1981 Big Ten Conference football season
| 1981 Big Ten Conference football season | |
|---|---|
| League | NCAA Division I-A |
| Top draft pick | Art Schlichter |
| Co-champions | Iowa, Ohio State |
| Runners-up | Michigan, Illinois |
| Season MVP | Art Schlichter |
| Top scorer | Bob Atha |
| 1981 Big Ten football standings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| #15 Ohio State + | 6 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| #18 Iowa + | 6 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| #12 Michigan | 6 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Illinois | 6 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wisconsin | 6 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minnesota | 4 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Michigan State | 4 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Purdue | 3 | – | 6 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indiana | 3 | – | 6 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 8 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northwestern | 0 | – | 9 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 11 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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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.
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[1]
AP high = Team's highest rank in the AP Poll throughout the 1981 season[1]
PPG = Average of points scored per game[1]
PAG = Average of points allowed per game[1]
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:[1]
Passing yards
1. Tony Eason, Illinois (3,360)
2. Scott Campbell, Purdue (2,686)
3. Art Schlichter, Ohio State (2,551)
4. Mike Hohensee, Minnesota (2,412)
5. Babe Laufenberg, Indiana (1,788)
Pass efficiency rating
1. Tony Eason, Illinois (140.0)
2. Scott Campbell, Purdue (138.3)
3. Bryan Clark, Michigan State (128.9)
4. Steve Smith, Michigan (125.7)
5. Art Schlichter, Ohio State (123.8)
Rushing yards
1. Butch Woolfolk, Michigan (1,459)
2. Tim Spencer, Ohio State (1,217)
3. Jim Gayle, Ohio State (732)
4. Phil Blatcher, Iowa (708)
5. Steve Smith, Michigan (674)
Rushing yards per attempt
1. Butch Woolfolk, Michigan (5.8)
2. John Williams, Wisconsin (5.5)
3. Tim Spencer, Ohio State (5.4)
4. Manny Henry, Minnesota (5.2)
5. Chucky Davis, Wisconsin (5.2)
Receiving yards
1. Chester Cooper, Minnesota (1,012)
2. Steve Bryant, Purdue (971)
3. Anthony Carter, Michigan (952)
4. Gary Williams, Ohio State (941)
5. Oliver Williams, Illinois (760)
Receiving yards per reception
1. Duane Gunn, Indiana (21.2)
2. Daryl Turner, Michigan State (21.1)
3. Oliver Williams, Illinois (20.0)
4. Mike Martin, Illinois (19.7)
5. Anthony Carter, Michigan (19.0)
Total yards
1. Tony Eason, Illinois (3,331)
2. Scott Campbell, Purdue (2,809)
3. Art Schlichter, Ohio State (2,509)
4. Mike Hohensee, Minnesota (2,437)
5. Steve Smith, Michigan (2,335)
Scoring
1. Bob Atha, Ohio State (88)
2. Morten Andersen, Michigan State (73)
3. Steve Smith, Michigan (72)
3. Tim Spencer, Ohio State (72)
5. Steve Bryant, Purdue (66)
All-conference players
All-Americans
The NCAA recognizes four selectors as "official" for the 1980 season.[2] 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:[3]
| 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 |
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 "1981 Big Ten Conference Year Summary". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
- ↑ "2014 NCAA Football Records: Consensus All-America Selections" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). 2014. pp. 3, 7. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
- ↑ "1982 NFL Draft: Full Draft". NFL.com. National Football League. Retrieved November 2, 2016.