| 1990 Big Ten Conference football season | |
|---|---|
| League | NCAA Division I-A |
| Sport | Football |
| Number of teams | 10 |
| TV partner(s) | ESPN/ABC, Raycom |
| Top draft pick | Bobby Wilson |
| Picked by | Washington Redskins |
| Co-champions | Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Illinois |
| Season MVP | Nick Bell |
| Top scorer | J.D. Carlson |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 7 Michigan + | 6 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 16 Michigan State + | 6 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 3 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 25 Illinois + | 6 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 18 Iowa + | 6 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ohio State | 5 | – | 2 | – | 1 | 7 | – | 4 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minnesota | 5 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indiana | 3 | – | 4 | – | 1 | 6 | – | 5 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northwestern | 1 | – | 7 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 9 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Purdue | 1 | – | 7 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 9 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wisconsin | 0 | – | 8 | – | 0 | 1 | – | 10 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1990 Big Ten Conference football season was the 95th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1990 NCAA Division I-A football season.
The Iowa Hawkeyes won a four-way tie for the Big Ten Conference championship by defeating the three other teams atop the conference standings – Michigan, Michigan State, and Illinois – in their respective head-to-head matchups. The Hawkeyes earned their third trip to Pasadena in ten seasons, but lost 46-34 to Washington in the 1991 Rose Bowl.
Michigan defeated Ole Miss 35-3 in the Gator Bowl to finish 9-3 on the season. The #7 Wolverines were the highest ranked Big Ten team in the final AP poll. Joining Michigan in the final rankings were the other conference co-champions – #16 Michigan State, #18 Iowa, and #25 Illinois.
Iowa running back Nick Bell received the Chicago Tribune Silver Football trophy as the conference's most valuable player. Michigan defensive back Tripp Welborne and Illinois defensive lineman Moe Gardner were consensus first-team All-Americans for the second straight season.
| Conf. Rank | Team | Head coach | AP final | AP high | Overall record | Conf. record | PPG | PAG | MVP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michigan | Gary Moeller | #7 | #1 | 9-3 | 6–2 | 32.4 | 16.5 | Tripp Welborne |
| Michigan State | George Perles | #16 | #16 | 8–3-1 | 6–2 | 26.0 | 18.6 | Tico Duckett | |
| Illinois | John Mackovic | #25 | #5 | 8–4 | 6–2 | 25.3 | 27.8 | ||
| Iowa | Hayden Fry | #18 | #6 | 8–4 | 6–2 | 35.6 | 24.0 | Nick Bell | |
| 5 | Ohio State | John Cooper | NR | #15 | 9–3 | 5–3 | 27.1 | 17.7 | |
| 6 | Minnesota | John Gutekunst | NR | NR | 6–5 | 5–3 | 20.4 | 25.5 | |
| 7 | Indiana | Bill Mallory | NR | NR | 6–5-1 | 3–4-1 | 27.4 | 19.8 | |
| 8 | Northwestern | Francis Peay | NR | NR | 2–9 | 1–7 | 19.1 | 33.6 | |
| Purdue | Fred Akers | NR | NR | 2–9 | 1–7 | 16.1 | 30.6 | ||
| 10 | Wisconsin | Barry Alvarez | NR | NR | 1–10 | 0–8 | 12.1 | 25.9 | |
Key
AP final = Team's rank in the final AP Poll of the 1990 season [1]
AP high = Team's highest rank in the AP Poll throughout the 1990 season [1]
PPG = Average of points scored per game; conference leader's average displayed in bold [1]
PAG = Average of points allowed per game; conference leader's average displayed in bold [1]
MVP = Most valuable player as voted by players on each team as part of the voting process to determine the winner of the Chicago Tribune Silver Football trophy; trophy winner in bold
Six Big Ten teams played in bowl games:
The Big Ten's individual statistical leaders include the following: [1]
Passing yards1. Jason Verduzco, Illinois (2,567) Rushing yards1. Tico Duckett, Michigan State (1,394) Receiving yards1. Desmond Howard, Michigan (1,025) Total offense1. Jason Verduzco, Illinois (2,384) | Passing efficiency rating1. Elvis Grbac, Michigan (137.2) Rushing yards per attempt1. Robert Smith, Ohio State (6.4) Yards per reception1. Rob Turner, Indiana (21.7) Points scored1. J.D. Carlson, Michigan (95) |
The following players were picked by the Associated Press (AP) and/or the United Press International (UPI) as first-team players on the 1990 All-Big Ten Conference football team.
Offense
| Position | Name | Team | Selectors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterback | Matt Rodgers | Iowa | AP |
| Running back | Nick Bell | Iowa | AP |
| Running back | Jon Vaughn | Michigan | AP |
| Center | Dan Beatty | Ohio State | AP |
| Center | Chris Thome | Minnesota | AP |
| Guard | Dean Dingman | Michigan | AP |
| Guard | Eric Moten | Michigan State | AP |
| Tackle | Tom Dohring | Michigan | AP |
| Tackle | Greg Skrepenak | Michigan | AP |
| Tight end | Duane Young | Michigan State | AP |
| Receiver | Richard Buchanan | Northwestern | AP |
| Receiver | Jeff Graham | Ohio State | AP |
Defense
| Position | Name | Team | Selectors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Defensive line | Mel Agee | Northwestern | AP |
| Defensive line | Don Davey | Wisconsin | AP |
| Defensive line | Moe Gardner | Illinois | AP |
| Defensive line | Carlos Jenkins | Michigan State | AP |
| Defensive line | Jim Johnson | Iowa | AP |
| Linebacker | Darrick Brownlow | Illinois | AP |
| Linebacker | Melvin Foster | Iowa | AP |
| Linebacker | Steve Tovar | Ohio State | AP |
| Defensive back | Mike Dumas | Indiana | AP |
| Defensive back | Merton Hanks | Iowa | AP |
| Defensive back | Tripp Welborne | Michigan | AP |
Special teams
| Position | Name | Team | Selectors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Placekicker | John Langeloh | Michigan State | AP |
| Punter | Macky Smith | Indiana | AP |
At the end of the season, two Big Ten players were consensus first-team picks for the 1990 College Football All-America Team. The Big Ten's consensus All-Americans were:
| Position | Name | Team | Selectors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Defensive back | Tripp Welborne | Michigan | AFCA, AP, FWAA, UPI, WCFF, FN, NEA, SH, TSN |
| Nose guard | Moe Gardner | Illinois | AFCA, UPI, WCFF, GNS, SH |
Hayden Fry of Iowa received his second Big Ten Coach of the Year award. [1]
The 1991 NFL draft was held April 21–22, 1991. The following Big Ten players were selected in the first round of the draft: [2]
| Name | Position | Team | Round | Overall pick |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bobby Wilson | Defensive Tackle | Michigan State | 1 | 17 |
| Vinnie Clark | Cornerback | Ohio State | 1 | 19 |
| Henry Jones | Safety | Illinois | 1 | 26 |
| Jarrod Bunch | Fullback | Michigan | 1 | 27 |
The 1970 Big Ten Conference football season was the 75th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1970 NCAA University Division football season.
The 1982 Big Ten Conference football season was the 87th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1982 NCAA Division I-A football season.
The 1985 Big Ten Conference football season was the 90th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1985 NCAA Division I-A football season.
The 1983 Big Ten Conference football season was the 88th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1983 NCAA Division I-A football season.
The 1950 Big Ten Conference football season was the 55th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1950 college football season.
The 1955 Big Ten Conference football season was the 60th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1955 college football season.
The 1957 Big Ten Conference football season was the 62nd season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1957 NCAA University Division football season.
The 1954 Big Ten Conference football season was the 59th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1954 college football season.
The 1963 Big Ten Conference football season was the 68th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1963 NCAA University Division football season.
The 1960 Big Ten Conference football season was the 65th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1960 NCAA University Division football season.
The 1959 Big Ten Conference football season was the 64th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1959 NCAA University Division football season.
The 1958 Big Ten Conference football season was the 63rd season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1958 NCAA University Division football season.
The 1953 Big Ten Conference football season was the 58th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1953 college football season.
The 1952 Big Ten Conference football season was the 57th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1952 college football season.
The 1951 Big Ten Conference football season was the 56th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1951 college football season.
The 1973 Big Ten Conference football season was the 78th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1973 NCAA Division I football season.
The 1975 Big Ten Conference football season was the 80th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1975 NCAA Division I football season.
The 1978 Big Ten Conference football season was the 83rd season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1978 NCAA Division I-A football season.
The 1979 Big Ten Conference football season was the 84th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1979 NCAA Division I-A football season.
The 1984 Big Ten Conference football season was the 89th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1984 NCAA Division I-A football season.