball
Leaders Division championsWisconsin Badgers and Penn State Nittany Lions
Legends Division championsMichigan State Spartans
Championship Game
ChampionsWisconsin Badgers
  Runners-upMichigan State
Finals MVPRussell Wilson
2011 Big Ten Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
Team W L    W L 
Legends Division
No. 11 Michigan State x  7 –1     11 –3  
No. 12 Michigan %  6 –2     11 –2  
No. 24 Nebraska  5 –3     9 –4  
Iowa  4 –4     7 –6  
Northwestern  3 –5     6 –7  
Minnesota  2 –6     3 –9  
Leaders Division
No. 10 Wisconsin xy$  6 –2     11 –3  
Penn State x  6 –2     9 –4  
Purdue  4 –4     7 –6  
Ohio State  3 –5     6 –7  
Illinois  2 –6     7 –6  
Indiana  0 –8     1 –11  
Championship: Wisconsin 42, Michigan State 39
  • $ – BCS representative as conference champion
  • % – BCS at-large representative
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant
Rankings from AP Poll

For the season, Leaders Division champion Wisconsin finished as conference champion by defeating Legends Division champion Michigan State in the 2011 Big Ten Football Championship Game. Penn State was Leaders Division co-Champion, while Legends Division runner-up Michigan finished with the conference's best record. The conference earned two BCS bowl invitations and compiled a 4–6 overall record in 2011–12 NCAA football bowl games.

The Conference had six 2011 College Football All-America Team consensus selections: Montee Ball, Kevin Zeitler, David Molk, Whitney Mercilus (unanimous), Devon Still, and Jerel Worthy, with the Rimington Trophy going to Molk and the Ted Hendricks Award going to Mercilus. Ball won the Chicago Tribune Silver Football and the conference's players won four national statistical championships: Russell Wilson (passing efficiency), Raheem Mostert (kickoff return average), Ball (scoring), and Mercilus (quarterback sacks).

Following the season the conference contributed 41 to the 2012 NFL Draft, including 4 in the first round: Riley Reiff (23rd), Mercilus (26th), Zeitler (27th), and A. J. Jenkins (30th).

Rankings
See also: 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings
 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		Final
Illinois AP 24 24 19 16 23 RV
C RV 22 16 15 21 RV
Harris Not released 14 20 RV RV
BCS Not released 23
Indiana AP
C
Harris Not released
BCS Not released
Iowa AP RV RV
C RV RV RV RV
Harris Not released RV
BCS Not released
Michigan AP RV RV RV 22 19 12 11 18 17 13 22 20 17 17 13 12
C RV RV RV 21 19 11 10 17 17 13 21 18 16 16 12 9
Harris Not released 10 17 16 13 21 18 16 16 12
BCS Not released 18 18 15 24 18 15 16 13
Michigan State AP 17 17 15 RV RV RV 23 15 9 15 13 12 11 11 12 11
C 17 16 15 23 25 20 19 13 10 16 13 12 10 9 13 10
Harris Not released 22 15 11 17 13 12 11 11 13
BCS Not released 16 11 17 17 15 14 11 17
Minnesota AP
C
Harris Not released
BCS Not released
Nebraska AP 10 10 10 9 8 14 14 13 13 9 18 16 22 20 21 24
C 11 10 10 9 8 15 14 11 13 9 17 16 22 19 20 24
Harris Not released 13 11 13 9 17 16 21 19 20
BCS Not released 13 14 10 19 16 21 20 20
Northwestern AP RV RV RV
C RV RV RV RV RV
Harris Not released
BCS Not released
Ohio State AP 18 15 17 RV RV RV
C 16 15 16 RV RV RV RV
Harris Not released RV
BCS Not released
Penn State AP RV 23 RV RV RV RV RV RV 21 16 12 21 20 23 24 RV
C 25 20 RV RV RV RV 25 22 19 15 12 21 19 22 23 RV
Harris Not released RV 24 19 16 12 19 18 22 23
BCS Not released 21 19 16 12 21 19 23 22
Purdue AP
C
Harris Not released
BCS Not released
Wisconsin AP 11 8 7 6 7 4 4 4 12 19 16 15 15 15 9 10
C 10 9 8 7 7 5 4 4 11 17 14 13 12 12 8 11
Harris Not released 4 4 12 18 14 13 14 13 8
BCS Not released 6 15 20 18 17 16 12 10
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

Spring games

April 9

  • Purdue Boilermakers

April 16

  • Indiana Hoosiers
  • Iowa Hawkeyes
  • Michigan Wolverines
  • Nebraska Cornhuskers
  • Northwestern Wildcats
  • Penn State Nittany Lions

April 23

  • Illinois Fighting Illini
  • Minnesota Golden Gophers
  • Ohio State Buckeyes
  • Wisconsin Badgers

April 30

  • Michigan State Spartans

[2]

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

All times Eastern time.

Rankings reflect that of the AP poll.

Week 1
DateTimeVisiting teamHome teamSiteTVResultAttendance
September 1 8:00 PM UNLV No. 11 Wisconsin Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, WI ESPN W 51–17   77,085
September 2 7:30 PM Youngstown State No. 17 Michigan State Spartan Stadium • East Lansing, MI BTN W 28–6   75,910
September 3 12:00 PM Northwestern Boston College Alumni Stadium • Chestnut Hill, MA ESPNU W 24–17   37,561
September 3 12:00 PM Akron No. 18 Ohio State Ohio Stadium • Columbus, OH ESPN W 42–0   105,001
September 3 12:00 PM Indiana State Penn State Beaver Stadium • University Park, PA BTN W 41–7   96,461
September 3 12:00 PM Tennessee Tech Iowa Kinnick Stadium • Iowa City, IA BTN W 34–7   70,585
September 3 12:00 PM Middle Tennessee State Purdue Ross–Ade Stadium • West Lafayette, IN BTN W 27–24   42,110
September 3 3:30 PM Minnesota No. 25 USC Los Angeles Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA ABC / ESPN2 L 19–17   68,273
September 3 3:30 PM Western Michigan Michigan Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI ABC / ESPN2 W 34–10   110,506
September 3 3:30 PM Chattanooga No. 10 Nebraska Memorial Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI BTN W 40–7   84,883
September 3 3:30 PM Arkansas State Illinois Memorial Stadium • Champaign, IL BTN W 33–15   45,154
September 3 6:00 PM Indiana Ball State Lucas Oil Stadium • Indianapolis, IN BTN L 27–20   40,224
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Week 2
DateTimeVisiting teamHome teamSiteTVResultAttendance
September 10 12:00 PM Iowa Iowa State Jack Trice Stadium • Ames, IA (Cy-Hawk Series) FSN L 44–41 3OT  56,085
September 10 12:00 PM Florida Atlantic No. 17 Michigan State Spartan Stadium • East Lansing, MI ESPN2 W 44–0   70,249
September 10 12:00 PM Toledo No. 15 Ohio State Ohio Stadium • Columbus, OH BTN W 27–22   105,016
September 10 12:00 PM Oregon State No. 8 Wisconsin Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, WI ESPN W 35–0   80,337
September 10 12:00 PM South Dakota State Illinois Memorial Stadium • Champaign, IL BTN W 56–3   42,212
September 10 3:30 PM Eastern Illinois Northwestern Ryan Field (stadium) • Evanston, IL BTN W 42–21   28,042
September 10 3:30 PM New Mexico State Minnesota TCF Bank Stadium • Minneapolis, MN BTN L 28–21   48,807
September 10 3:30 PM No. 3 Alabama No. 23 Penn State Beaver Stadium • University Park, PA ABC L 27–11   107,846
September 10 3:30 PM Purdue Rice Rice Stadium • Houston, TX CBS Sports Network L 24–22   25,317
September 10 7:00 PM Virginia Indiana Memorial Stadium • Bloomington, IN BTN L 34–31   41,549
September 10 7:00 PM Fresno State No. 10 Nebraska Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, NE BTN W 42–29   85,101
September 10 8:00 PM Notre Dame Michigan Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI (Mich-ND rivalry) ESPN W 35–31   114,804
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Week 3
DateTimeVisiting teamHome teamSiteTVResultAttendance
September 17 12:00 PM Eastern Michigan Michigan Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI BTN W 31–3   110,343
September 17 12:00 PM Penn State Temple Lincoln Financial Field • Philadelphia, PA ESPN W 14–10   57,323
September 17 12:00 PM Pittsburgh Iowa Kinnick Stadium • Iowa City, IA ESPN2 W 31–27   70,585
September 17 12:00 PM Southeast Missouri State Purdue Ross–Ade Stadium • West Lafayette, IN BTN W 59–0   46,116
September 17 3:30 PM South Carolina State Indiana Memorial Stadium • Bloomington, IN BTN W 38–21   41,203
September 17 3:30 PM No. 15 Michigan State Notre Dame Notre Dame Stadium • Notre Dame, IN (Megaphone Trophy) NBC L 31–13   80,795
September 17 3:30 PM Miami (OH) Minnesota TCF Bank Stadium • Minneapolis, MN BTN W 29–23   49,950
September 17 3:30 PM Washington No. 11 Nebraska Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, NE ABC W 51–38   85,110
September 17 3:30 PM Northwestern Army Michie Stadium • West Point, NY CBS L 21–14   35,784
September 17 3:30 PM No. 7 Wisconsin Northern Illinois Soldier Field • Chicago, IL ESPN3 W 49–7   41,068
September 17 3:30 PM No. 22 Arizona State Illinois Memorial Stadium • Champaign, IL BTN W 17–14   50,669
September 17 7:30 PM No. 17 Ohio State Miami (FL) Sun Life Stadium • Miami, FL ESPN L 24–6   66,279
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Week 4
DateTimeVisiting teamHome teamSiteTVResultAttendance
September 24 12:00 PM Central Michigan Michigan State Spartan Stadium • East Lansing, MI ESPNU W 45–7   72,119
September 24 12:00 PM Eastern Michigan Penn State Beaver Stadium • University Park, PA ESPN2 W 34–6   95,636
September 24 12:00 PM Louisiana-Monroe Iowa Kinnick Stadium • Iowa City, IA BTN W 45–17   70,585
September 24 3:30 PM Colorado Ohio State Ohio Stadium • Columbus, OH ABC \ ESPN2 W 37–17   105,096
September 24 3:30 PM South Dakota No. 6 Wisconsin Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, WI BTN W 59–10   78,880
September 24 3:30 PM Western Michigan No. 24 Illinois Memorial Stadium • Champaign, IL BTN W 23–20   43,684
September 24 7:00 PM North Dakota State Minnesota TCF Bank Stadium • Minneapolis, MN BTN L 37–24   48,802
September 24 7:00 PM Indiana North Texas Memorial Stadium • Bloomington, IN ESPN3 L 24–21   21,181
September 24 7:30 PM No. 9 Nebraska Wyoming War Memorial Stadium • Laramie, WY NBC Sports Network W 38–14   32,617
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.
DateBye Week
September 24NorthwesternPurdue

Week 5
DateTimeVisiting teamHome teamSiteTVResultAttendance
October 1 12:00 PM Penn State Indiana Memorial Stadium • Bloomington, IN ESPNU  PSU16–10   42,621
October 1 12:00 PM Minnesota No. 19 Michigan Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI (Little Brown Jug) BTN  MICH 58–0   111,106
October 1† 12:00 PM Northwestern No. 24 Illinois Memorial Stadium • Champaign, IL (Land of Lincoln Trophy) BTN  ILL 38–35   53,243
October 1 3:30 PM Michigan State Ohio State Ohio Stadium • Columbus, OH ABC / ESPN2  MSU 10–7   105,306
October 1 8:00 PM No. 8 Nebraska No. 7 Wisconsin Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, WI ABC  WIS 48–17   81,384
October 1 8:00 PM Notre Dame Purdue Ross–Ade Stadium • West Lafayette, IN (Shillelagh Trophy) ESPN L 38–10   61,555
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.
DateBye Week
October 1Iowa

Week 6
DateTimeVisiting teamHome teamSiteTVResultAttendance
October 8 12:00 PM Minnesota Purdue Ross–Ade Stadium • West Lafayette, IN ESPN  PUR 45–17   38,207
October 8 2:30 PM No. 19 Illinois Indiana Memorial Stadium • Bloomington, IN BTN  ILL 41–20   41,665
October 8 3:30 PM Iowa Penn State Beaver Stadium • University Park, PA ABC / ESPN  PSU 13–3   103,497
October 8 7:00 PM No. 12 Michigan Northwestern Ryan Field • Evanston, IL BTN  MICH 42–24   47,330
October 8† 8:00 PM Ohio State No. 14 Nebraska Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, NE ABC  NEB 34–27   85,426
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.
DateBye Week
October 8Michigan State#4 Wisconsin

Week 7
DateTimeVisiting teamHome teamSiteTVResultAttendance
October 15 12:00 PM No. 11 Michigan No. 23 Michigan State Spartan Stadium • East Lansing, MI (Paul Bunyan Trophy) ESPN  MSU 28–14   77,515
October 15† 12:00 PM Purdue Penn State Beaver Stadium • University Park, PA BTN  PSU 23–18   100,820
October 15† 12:00 PM Indiana No. 4 Wisconsin Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, WI ESPN2  WIS 59–7   80,732
October 15 3:30 PM Ohio State No. 16 Illinois Memorial Stadium • Champaign, IL (Illibuck) ABC / ESPN  OSU 17–7   55,229
October 15 7:00 PM Northwestern Iowa Kinnick Stadium • Iowa City, IA BTN  IOWA 41–31   70,585
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.
DateBye Week
October 15Minnesota#14 Nebraska

Week 8
DateTimeVisiting teamHome teamSiteTVResultAttendance
October 22† 12:00 PM Indiana Iowa Kinnick Stadium • Iowa City, IA BTN  IOWA 45–24   70,585
October 22† 12:00 PM No. 23 Illinois Purdue Ross–Ade Stadium • West Lafayette, IN (Purdue Cannon) ESPN2  PUR 21–14   45,146
October 22† 3:30 PM No. 13 Nebraska Minnesota TCF Bank Stadium • Minneapolis, MN ABC / ESPN2  NEB 41–14   49,187
October 22† 7:00 PM No. 21 Penn State Northwestern Ryan Field • Evanston, IL BTN  PSU 34–24   40,004
October 22† 8:00 PM No. 6 Wisconsin No. 16 Michigan State Spartan Stadium • East Lansing, MI ESPN  MSU 37–31   76,405
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.
DateBye Week
October 22#18 MichiganOhio State

Week 9
DateTimeVisiting teamHome teamSiteTVResultAttendance
October 29† 12:00 PM Northwestern Indiana Memorial Stadium • Bloomington, IN BTN  NW 59–38   39,239
October 29† 12:00 PM Purdue No. 18 Michigan Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI ESPN2  MICH 36–14   112,115
October 29 12:00 PM No. 11 Michigan State No. 14 Nebraska Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, NE ESPN  NEB 24–3   85,641
October 29 3:30 PM Iowa Minnesota TCF Bank Stadium • Minneapolis, MN (Floyd of Rosedale) BTN  MIN 22–21   46,543
October 29 3:30 PM Illinois No. 19 Penn State Beaver Stadium • University Park, PA ABC / ESPN2  PSU 10–7   97,828
October 29† 8:00 PM No. 15 Wisconsin Ohio State Ohio Stadium • Columbus, OH ESPN  OSU 33–29   105,511
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Week 10
DateTimeVisiting teamHome teamSiteTVResultAttendance
November 5 12:00 PM Minnesota No. 17 Michigan State Spartan Stadium • East Lansing, MI BTN  MSU 31–24   72,219
November 5 12:00 PM Indiana Ohio State Ohio Stadium • Columbus, OH BTN  OSU 34–20   105,195
November 5 12:00 PM No. 15 Michigan Iowa Kinnick Stadium • Iowa City, IA ESPN  IOWA 24–16   70,585
November 5 3:30 PM Northwestern No. 10 Nebraska Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, NE BTN  NW 28–25   85,115
November 5 3:30 PM Purdue No. 20 Wisconsin Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, WI BTN  WIS 62–17   80,566
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.
DateBye Week
November 5Illinois#16 Penn State

Week 11
DateTimeVisiting teamHome teamSiteTVResultAttendance
November 12 12:00 PM Rice Northwestern Ryan Field • Evanston, IL BTN W 28–6   26,886
November 12 12:00 PM No. 19 Nebraska No. 12 Penn State Beaver Stadium • University Park, PA ESPN  NEB 17–14   107,903
November 12 12:00 PM No. 17 Michigan State Iowa Kinnick Stadium • Iowa City, IA ESPN2  MSU 37–21   70,585
November 12 12:00 PM Ohio State Purdue Ross–Ade Stadium • West Lafayette, IN BTN  PUR 26–23   43,334
November 12 3:30 PM No. 18 Wisconsin Minnesota TCF Bank Stadium • Minneapolis, MN (Paul Bunyan's Axe) BTN  WIS 42–13   49,158
November 12 3:30 PM No. 24 Michigan Illinois Memorial Stadium • Champaign, IL ABC / ESPN  MICH 31–14   60,670
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.
DateBye Week
November 12Indiana

Week 12
DateTimeVisiting teamHome teamSiteTVResultAttendance
November 19 12:00 PM Minnesota Northwestern Ryan Field • Evanston, IL BTN  NW 28–13   26,215
November 19 12:00 PM Indiana No. 15 Michigan State Spartan Stadium • East Lansing, MI (Old Brass Spittoon) BTN  MSU 55–3   74,128
November 19 12:00 PM No. 16 Nebraska No. 18 Michigan Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI ESPN  MICH 45–17   113,718
November 19 12:00 PM No. 17 Wisconsin Illinois Memorial Stadium • Champaign, IL ESPN2  WIS 28–17   45,519
November 19 12:00 PM Iowa Purdue Ross–Ade Stadium • West Lafayette, IN BTN  IOWA 31–21   40,106
November 19 3:30 PM No. 21 Penn State Ohio State Ohio Stadium • Columbus, OH ABC / ESPN  PSU 20–14   105,493
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Week 13
DateTimeVisiting teamHome teamSiteTVResultAttendance
November 25 12:00 PM Iowa No. 21 Nebraska Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, NE (Heroes Trophy) ABC  NEB 20–7   85,595
November 26 12:00 PM No. 14 Michigan State Northwestern Ryan Field • Evanston, IL BTN  MSU 31–17   32,172
November 26 12:00 PM Ohio State No. 15 Michigan Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI (The Game) ABC  MICH 40–34   114,132
November 26 3:30 PM Purdue Indiana Memorial Stadium • Bloomington, IN (Old Oaken Bucket) BTN  PUR 33–25   42,005
November 26 3:30 PM Illinois Minnesota TCF Bank Stadium • Minneapolis, MN BTN  MIN 27–7   41,549
November 26 3:30 PM No. 19 Penn State No. 16 Wisconsin Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, WI ESPN  WIS 45–7   79,708
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Big Ten Championship Game
DateTimeVisiting teamHome teamSiteTVResultAttendance
December 3 8:00 PM No. 10 Wisconsin No. 17 Michigan State Lucas Oil Stadium • Indianapolis, IN (2011 Big Ten Championship) FOX  WIS 42–39   64,152
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Players of the week
Week Offensive Defensive Special Teams Freshman
Player Position Team Player Position Team Player Position Team Player Position Team
Week 1 Russell Wilson QB WIS Brandon Herron LB MICH Brett Maher P/PK NEB Houston Bates LB ILL
Chaz Powell KR PSU
Week 2 Denard Robinson QB MICH Mike Taylor LB WIS Ameer Abdullah KR NEB Ameer Abdullah KR NEB
Week 3 James Vandenberg QB IOWA Jonathan Brown LB ILL Duane Bennett RB MINN D'Angelo Roberts RB IND
Week 4 Denard Robinson QB MICH Tom Nardo DT IOWA Derek Dimke PK ILL Donovonn Young RB ILL
Matt McGloin QB PSU
Week 5 A.J. Jenkins WR ILL Mike Taylor LB WIS Anthony Fera PK/P PSU Marcus Rush DE MSU
Russell Wilson QB WIS
Week 6 Taylor Martinez QB NEB Tavon Wilson CB ILL Brett Maher P/PK NEB Shayne Wynn KR IND
Week 7 Montee Ball RB WIS John Simon DT OSU Anthony Fera P/PK PSU Mike Sadler P MSU
Week 8 Marvin McNutt WR IOWA Gerald Hodges LB PSU Kyler Elsworth LB MSU Tre Roberson QB IND
Kirk Cousins QB MSU Kawann Short DT PUR
Week 9 Drake Dunsmore TE NW Gerald Hodges LB PSU Jordan Wettstein PK MINN Braxton Miller QB OSU
Week 10 Kain Colter QB NW Chris Borland LB WIS Mike Sadler P MSU Raheem Mostert KR PUR
Montee Ball RB WIS
Week 11 Russell Wilson QB WIS Ryan Van Bergen DE MICH Brett Maher P/PK NEB Mike Sadler P MSU
Kawann Short DT PUR Bruce Gaston DT PUR
Week 12 Denard Robinson QB MICH Chris Borland LB WIS Anthony Fera P/PK PSU Ryan Shazier LB OSU
Montee Ball RB WIS
Week 13 Denard Robinson QB MICH Kim Royston DB MINN Carson Wiggs PK PUR Braxton Miller QB OSU
Montee Ball RB WIS Lavonte David LB NEB

Attendance
Team Stadium Capacity Game 1 Game 2 Game 3 Game 4 Game 5 Game 6 Game 7 Game 8 Total Average % of Capacity
Illinois Memorial Stadium 60,670 45,154 42,212 50,669 43,684 53,243 55,229 60,670 54,633 405,494 50,687 83.5%
Indiana Memorial Stadium 52,929 41,549 41,203 42,621 41,665 39,239 42,005 — — 248,282 41,380 78.2%
Iowa Kinnick Stadium 70,585 70,585 70,585 70,585 70,585 70,585 70,585 70,585 — 494,095 70,585 100%
Michigan Michigan Stadium 109,901 110,506 114,804 110,343 110,707 111,106 112,115 113,718 114,132 897,431 112,179 102%
Michigan State Spartan Stadium 75,005 75,910 70,249 72,119 77,515 76,405 72,219 74,128 — 518,545 74,078 98.8%
Minnesota TCF Bank Stadium 50,805 48,807 49,950 48,802 49,187 46,543 49,158 41,549 — 333,996 47,714 93.9%
Nebraska Memorial Stadium 81,067 84,883 85,101 85,110 85,426 85,641 85,115 85,595 — 596,871 85,267 105%
Northwestern Ryan Field 47,130 28,042 47,330 40,004 26,886 26,215 27,137 — — 195,614 32,602 69.1%
Ohio State Ohio Stadium 102,329 105,001 105,016 105,096 105,306 105,511 105,159 105,493 — 736,582 105 226 102.8%
Penn State Beaver Stadium 107,282 96,461 107,846 95,636 103,497 100,820 97,828 107,193 — 709,281 101,326 94.4%
Purdue Ross–Ade Stadium 62,500 42,110 46,116 61,555 38,207 45,146 43,334 40,106 — 316,574 45,225 72.3%
Wisconsin Camp Randall Stadium 80,312 77,085 80,337 78,880 81,384 80,732 79,708 — — 478,126 79,688 99.2%

Post-season awards and honors

Individual Big Ten Award Winners

All-Big Ten

The following players were named by the coaches.:[3]

HONORABLE MENTION: Illinois: Jeff Allen, Jonathan Brown, Derek Dimke, Terry Hawthorne, Ian Thomas; Indiana: Mitch Ewald, Jeff Thomas; Iowa: Broderick Binns, James Ferentz, Eric Guthrie, Micah Hyde, James Morris, Markus Zusevics; Michigan: Kenny Demens, J.T. Floyd, Kevin Koger, Junior Hemingway, Denard Robinson, Fitzgerald Toussaint, Ryan Van Bergen; Michigan State: Denicos Allen, Le'Veon Bell, Kenshawn Martin, Trenton Robinson, Marcus Rush; Minnesota: Kim Royston; Nebraska: Will Compton, Ben Cotton, Spencer Long, Marcel Jones, Baker Steinkuhler; Northwestern: Jeremy Ebert, Jordan Mabin, Brian Mulroe, Al Netter, Dan Persa, Brian Peters; Ohio State: Johnathan Hankins, Dan Herron, Jack Mewhort, Jake Stoneburner; Penn State: Drew Astorino, Anthony Fera, Jordan Hill, D'Anton Lynn, Derek Moye, Chima Okoli, Chaz Powell, Johnnie Troutman; Purdue: Joe Holland, Dennis Kelly; Wisconsin: Jared Abbrederis, Patrick Butrym, Antonio Fenelus, Peter Konz, Brad Nortman, Jacob Pedersen, Ricky Wagner.

The following players were named by the media panel.

HONORABLE MENTION: Illinois: Derek Dimke, Terry Hawthorne, Travon Wilson; Indiana: Mitch Ewald; Iowa: Mike Daniels, James Ferentz, Adam Gettis, Eric Guthrie, James Morris, Tyler Nielsen, Shaun Prater, Markus Zusevics; Michigan: Kenny Demens, J.T. Floyd, Kevin Koger, Jordan Kovacs, Taylor Lewan, Craig Roh, Fitzgerald Toussaint, Ryan Van Bergen; Michigan State: Le'Veon Bell, Max Bullough, Dan Conroy, Kirk Cousins, Darqueze Dennard, Brian Linthicum, Chris McDonald, Chris Norman, Kevin Pickelman, Marcus Rush; Minnesota: Chris Bunders, Kim Royston; Nebraska: Mike Caputo, Austin Cassidy, Will Compton, Ben Cotton, Marcel Jones, Cameron Meredith, Daimion Stafford, Baker Steinkuhler; Northwestern: Kain Colter, Jordan Mabin, Brian Mulroe, Al Netter, Dan Persa; Ohio State: C.J. Barnett, Mike Brewster, Johnathan Hankins, Jack Mewhort, Tyler Moeller, Andrew Norwell, Jake Stoneburner, Andrew Sweat; Penn State: Drew Astorino, Quinn Barham, Jack Crawford, Jordan Hill, D'Anton Lynn, Chima Okoli, Chaz Powell, Nate Stupar, Johnnie Troutman; Purdue: Ricardo Allen, Dwayne Beckford, Joe Holland, Dennis Kelly, Carson Wiggs; Wisconsin: Jared Abbrederis, Patrick Butrym, Aaron Henry, Brad Nortman, Nick Toon, Ricky Wagner, Philip Welch.

National Award Winners

First Team All-Americans

There are many outlets that award All-America honors in football. The NCAA uses five official selectors to also determine Consensus and Unanimous All-America honors. The five teams used by the NCAA to compile the consensus team are from the Associated Press, the AFCA, the FWAA, The Sporting News and the Walter Camp Football Foundation. A point system is used to calculate the consensus honors. The point system consists of three points for first team, two points for second team and three points for third team. No honorable mention or fourth team or lower are used in the computation.

The teams are compiled by position and the player accumulating the most points at each position is named a Consensus All-American. If there is a tie at a position in football for first team then the players who are tied shall be named to the team. A player named first-team by all five of the NCAA-recognized selectors is recognized as a Unanimous All-American.[4]

Main article: 2011 College Football All-America Team
Player School Position Selector Consensus/Unanimous
Montee Ball Wisconsin RB AFCA, FWAA, AP, Sporting News, CBS Sports, ESPN, Scout.com, Sports Illustrated, Yahoo! Sports Consensus
Jay Prosch Illinois FB Pro Football Weekly  
Riley Reiff Iowa OT Pro Football Weekly  
Kevin Zeitler Wisconsin OG AFCA, AP, Pro Football Weekly Consensus
Peter Konz Wisconsin C AFCA, CBS Sports, Pro Football Weekly  
David Molk Michigan C AP, FWAA, Sporting News, Walter Camp, Scout.com Consensus
Whitney Mercilus Illinois DE AFCA, AP, FWAA, Sporting News, Walter Camp, CBS Sports, ESPN, Scout.com, Yahoo! Sports Unanimous
Devon Still Penn State DT AP, FWAA, Sporting News, Walter Camp, CBS Sports, ESPN, Pro Football Weekly, Scout.com, Sports Illustrated, Yahoo! Sports Consensus
Jerel Worthy Michigan State DT AFCA, AP, Sporting News, Walter Camp, CBS Sports, Scout.com, Yahoo! Sports Consensus
Lavonte David Nebraska LB AFCA, CBS Sports, ESPN, Yahoo! Sports  
Brett Maher Nebraska PK Yahoo! Sports  

Academic All-American

The Big Ten led all conferences with 7 Academic All-America selections: 1st team – Rex Burkhead (Nebraska), Austin Cassidy (Nebraska), Patrick Ward (Northwestern) and Joe Holland (Purdue); 2nd team – Mike Sadler (Michigan State), Sean Fisher (Nebraska) and Jacob Schmidt (Northwestern). Cassidy was one of four repeat first-team winners, while Holland was a 2010 second-team selection.[5]

Bowl games
See also: 2011–12 NCAA football bowl games
Big Ten Bowl Games
No. Game Date Location/Time* Television Big Ten Team+ Score Opponent+ Score Payout (US$) per team
1. Little Caesars Bowl Dec. 27, 2011 Ford Field
Detroit, Michigan
4:30 pm		 ESPN Purdue (6–6) 37 Western Michigan (7–5) 32 $750,000
2. Insight Bowl Dec. 30, 2011 Sun Devil Stadium
Tempe, Arizona
10:00 pm		 ESPN Iowa (7–5) 14 #19 Oklahoma (9–3) 31 $1,200,000
3. Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas Dec. 31, 2011 Reliant Stadium
Houston Texas
12:00 pm		 ESPN Northwestern (6–6) 22 Texas A&M (6–6) 33 $1,700,000
4. Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl Dec. 31, 2011 AT&T Park
San Francisco, California
3:30 pm		 ESPN Illinois (6–6) 20 UCLA (6–7) 14 $750,000–$825,000
5. TicketCity Bowl Jan. 2, 2012 Cotton Bowl
Dallas, Texas
12:00 pm		 ESPNU #24 Penn State (9–3) 14 #20 Houston (12–1) 30 $1,200,000
6. Outback Bowl Jan. 2, 2012 Raymond James Stadium
Tampa, Florida
1:00 pm		 ABC #12 Michigan State (10–3) 33 #18 Georgia (10–3) 30 $3,400,000
7. Capital One Bowl Jan. 2, 2012 Citrus Bowl
Orlando, Florida
1:00 pm		 ESPN #21 Nebraska (9–3) 13 #10 South Carolina (10–2) 30 $4,250,000
8. TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl Jan. 2, 2012 EverBank Field
Jacksonville, Florida
1:00 pm		 ESPN2 Ohio State (6–6) 17 Florida (6–6) 24 $2,500,000
9. Rose Bowl Jan. 2, 2012 Rose Bowl
Pasadena, California
5:10 pm		 ESPN #9 Wisconsin (11–2) 38 #6 Oregon (11–2) 45 $18,000,000
10. Allstate Sugar Bowl Jan. 3, 2012 Mercedes-Benz Superdome
New Orleans, Louisiana
8:30 pm		 ESPN #13 Michigan (10–2) 23 #17 Virginia Tech (11–2) 20 $17,000,000
*Time given is Eastern Time (UTC-5).
+Winning team is bolded.
Rankings are AP.

2012 NFL Draft
Main article: 2012 NFL Draft

The conference lost 4 players in the first round of the NFL Draft:[6] A total of 41 Big Ten players were drafted.[7]

Team Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4 Round 5 Round 6 Round 7 Total
Illinois 2 2 4
Indiana 0
Iowa 1 1 1 2 1 1 7
Michigan 1 2 3
Michigan State 1 2 2 1 6
Minnesota 0
Nebraska 1 1 2 4
Northwestern 2 2
Ohio State 1 1 2 4
Penn State 1 2 1 4
Purdue 1 1 2
Wisconsin 1 1 1 1 1 1 6
Rnd. Pick # NFL teamPlayerPos.CollegeConf.Notes
1 23 Detroit Lions Riley Reiff  OT Iowa Big Ten
1 26 Houston Texans Whitney Mercilus  DE Illinois Big Ten
1 27 Cincinnati Bengals Kevin Zeitler  G Wisconsin Big Ten from New Orleans via New England [R1 - 1]
1 30 San Francisco 49ers A. J. Jenkins  WR Illinois Big Ten
2 44 Kansas City Chiefs Jeff Allen  G Illinois Big Ten
2 48 New England Patriots Tavon Wilson  S Illinois Big Ten from Oakland[R2 - 1]
2 51 Green Bay Packers Jerel Worthy  DT Michigan State Big Ten from Arizona via Philadelphia[R2 - 2]
2 53 Cincinnati Bengals Devon Still  DT Penn State Big Ten
2 55 Atlanta Falcons Peter Konz  C Wisconsin Big Ten
2 56 Pittsburgh Steelers Mike Adams  OT Ohio State Big Ten
2 58 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Lavonte David  LB Nebraska Big Ten from Houston
3 68 Houston Texans DeVier Posey  WR Ohio State Big Ten from Tampa Bay
3 75 Seattle Seahawks Russell Wilson  QB Wisconsin Big Ten
3 82 Tennessee Titans Mike Martin  DT Michigan Big Ten
4 102 Washington Redskins Kirk Cousins  QB Michigan State Big Ten
4 121 Houston Texans Keshawn Martin  WR Michigan State Big Ten
4 122 New Orleans Saints Nick Toon  WR Wisconsin Big Ten
4 126 Houston Texans Jared Crick  DE Nebraska Big Ten from New England via Denver and Tampa Bay[R4 - 1]
4* 132 Green Bay Packers Mike Daniels  DT Iowa Big Ten
5 141 Washington Redskins Adam Gettis  G Iowa Big Ten
5 149 San Diego Chargers Johnnie Troutman  G Penn State Big Ten
5 153 Philadelphia Eagles Dennis Kelly  OT Purdue Big Ten
5 156 Cincinnati Bengals Shaun Prater  CB Iowa Big Ten
5 157 Atlanta Falcons Bradie Ewing  FB Wisconsin Big Ten
5 158 Oakland Raiders Jack Crawford  DE Penn State Big Ten
6 180 San Francisco 49ers Trenton Robinson  S Michigan State Big Ten from Carolina
6 183 Miami Dolphins B.J. Cunningham  WR Michigan State Big Ten from San Diego
6 191 Cincinnati Bengals Dan Herron  RB Ohio State Big Ten
6 194 Philadelphia Eagles Marvin McNutt  WR Iowa Big Ten from Denver[R6 - 1]
6 195 Houston Texans Nick Mondek  OT Purdue Big Ten
6* 207 Carolina Panthers Brad Nortman  P Wisconsin Big Ten
7 217 Washington Redskins Jordan Bernstine  CB Iowa Big Ten from Buffalo
7 224 New England Patriots Alfonzo Dennard  CB Nebraska Big Ten from New York Jets[R7 - 1]
7 226 San Diego Chargers David Molk  C Michigan Big Ten
7 230 Detroit Lions Nathan Stupar  OLB Penn State Big Ten
7 233 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Drake Dunsmore  TE Northwestern University Big Ten from Houston
7 234 New Orleans Saints Marcel Jones  OT Nebraska Big Ten
7 235 New England Patriots Jeremy Ebert  WR Northwestern University Big Ten
7 238 Kansas City Chiefs Junior Hemingway  WR Michigan Big Ten from New England[R7 - 2]
7* 250 San Diego Chargers Edwin Baker  RB Michigan State Big Ten

Head coaches

Joe Paterno was fired as head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions on November 9 in the wake of the Penn State sex abuse scandal. Defensive coordinator Tom Bradley was named interim head coach for the remainder of the season.[8]

Notes
  • July 28–29, 2011 – Media Days in Chicago.
gollark: I'm pretty sure this random "decision desk" thing is not actually binding.
gollark: Great!
gollark: Go calculate a solid of revolution from a parametric equation or something.
gollark: Too bad, do it anyway.
gollark: How very something.

References
  1. Associated Press (December 13, 2010). "Big Ten divisions: Legends, Leaders". ESPN College Football. Retrieved March 9, 2011.
  2. Big Ten spring dates update
  3. "All-Big Ten Honors". Archived from the original on 2011-11-29. Retrieved 2011-12-10.
  4. "NCAA Consensus All-America selection". Archived from the original on 2011-12-10. Retrieved 2011-12-10.
  5. "Big Ten Leads All Conferences With Seven Academic All-Americans: Big Ten Tops All FBS Conferences in Honorees for Seventh Straight Season". BigTen.org. CBS Interactive. 2012-01-08. Archived from the original on 2012-01-08. Retrieved 2012-01-20.
  6. Bennett, Brian (2012-04-27). "Illinois leads late arriving B1G first round". ESPN. Retrieved 2012-04-27.
  7. "2012 NFL Draft Central". BigTen.org. CBS Interactive. 2012-04-28. Archived from the original on 2012-05-24. Retrieved 2012-04-28.
  8. "Paterno fired over Penn St. child abuse scandal". CBS News. November 9, 2011.
  1. No. 27: multiple trades:
    No. 27: New Orleans → New England (PD). New Orleans traded this selection and their 2011 second-round selection (No. 56, New England selected Shane Vereen) to New England for New England's first-round selection in the 2011 Draft (No. 28, New Orleans selected Mark Ingram).[source 1]
    No. 27: New England → Cincinnati (D). see No. 21: Cincinnati → New England.
  1. No. 48: Oakland → New England (PD). Oakland traded this selection and a 2011 seventh-round selection (No. 219, New England selected Malcolm Williams) to New England for New England's third- and fourth-round selections in 2011 (Nos. 92 and 125, Oakland selected Joseph Barksdale and Taiwan Jones, respectively).[source 2]
  2. No. 51: Arizona → Philadelphia (PD). Arizona traded this selection and CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie to Philadelphia for QB Kevin Kolb.[source 3]
  1. No. 126: multiple trades:
    No. 126: New England → Denver (D). see No. 25: Denver → New England.
    No. 126: Denver → Tampa Bay (D). see No. 31: Denver → Tampa Bay.
  1. No. 194: Denver → Philadelphia (PD). Denver traded this selection to Philadelphia for linebacker Joe Mays. Denver originally sent running back J. J. Arrington to Philadelphia, with the condition that if Arrington did not make Philadelphia's 53-man roster, Denver would instead send the sixth-round selection.[source 4]
  1. No. 224: New York Jets → Green Bay (PD). The Jets traded this selection to Green Bay in exchange for guard Caleb Schlauderaff.[source 5]
  2. No. 238: New England → Kansas City (PD). New England traded this conditional selection to Kansas City for safety Jarrad Page.[source 6]

Sources
  1. Reiss, Mike (April 28, 2011). "Patriots trade 28th pick to Saints". ESPN. Retrieved April 28, 2011.
  2. PFW Staff (April 29, 2011). "Patriots make third trade; get Raiders' '12 second-round pick". Pro Football Weekly. Archived from the original on 2014-05-15. Retrieved April 29, 2011.
  3. McLane, Jeff (July 28, 2011). "Kolb-for-Rodgers-Cromartie trade done". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved July 28, 2011.
  4. "Eagles trade Mays for RB or draft pick". ESPN. July 30, 2010. Retrieved December 19, 2010.
  5. Silverstein, Tom (September 3, 2011). "Packers trade Johnson, Schlauderaff for draft picks". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved September 3, 2011.
  6. Reiss, Mike (September 4, 2010). "Patriots trade for safety Jarrad Page". ESPNBoston.com. Retrieved September 4, 2010.
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