2020 Big Ten Conference football season

2020 Big Ten Conference football season
League	NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision
Sport	Football
Duration	October 24, 2020 through December 19, 2020
Number of teams	14
TV partner(s)	Fox Sports (Fox/FS1, Big Ten Network), ESPN (ESPN, ESPN2, ABC)
2021 NFL Draft
Top draft pick	Justin Fields (Ohio State)
Picked by	Chicago Bears, 11th overall
Regular season
East Division champions	Ohio State
West Division champions	Northwestern
Championship Game
Champions	Ohio State
Runners-up	Northwestern
Finals MVP	Trey Sermon, Ohio State
Football seasons
←  2019 2021  →

2020 Big Ten Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
East Division
No. 2 Ohio State xy$^		5	–	0					7	–	1
No. 12 Indiana		6	–	1					6	–	2
Penn State		4	–	5					4	–	5
Maryland		2	–	3					2	–	3
Rutgers		3	–	6					3	–	6
Michigan		2	–	4					2	–	4
Michigan State		2	–	5					2	–	5
West Division
No. 10 Northwestern xy		6	–	1					7	–	2
No. 16 Iowa		6	–	2					6	–	2
Wisconsin		3	–	3					4	–	3
Minnesota		3	–	4					3	–	4
Nebraska		3	–	5					3	–	5
Purdue		2	–	4					2	–	4
Illinois		2	–	6					2	–	6
Championship: Ohio State 22, Northwestern 10
^ – College Football Playoff participant $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Note: Due to COVID-19, the Big Ten suspended the season on August 11, but later decided to begin play on October 24. In addition to the title game that was played on December 19, the conference seeded all remaining teams for "championship week" games. [1] Rankings from AP Poll.

The 2020 Big Ten conference football season is the 125th season of college football play for the Big Ten Conference and part of the 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season. This was the Big Ten's seventh season with 14 teams. The defending league champion was Ohio State.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, the conference voted on August 11, 2020, to indefinitely postpone all fall athletics, including football, citing the worsening trends of the pandemic in the country. On September 16, the conference approved a shortened, eight-game football season beginning October 24, with the final week featuring the Big Ten championship game on December 19.

The Big Ten had two new coaches for the 2020 season. Rutgers hired former coach Greg Schiano to serve as head coach, replacing Chris Ash who was fired during the 2019 season. ^[2] Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio announced on February 4, 2020, that he was retiring from his position. The Spartans announced the hiring of Mel Tucker as the new head coach on February 12, 2020. ^[3] On December 13, Illinois fired its head coach Lovie Smith, and on December 19 announced the hiring of Bret Bielema as its new head coach. ^[4]

Previous season

On the field of play last season, Ohio State won the East Division title and made their fifth appearance in the Big Ten Championship Game and third consecutive appearance. In the West Division, Wisconsin and Minnesota tied for the division title, but the Badgers represented the division in the conference title game due to their head-to-head win over the Golden Gophers. Wisconsin made their sixth appearance in the conference title game overall. In that championship game, Ohio State defeated Wisconsin 34–21 to win their third consecutive Big Ten championship. With that win, the Buckeyes landed a spot in the 2019–20 College Football Playoff as the #2 seed. ^[5]

Nine teams participated in bowl games in the 2018 season, and the league went 5–4 in those games. Ohio State made the College Football Playoff but fell to Clemson 29–23 in the Fiesta Bowl.

Delay of season

On July 9, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, the Big Ten announced that all competition in fall sports, including football, would be played exclusively in-conference, in order to "have the greatest flexibility to adjust its own operations throughout the season and make quick decisions in real-time". ^[6] An updated 10-game conference-only schedule was released on August 5, 2020. ^[7]

On August 11, in the wake of multiple Group of Five conferences deciding to do so, ^[8] the council of the Big Ten voted 11–3 to postpone fall athletics for the 2020–21 season (with all but Iowa, Nebraska, and Ohio State voting in favor). Commissioner Kevin Warren cited negative trends and uncertainties surrounding COVID-19 as a factor in the decision. The conference stated that it would evaluate options, including possibly playing in spring 2021 instead. ^{[9] [10] [11]} After the decision to postpone the season, the Big Ten formed a taskforce to investigate options for a return to play. ^[11] President Donald Trump criticized the Big Ten's decision to postpone fall football, as part of his general criticism of U.S. colleges and universities that have not resumed on-campus activities. All other Power Five conferences besides the Pac-12 (which also postponed its season shortly after the Big Ten's decision) were still planning to play in the fall. ^{[12] [13]}

On September 14, it was reported that the Big Ten was considering the possibility of reversing its decision and playing a shortened conference football season as early as mid-to-late October. ^[14] On September 16, the Big Ten approved an eight-game conference season that would begin October 24, and conclude on December 19 with the Big Ten Championship Game. The conference originally planned to hold a slate of cross-division matchups between seeds alongside the championship game. ^{[11] [15]}

The conference instituted a daily antigen testing protocol from September 30; PCR tests are used to confirm positives found via antigen testing. Players who test positive on both tests are removed from play for at least 21 days and undergo cardiac tests during this period, and will have to be cleared by a cardiologist before they can return to play. Positivity rates among participating teams and the local population will also be a factor: teams with a positivity rate above 5% or a population positivity rate above 7% will be required to halt all activity for seven days. ^[11]

Preseason

2020 Big Ten Spring Football and number of signees on signing day:

Recruiting classes

Rankings

Team	ESPN [16]	Rivals [17]	Scout & 24/7 [18]	Signees
Illinois	63	90	88	14
Indiana	55	48	58	20
Iowa	32	35	35	21
Maryland	33	32	31	28
Michigan	11	11	14	23
Michigan State	46	36	44	22
Minnesota	36	38	38	24
Nebraska	24	17	20	24
Northwestern	40	53	47	17
Ohio State	5	5	5	25
Penn State	12	15	15	27
Purdue	28	30	32	20
Rutgers	60	67	61	23
Wisconsin	26	28	26	20

Big Ten Media Days

Preseason media polls

Below are the results of the media poll with total points received next to each school and first-place votes in parentheses. For the 2020 poll, Ohio State was voted as the favorite to win both the East Division and the Big Ten Championship Game. This is the 10th iteration of the preseason media poll conducted by Cleveland.com, which polls at least one credentialed media member for each Big Ten team. Only twice in the last ten years has the media accurately predicted the Big Ten champion. ^[19]

East

Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
1	Ohio State	237 (33)
2	Penn State	204 (1)
3	Michigan	169
4	Indiana	134
5	Michigan State	94
6	Maryland	76
7	Rutgers	38

West

Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
1	Wisconsin	221 (19)
2	Minnesota	209.5 (14)
3	Iowa	157
4	Nebraska	117
5	Purdue	105
6	Northwestern	87.5 (1)
7	Illinois	55

Media poll (Big Ten Championship)
Rank	Team	Votes
1	Ohio State over Wisconsin	19
2	Ohio State over Minnesota	13
3	Ohio State over Northwestern	1
4	Penn State over Minnesota	1

Rankings

Main article: 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings

The AP and Coaches Polls ranked Big Ten teams in the preseason, but then removed those teams after the league suspended play.

The Coaches Poll returned to ranking Big Ten teams with the Sept. 20 poll. The AP Poll returned Big Ten teams to the rankings with the Sept. 27 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	AP
	C
	CFP	Not released
Indiana	AP	RV					RV	RV	17	13	10	9	12	10	8	7	7	12
	C	RV						RV	19	13	10	10	12	11	9	7	8	13
	CFP	Not released											12	12	12	11	11
Iowa	AP	24			RV	RV	RV	RV				RV	RV	24	19	18	17	16
	C	23		RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV				RV	24	18	17	16	15
	CFP	Not released											24	19	16	16	15
Maryland	AP										RV
	C										RV	RV	RV
	CFP	Not released
Michigan	AP	15			23	20	19	18	13	23
	C	15		19	21	19	19	17	14	25	RV
	CFP	Not released
Michigan State	AP									RV
	C									RV
	CFP	Not released
Minnesota	AP	19			RV	25	24	21	RV
	C	18		22	RV	RV	25	21	RV
	CFP	Not released
Nebraska	AP
	C	RV		RV	RV	RV	RV	RV
	CFP	Not released
Northwestern	AP	RV							RV	RV	23	19	11	16	15	15	15	10
	C								RV	RV	23	20	13	17	14	14	13	10
	CFP	Not released											8	14	14	14	14
Ohio State	AP	2 (16)			6 (4)	6 (2)	6	5	3	3	3 (1)	3 (1)	3	3	3	3	3	2
	C	2 (17)		10 (2)	6 (2)	6 (2)	5 (2)	5 (2)	3 (2)	3 (2)	3 (3)	3 (2)	3 (1)	4 (1)	4 (1)	4	3	2
	CFP	Not released											4	4	4	4	3
Penn State	AP	9			10	9	9	8	18	RV
	C	7		13	10	8	8	7	17	RV
	CFP	Not released
Purdue	AP								RV	RV	RV
	C								RV	RV	RV	RV	RV
	CFP	Not released
Rutgers	AP
	C
	CFP	Not released
Wisconsin	AP	12			19	16	16	14T	9	10	13	10	18	18	25			RV
	C	12		17	18	14	15	14	11	11	14	12	20	19	25	RV	RV	RV
	CFP	Not released											16	16

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
т		Tied with team above or below also with this symbol

Schedule

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

All times Eastern time.

† denotes Homecoming game

Regular season schedule

The Regular season was scheduled to begin on September 3 and end on November 28. The Big Ten Championship Game was scheduled to be held on December 5, 2020.

On July 9, 2020, the Big Ten Conference announced that all non-conference contests in all fall sports, including football, would be canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The league then moved to institute a 10-game, conference-only schedule in football, which would include multiple open weeks for teams in order to introduce flexibility into the schedule. On August 5, the Big Ten released the new reconfigured 10-game conference-only schedule. ^[20] On August 11, 2020, the conference decided to postpone all fall sports and evaluate option to restart competition in spring 2021. ^[9]

On September 16, 2020, the Big Ten announced that the football season would start on the weekend of October 24. There will be an eight-game regular season taking place over eight weeks. Each team will play all the other teams in its division, plus two crossover games with teams in the other division. Then the league championship game will be played on December 19. Also on the weekend of December 19, there will be crossover divisional games featuring the 2nd place teams from each division facing off, the 3rd places teams meeting each other, etc. The new schedule was released on September 19. ^{[21] [22]}

On December 9, the Big Ten waived its rule of requiring teams to play a minimum of six league games to be eligible for the Big Ten Championship Game, allowing Ohio State (5-0) to represent the East Division. ^[23]

Week #1

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
October 23	8:00 p.m.	Illinois	No. 14T  Wisconsin	Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, WI	BTN	WIS 45–7	0
October 24	12:00 p.m.	Rutgers	Michigan State	Spartan Stadium • East Lansing, MI	BTN	RUT 38–27	376
October 24	12:00 p.m.	Nebraska	No. 5  Ohio State	Ohio Stadium • Columbus, OH	FOX	OSU 52–17	1,344
October 24	3:30 p.m.	No. 8  Penn State	Indiana	Memorial Stadium • Bloomington, IN	FS1	IU 36–35  OT	995
October 24	3:30 p.m.	Iowa	Purdue	Ross-Ade Stadium • West Lafayette, IN	BTN	PUR 24–20	900
October 24	7:30 p.m.	No. 18  Michigan	No. 21  Minnesota	TCF Bank Stadium • Minneapolis, MN (Little Brown Jug, College GameDay)	ABC	MICH 49–24	589
October 24	7:30 p.m.	Maryland	Northwestern	Ryan Field • Evanston, IL	BTN	NW 43–3	0
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Week #2

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
October 30	7:30 p.m.	Minnesota	Maryland	Maryland Stadium • College Park, MD	ESPN	MD 45–44  OT	0
October 31	12:00 p.m.	Michigan State	No. 13  Michigan	Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI (Paul Bunyan Trophy)	FOX	MSU 27–24	615
October 31	12:00 p.m.	Purdue	Illinois	Memorial Stadium • Champaign, IL (Purdue Cannon)	BTN	PUR 31–24	838
October 31	3:30 p.m.	Northwestern	Iowa	Kinnick Stadium • Iowa City, IA	ESPN	NW 21–20	1,432
October 31	3:30 p.m.	No. 17  Indiana	Rutgers	SHI Stadium • Piscataway, NJ	BTN	IU 37–21	0
October 31	7:30 p.m.	No. 3  Ohio State	No. 18  Penn State	Beaver Stadium • University Park, PA (OSU-PSU rivalry)	ABC	OSU 38–25	1,500
October 31	3:30 p.m.	No. 9  Wisconsin	Nebraska	Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, NE ( Freedom Trophy )	FS1	CANCELED [24]	–
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

The Wisconsin at Nebraska game was canceled due to a COVID-19 outbreak at Wisconsin ^[24]

Week #3

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
November 7	12:00 p.m.	No. 23  Michigan	No. 13  Indiana	Memorial Stadium • Bloomington, IN	FS1	IU 38–21	1,034
November 7	12:00 p.m.	Nebraska	Northwestern	Ryan Field • Evanston, IL	BTN	NW 21–13	0
November 7	12:00 p.m.	Michigan State	Iowa	Kinnick Stadium • Iowa City, IA	ESPN	IA 49–7	1,441
November 7	3:30 p.m.	Maryland	Penn State	Beaver Stadium • University Park, PA (MD-PSU rivalry)	BTN	MD 35–19	1,500
November 7	3:30 p.m.	Minnesota	Illinois	Memorial Stadium • Champaign, IL	BTN	MN 41–14	863
November 7	7:30 p.m.	Rutgers	No. 3  Ohio State	Ohio Stadium • Columbus, OH	BTN	OSU 49–27	1,275
November 7	3:30 p.m.	Purdue	No. 10  Wisconsin	Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, WI	ABC	CANCELED [25]	–
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

The Purdue at Wisconsin game was canceled due to a COVID-19 outbreak at Wisconsin ^[25]

Week #4

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
November 13	7:00 p.m.	Iowa	Minnesota	TCF Bank Stadium • Minneapolis, MN (Floyd of Rosedale)	FS1	IA 35–7	771
November 14	12:00 p.m.	Penn State	Nebraska	Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, NE	FS1	NEB 30–23	0
November 14	12:00 p.m.	No. 10  Indiana	Michigan State	Spartan Stadium • East Lansing, MI (Old Brass Spittoon)	ABC	IU 24–0	340
November 14	1:00 p.m.	Illinois	Rutgers	SHI Stadium • Piscataway, NJ	BTN	ILL 23–20	0
November 14	5:00 p.m.	No. 23  Northwestern	Purdue	Ross-Ade Stadium • West Lafayette, IN	BTN	NW 27–20	886
November 14	7:30 p.m.	No. 13  Wisconsin	Michigan	Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI	ABC	WIS 49–11	605
November 14	3:30 p.m.	No. 3  Ohio State	Maryland	Maryland Stadium • College Park, MD	BTN	CANCELED [26]	–
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

The Ohio State at Maryland game was canceled due to a COVID-19 outbreak at Maryland. ^[26]

Week #5

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
November 20	7:30 p.m.	Purdue	Minnesota	TCF Bank Stadium • Minneapolis, MN	BTN	MIN 34–31	593
November 21	12:00 p.m.	No. 9  Indiana	No. 3  Ohio State	Ohio Stadium • Columbus, OH	FOX	OSU 42–35	635
November 21	12:00 p.m.	Illinois	Nebraska	Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, NE	FS1	ILL 41–23	0
November 21	3:30 p.m.	No. 10  Wisconsin	No. 19  Northwestern	Ryan Field • Evanston, IL	ABC	NW 17–7	1
November 21	3:30 p.m.	Iowa	Penn State	Beaver Stadium • University Park, PA	BTN	IA 41–21	1,500
November 21	7:30 p.m.	Michigan	Rutgers	SHI Stadium • Piscataway, NJ	BTN	MICH 48–42  3OT	0
November 21	12:00 p.m.	Michigan State	Maryland	Maryland Stadium • College Park, MD	BTN	CANCELED [27]	–
†Homecoming. #Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Michigan State at Maryland was canceled due to COVID-19 cases at Maryland. ^[27]

Week #6

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
November 27	1:00 p.m.	Nebraska	Iowa	Kinnick Stadium • Iowa City, IA (Heroes Trophy)	FOX	IA 26–20	1,469
November 28	12:00 p.m.	Penn State	Michigan	Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI (Big Noon Kickoff)	ABC	PSU 27–17	0
November 28	12:00 p.m.	Maryland	No. 12  Indiana	Memorial Stadium • Bloomington, IN	ESPN2	IU 27–11	963
November 28	3:30 p.m.	No. 11  Northwestern	Michigan State	Spartan Stadium • East Lansing, MI	ESPN	MSU 29–20	0
November 28	4:00 p.m.	Rutgers	Purdue	Ross-Ade Stadium • West Lafayette, IN	FS1	RUT 37–30	728
November 28	12:00 p.m.	No. 3  Ohio State	Illinois	Memorial Stadium • Champaign, IL ( Illibuck Trophy )	FS1	CANCELED [28]	–
November 28	2:00 p.m.	Minnesota	No. 18  Wisconsin	Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, WI ( Paul Bunyan's Axe )	BTN	CANCELED [29]	–
†Homecoming. #Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Ohio State at Illinois was canceled after positive COVID-19 at Ohio State. ^[28]

Minnesota at Wisconsin was canceled after positive COVID-19 tests at Minnesota. ^[29]

Week #7

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
December 5	12:00 p.m.	No. 3  Ohio State	Michigan State	Spartan Stadium • East Lansing, MI	ABC	OSU 52–12	0
December 5	12:00 p.m.	Nebraska	Purdue	Ross-Ade Stadium • West Lafayette, IN	BTN	NEB 37–27	808
December 5	12:00 p.m.	Penn State	Rutgers	SHI Stadium • Piscataway, NJ	FS1	PSU 23–7	0
December 5	3:30 p.m.	No. 10  Indiana	No. 18  Wisconsin	Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, WI	ABC	IU 14–6	0
December 5	3:30 p.m.	No. 24  Iowa	Illinois	Memorial Stadium • Champaign, IL	FS1	IA 35–21	875
December 5	12:00 p.m.	No. 16  Northwestern	Minnesota	TCF Bank Stadium • Minneapolis, MN	BTN	CANCELED [30]	–
December 5	3:30 p.m.	Maryland	Michigan	Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI	BTN	CANCELED [31]	–
†Homecoming. #Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Northwestern at Minnesota was canceled after COVID issues at Minnesota. ^[30]

Maryland at Michigan was canceled after COVID issues at Michigan. ^[31]

Week #8

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
December 12	12:00 p.m.	Minnesota	Nebraska	Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, NE ($5 Bits of Broken Chair Trophy)	FS1	MIN 24–17	0
December 12	12:00 p.m.	Rutgers	Maryland	Maryland Stadium • College Park, MD	BTN	RUT 27–24  OT	0
December 12	12:00 p.m.	Illinois	No. 15  Northwestern	Ryan Field • Evanston, IL (Land of Lincoln Trophy)	ESPN2	NW 28–10	0
December 12	12:00 p.m.	Michigan State	Penn State	Beaver Stadium • University Park, PA (Land Grant Trophy)	ABC	PSU 39–24	0
December 12	3:30 p.m.	No. 25  Wisconsin	No. 19  Iowa	Kinnick Stadium • Iowa City, IA (Heartland Trophy)	FS1	IA 28–7	1,445
December 12	12:00 p.m.	Michigan	No. 3  Ohio State	Ohio Stadium • Columbus, OH ( The Game )	FOX	CANCELED [32]	–
December 12	3:30 p.m.	Purdue	No. 8  Indiana	Memorial Stadium • Bloomington, IN ( Old Oaken Bucket )	BTN	CANCELED [33]	–
†Homecoming. #Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Michigan at Ohio State game was canceled after COVID-19 issues at Michigan. ^[32]

Purdue at Indiana was canceled by mutual agreement after increased COVID-19 issues at both schools. ^[33]

Week #9: Big Ten Championship Game and Champions Week games

Logo of the Champions Week

See also: 2020 Big Ten Football Championship Game

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
Big Ten Championship Game
December 19	12:00 p.m.	No. 15  Northwestern	No. 3  Ohio State	Lucas Oil Stadium • Indianapolis, IN	FOX	OSU 22–10	3,178
Champions Week Games [34]
December 18	7:30 p.m.	Nebraska	Rutgers	SHI Stadium • Piscataway, NJ	BTN	NEB 28–21	0
December 19	4:00 p.m.	Minnesota	Wisconsin	Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, WI (Paul Bunyan's Axe)	BTN	WIS 20–17  OT	0
December 19	5:30 p.m.	Illinois	Penn State	Beaver Stadium • University Park, PA	FS1	PSU 56–21	0
December 18	7:30 p.m.	Purdue	No. 7  Indiana	Memorial Stadium • Bloomington, IN ( Old Oaken Bucket )	BTN	CANCELED [35]	–
December 19	7:00 p.m.	Michigan	No. 18  Iowa	Kinnick Stadium • Iowa City, IA	ESPN	CANCELED [36]	–
December 19	7:30 p.m.	Michigan State	Maryland	Maryland Stadium • College Park, MD	BTN	CANCELED [37]	–
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Note: The additional games were originally planned to be cross-divisional matchups of the teams with the same standings – second place vs. second place, third place vs. third place, and so on. The schedule was changed to preserve rivalry games that were canceled during the regular season, and to avoid rematches.

Indiana-Purdue game canceled due to COVID-19 issues at both schools. ^[35]

Nebraska's game with Rutgers has been adjusted from a 3:00 PM to a 6:30 PM kickoff time on Friday, December 18 after the cancellation of the Indiana-Purdue game. ^[38]

Michigan-Iowa game canceled due to COVID-19 issues at Michigan. ^[36]

Maryland-Michigan State game canceled due to COVID-19 issues at Maryland. ^[37]

Canceled regular season games

The following non-conference games were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic: ^[39]

Sept. 3

• Florida Atlantic at Minnesota

Sept. 4

• Illinois State at Illinois

Sept. 5

Bowling Green at Ohio State Kent State at Penn State

Michigan at Washington Monmouth at Rutgers

Northern Iowa at Iowa

Towson at Maryland

Sept. 12

Ball State at Michigan Central Michigan at Nebraska Connecticut at Illinois Iowa State at Iowa

Memphis at Purdue Michigan State at BYU Northern Illinois at Maryland Ohio State at Oregon

Penn State at Virginia Tech Southern Illinois at Wisconsin Syracuse at Rutgers

Tennessee Tech at Minnesota Tulane at Northwestern Western Kentucky at Indiana

Sept. 19

Air Force at Purdue Appalachian State at Wisconsin Arkansas State at Michigan

Ball State at Indiana Bowling Green at Illinois Buffalo at Ohio State

Central Michigan at Northwestern Maryland at West Virginia Rutgers at Temple

San Jose State at Penn State South Dakota State at Nebraska Toledo at Michigan State

Sept. 26

BYU at Minnesota Cincinnati at Nebraska

Indiana at Connecticut Miami (FL) at Michigan State

Northern Illinois at Iowa

Purdue at Boston College

Oct. 3

• Wisconsin vs. Notre Dame (at Green Bay, WI)

Nov. 14

• Morgan State at Northwestern

Postseason

Bowl games

Games below do not include bowl games that Big Ten teams may be selected for in the College Football Playoff semifinals (the Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl on January 1, 2021) or potential At-Large bids in New Year's Six Bowls (the Cotton Bowl on December 30, 2020, and Peach Bowl on January 1, 2021).

Five Big Ten teams accepted bowl bids for the 2020–21 season, with Ohio State being selected for the College Football Playoff. ^[40]

See also: 2020–21 NCAA football bowl games

Bowl game	Date	Site	Television	Time (EST)	Big Ten team	Opponent	Score	Attendance
Duke's Mayo Bowl	December 30	Bank of America Stadium • Charlotte, NC	ESPN	12:00 p.m.	Wisconsin	Wake Forest	W 42–28	1,500
Music City Bowl	December 30	Nissan Stadium • Nashville, TN	ESPN	4:00 p.m.	#15 Iowa	Missouri	CANCELED	–
Citrus Bowl	January 1	Camping World Stadium • Orlando, FL	ABC	1:00 p.m.	#14 Northwestern	Auburn	W 35–19	0
Outback Bowl	January 2	Raymond James Stadium • Tampa, FL	ABC	12:30 p.m.	#11 Indiana	Mississippi	L 20–26	11,025
College Football Playoff
Sugar Bowl (Semifinal)	January 1	Mercedes-Benz Superdome • New Orleans, LA	ESPN	8:00 p.m.	#3 Ohio State	#2 Clemson	W 49–28	3,000
CFP National Championship	January 11	Hard Rock Stadium • Miami Gardens, FL	ESPN	8:00 p.m.	#3 Ohio State	#1 Alabama	L 24–52	14,926

Rankings are from CFP rankings. All times Eastern Time Zone. Big Ten teams shown in bold.

Big Ten records vs other conferences

2020–2021 records against non-conference foes:

Postseason

Power Conferences 5	Record
ACC	2-0
Big 12	0-0
Pac-12	0-0
BYU/Notre Dame	0-0
SEC	1-2
Power 5 Total	3-2
Other FBS Conferences	Record
American	0-0
C–USA	0-0
Independents (Excluding Notre Dame)	0-0
MAC	0-0
Mountain West	0-0
Sun Belt	0-0
Other FBS Total	0-0
Total Bowl Record	3-2

Awards and honors

Player of the week honors

Week	Offensive			Defensive			Special Teams			Freshman
	Player	Position	Team	Player	Position	Team	Player	Position	Team	Player	Position	Team
Week 1 (Oct. 23) [41]	David Bell	WR	PUR	Jamar Johnson	S	IU	Charlie Kuhbander	PK	NW	Graham Mertz	QB	WIS
	Graham Mertz	QB	WIS	Olakunle Fatukasi	LB	RUT
Week 2 (Nov. 2) [42]	Taulia Tagovailoa	QB	MD	Tommy Togiai	DT	OSU	Charles Campbell	PK	IU	Ricky White	WR	MSU
	Justin Fields	QB	OSU							Brandon Joseph	S	NW
Week 3 (Nov. 9) [43]	Mohamed Ibrahim	RB	MIN	Chris Bergin	LB	NW	Charlie Jones	WR/PR	IA	Rakim Jarrett	WR	MD
Week 4 (Nov. 16) [44]	Ty Fryfogle	WR	IU	Zach VanValkenburg	DE	IA	James McCourt	K	ILL	Isaiah Williams	QB	ILL
Week 5 (Nov. 23) [45]	Ty Fryfogle	WR	IU	Blake Gallagher	LB	NW	Giles Jackson	KR	MICH	Brandon Joseph	S	NW
Week 6 (Nov. 30) [46]	Stevie Scott III	RB	IU	Antjuan Simmons	LB	MSU	Keith Duncan	K	IA	Keyvone Lee	RB	PSU
							Matt Coghlin	K	MSU
Week 7 (Dec. 7) [47]	Justin Fields	QB	OSU	Micah McFadden	LB	IU	Haydon Whitehead	P	IU	Joey Porter Jr.	CB	PSU
							Drue Chrisman	P	OSU
Week 8 (Dec. 14) [48]	Ihmir Smith-Marsette	WR	IA	Mariano Sori-Marin	LB	MIN	Jahan Dotson	PR	PSU	Cam Porter	RB	NW

Big Ten Individual Awards

See also: Big Ten Conference football individual awards

The following individuals won the conference's annual player and coach awards:

Award	Player	School
Graham-George Offensive Player of the Year	Justin Fields	Ohio State
Griese-Brees Quarterback of the Year	Justin Fields	Ohio State
Richter-Howard Receiver of the Year	Ty Fryfogle	Indiana
Ameche-Dayne Running Back of the Year	Mohamed Ibrahim	Minnesota
Kwalick-Clark Tight End of the Year	Pat Freiermuth	Penn State
Rimington-Pace Offensive Lineman of the Year	Wyatt Davis	Ohio State
Nagurski-Wooden Defensive Player of the Year	Daviyon Nixon	Iowa
Smith-Brown Defensive Lineman of the Year	Daviyon Nixon	Iowa
Butkus-Fitzgerald Linebacker of the Year	Paddy Fisher	Northwestern
Tatum-Woodson Defensive Back of the Year	Shaun Wade	Ohio State
Thompson-Randle El Freshman of the Year	Brandon Joseph	Northwestern
Bakken-Andersen Kicker of the Year	Connor Culp	Nebraska
Eddleman-Fields Punter of the Year	Tory Taylor	Iowa
Rodgers-Dwight Return Specialist of the Year	Aron Cruickshank	Rutgers
Hayes-Schembechler Coach of the Year (Coaches)	Tom Allen	Indiana
Dave McClain Coach of the Year (Media)	Tom Allen	Indiana
Dungy-Thompson Humanitarian Award	Vincent Smith	Michigan
Ford-Kinnick Leadership Award	Napoleon Haris	Northwestern

All-Conference Teams

Main article: 2020 All-Big Ten Conference football team

2020 Big Ten All-Conference Teams and Awards ^[49]

Position Player Team First Team Offense (Coaches) QB Justin Fields Ohio State RB Tyler Goodson Iowa RB Mohamed Ibrahim Minnesota WR Chris Olave Ohio State WR Garrett Wilson Ohio State TE Pat Freiermuth Penn State C Josh Myers Ohio State OG Kendrick Green Illinois OG Wyatt Davis Ohio State OT Thayer Munford Ohio State OT Alaric Jackson Iowa OT Cole Van Lanen Wisconsin First Team Defense (Coaches) DL Chauncey Golston Iowa DL Daviyon Nixon Iowa DL Odafe Oweh Penn State DL Shaka Toney Penn State LB Micah McFadden Indiana LB Paddy Fisher Northwestern LB Pete Werner Ohio State DB Shakur Brown Michigan State DB Brandon Joseph Northwestern DB Greg Newsome II Northwestern DB Shaun Wade Ohio State DB – – First Team Special Teams (Coaches) PK Connor Culp Nebraska P Tory Taylor Iowa RS Aron Cruickshank Rutgers

Position Player Team Second Team Offense (Coaches) QB Michael Penix Jr. Indiana RB Stevie Scott III Indiana RB Master Teague Ohio State WR Ty Fryfogle Indiana WR David Bell Purdue TE Jake Ferguson Wisconsin C Tyler Linderbaum Iowa OG Cole Banwart Iowa OG Mike Miranda Penn State OT Nicholas Petit-Frere Ohio State OT Will Fries Penn State OT – – Second Team Defense (Coaches) DL Owen Carney Illinois DL Jerome Johnson Indiana DL Zach VanValkenburg Iowa DL Zach Harrison Ohio State DL Tommy Togiai Ohio State DL George Karlaftis Purdue LB Blake Gallagher Northwestern LB Derrick Barnes Purdue LB Olakunle Fatukasi Rutgers DB Jamar Johnson Indiana DB Tiawan Mullen Indiana DB Jaylin Williams Indiana DB Cam Taylor-Britt Nebraska DB – – Second Team Special Teams (Coaches) PK Charles Campbell Indiana P Drue Chrisman Ohio State RS Charlie Jones Iowa

Position Player Team Third Team Offense (Coaches) QB Peyton Ramsey Northwestern RB Jake Funk Maryland RB Zander Horvath Purdue WR Rashod Bateman Minnesota WR Jahan Dotson Penn State TE Peyton Hendershot Indiana C Michal Menet Penn State OG Harry Miller Ohio State OG Logan Bruss Wisconsin OT Peter Skoronski Northwestern OT – – OT – – Third Team Defense (Coaches) DL Haskell Garrett Ohio State DL Jonathon Cooper Ohio State DL – – DL – – DL – – DL – – LB Jake Hansen Illinois LB Antjuan Simmons Michigan State LB Baron Browning Ohio State DB Devon Matthews Indiana DB Jack Koerner Iowa DB Jaquan Brisker Penn State DB Tre Avery Rutgers DB Caesar Williams Wisconsin Third Team Special Teams (Coaches) PK Keith Duncan Iowa P Adam Korsak Rutgers RS Giles Jackson Michigan

Coaches Honorable Mention:ILLINOIS: Chase Brown, Mike Epstein, Blake Hayes, Doug Kramer, Vederian Lowe, James McCourt, Roderick Perry II; INDIANA: Harry Crider, Cam Jones, Whop Philyor, Reese Taylor, Haydon Whitehead; IOWA: Dane Belton, Riley Moss, Mekhi Sargent, Ihmir Smith-Marsette, Cody Ince, Kyler Schott, Sam LaPorta; MARYLAND: Chance Campbell, Nick Cross, Jaelyn Duncan, Mo Kite, Tarheeb Still; MICHIGAN: Hassan Haskins, Daxton Hill, Carlo Kemp, Kwity Paye, Brad Robbins, Andrew Stueber; MICHIGAN STATE: Drew Beesley, Matt Coghlin; MINNESOTA: Coney Durr, Boye Mafe, Tanner Morgan, John Michael Schmitz, Conner Olson, Blaise Andries, Sam Schlueter; NEBRASKA: Marquel Dismuke, JoJo Domann, Matt Farniok, Will Honas, Brenden Jaimes, Wan'Dale Robinson, Ben Stille, Deontai Williams; NORTHWESTERN: Derek Adams, Chris Bergin, Earnest Brown IV, Charlie Kuhbander, Eku Leota, John Raine; OHIO STATE: Sevyn Banks, Tuf Borland, Luke Farrell, Marcus Hooker, Josh Proctor, Jeremy Ruckert, Trey Sermon, Tyreke Smith, Marcus Williamson; PENN STATE: Tariq Castro-Fields, Jahan Dotson, P. J. Mustipher, Joey Porter Jr., Antonio Shelton, Brandon Smith, Lamont Wade, Rasheed Walker; PURDUE: Jaylan Alexander, Cam Allen, J.D. Dellinger, Payne Durham, Gus Hartwig, Grant Hermanns, Spencer Holstege, Lorenzo Neal, Rondale Moore; RUTGERS: Michael Dwumfour, Christian Izien, Bo Melton, Reggie Sutton, Julius Turner, Mike Tverdov, Brendon White; WISCONSIN: Tyler Beach, Eric Burrell, Leo Chenal, Faion Hicks, Isaiahh Loudermilk, Jack Sanborn, Mason Stokke, Andy Vujnovich.

Position Player Team First Team Offense (Media) QB Justin Fields Ohio State RB Tyler Goodson Iowa RB Mohamed Ibrahim Minnesota WR Ty Fryfogle Indiana WR David Bell Purdue TE Jake Ferguson Wisconsin C Tyler Linderbaum Iowa OG Kendrick Green Illinois OG Wyatt Davis Ohio State OT Thayer Munford Ohio State OT Alaric Jackson Iowa First Team Defense (Media) DL Jerome Johnson Indiana DL Chauncey Golston Iowa DL Daviyon Nixon Iowa DL Shaka Toney Penn State DL – – LB Micah McFadden Indiana LB Paddy Fisher Northwestern LB Olakunle Fatukasi Rutgers DB Jamar Johnson Indiana DB Tiawan Mullen Indiana DB Brandon Joseph Northwestern DB Greg Newsome II Northwestern DB Shaun Wade Ohio State First Team Special Teams (Media) PK Connor Culp Nebraska P Tory Taylor Iowa RS Aron Cruickshank Rutgers

Position Player Team Second Team Offense (Media) QB Michael Penix Jr. Indiana RB Stevie Scott III Indiana RB Master Teague Ohio State WR Chris Olave Ohio State WR Garrett Wilson Ohio State TE Pat Freiermuth Penn State C Josh Myers Ohio State OG Cole Banwart Iowa OG Mike Miranda Penn State OT Peter Skoronski Northwestern OT Cole Van Lanen Wisconsin Second Team Defense (Media) DL Owen Carney Illinois DL Zach VanValkenburg Iowa DL Kwity Paye Michigan DL Tommy Togiai Ohio State DL Odafe Oweh Penn State LB Jake Hansen Illinois LB Antjuan Simmons Michigan State LB Blake Gallagher Northwestern DB Jaylin Williams Indiana DB Jack Koerner Iowa DB Shakur Brown Michigan State DB – – DB – – Second Team Special Teams (Media) PK Charles Campbell Indiana P Adam Korsak Rutgers RS Giles Jackson Michigan

Position Player Team Third Team Offense (Media) QB Peyton Ramsey Northwestern RB Chase Brown Illinois RB Zander Horvath Purdue WR Rashod Bateman Minnesota WR Jahan Dotson Penn State TE Peyton Hendershot Indiana C Michal Menet Penn State OG Conner Olson Minnesota OG Logan Bruss Wisconsin OT Blaise Andries Minnesota OT Rasheed Walker Penn State Third Team Defense (Media) DL Eku Leota Northwestern DL Jonathon Cooper Ohio State DL Isaiahh Loudermilk Wisconsin DL – – DL – – LB Pete Werner Ohio State LB Derrick Barnes Purdue LB Jack Sanborn Wisconsin DB Devon Matthews Indiana DB Joey Porter Jr. Penn State DB Lamont Wade Penn State DB Tre Avery Rutgers DB – – Third Team Special Teams (Media) PK Keith Duncan Iowa P Blake Hayes Illinois RS Charlie Jones Iowa

Media Honorable Mention:ILLINOIS: Mike Epstein, Doug Kramer, Vederian Lowe, James McCourt, Roderick Perry II; INDIANA: Harry Crider, Cam Jones, Whop Philyor, Reese Taylor, Haydon Whitehead; IOWA: Dane Belton, Seth Benson, Shaun Beyer, Matt Hankins, Cody Ince, Mark Kallenberger, Sam LaPorta, Riley Moss, Nick Niemann, Spencer Petras, Mekhi Sargent, Ihmir Smith-Marsette, Kyler Schott; MARYLAND: Chance Campbell, Nick Cross, Dontay Demus, Jaelyn Duncan, Jake Funk, Rakim Jarrett, Johnny Jordan, Mo Kite, Tarheeb Still, Taulia Tagovailoa; MICHIGAN: Michael Barrett, Hassan Haskins, Brad Hawkins, Daxton Hill, Brad Robbins; MICHIGAN STATE: Drew Beesley, Matt Coghlin, Jayden Reed; MINNESOTA: Coney Durr, Boye Mafe, Tanner Morgan, Sam Schlueter, John Michael Schmitz; NEBRASKA: Dicaprio Bootle, Marquel Dismuke, JoJo Domann, Matt Farniok, Will Honas, Brenden Jaimes, Ben Stille, Cam Taylor-Britt, Deontai Williams; NORTHWESTERN: Derek Adams, Chris Bergin, Earnest Brown IV, Ramaud Chiaokhiao-Bowman, Charlie Kuhbander, JR Pace, John Raine; OHIO STATE: Sevyn Banks, Tuf Borland, Baron Browning, Drue Chrisman, Zach Harrison, Haskell Garrett, Marcus Hooker, Harry Miller, Nicholas Petit-Frere, Trey Sermon, Tyreke Smith; PENN STATE: Jaquan Brisker, Tariq Castro-Fields, Jahan Dotson, Will Fries, P. J. Mustipher, Antonio Shelton, Brandon Smith; PURDUE: Cam Allen, J.D. Dellinger, Gus Hartwig, Grant Hermanns, Spencer Holstege, George Karlaftis, Greg Long, Lorenzo Neal, Rondale Moore, Brennan Thieneman; RUTGERS: Michael Dwumfour, Tyshon Fogg, Christian Izien, Bo Melton, Raiqwon O'Neil, Julius Turner, Mike Tverdov, Avery Young; WISCONSIN: Eric Burrell, Leo Chenal, Faion Hicks, Caesar Williams.

All-Americans

For the complete All-America selections, see 2020 College Football All-America Team.

The 2020 College Football All-America Team is composed of the following College Football All-American first teams chosen by the following selector organizations: Associated Press (AP), Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), Walter Camp Foundation (WCFF), The Sporting News (TSN), Sports Illustrated (SI), USA Today (USAT) ESPN, CBS Sports (CBS), FOX Sports (FOX) College Football News (CFN), Bleacher Report (BR), Scout.com, Phil Steele (PS), SB Nation (SB), Athlon Sports, Pro Football Focus (PFF), The Athletic, and Yahoo! Sports (Yahoo!).

Currently, the NCAA compiles consensus all-America teams in the sports of Division I-FBS football and Division I men's basketball using a point system computed from All-America teams named by coaches associations or media sources. The system consists of three points for a first-team honor, two points for second-team honor, and one point for third-team honor. Honorable mention and fourth team or lower recognitions are not accorded any points. Football consensus teams are compiled by position and the player accumulating the most points at each position is named first team consensus all-American. Currently, the NCAA recognizes All-Americans selected by the AP, AFCA, FWAA, TSN, and the WCFF to determine Consensus and Unanimous All-Americans. Any player named to the First Team by all five of the NCAA-recognized selectors is deemed a Unanimous All-American. ^{[50] [51]}

Position	Player	School	Selector	Unanimous	Consensus
First Team All-Americans
C	Tyler Linderbaum	Iowa	Athletic, USAT
OG	Wyatt Davis	Ohio State	AFCA, AP, ESPN, FWAA, PS, TSN, WCFF	*	*
DL	Haskell Garrett	Ohio State	CBS
DL	Daviyon Nixon	Iowa	AFCA, AP, Athletic, ESPN, FWAA, PS, TSN, WCFF, USAT	*	*
CB	Greg Newsome II	Northwestern	Athletic
CB	Shaun Wade	Ohio State	AFCA, AP, ESPN, TSN		*
S	Brandon Joseph	Northwestern	AFCA, AP, CBS, TSN, WCFF, USAT		*
DB	Tiawan Mullen	Indiana	FWAA, PS

Position	Player	School	Selector
Second Team All-Americans
WR	Chris Olave	Ohio State	Athletic, PS
WR	Garrett Wilson	Ohio State	FWAA
C	Tyler Linderbaum	Iowa	AP, CBS, FWAA, PS, WCFF
C	Josh Myers	Ohio State	TSN
OG	Wyatt Davis	Ohio State	CBS, USAT
OG	Kendrick Green	Illinois	USAT
OT	Alaric Jackson	Iowa	AFCA
DL	Jonathon Cooper	Ohio State	AFCA
DL	Daviyon Nixon	Iowa	CBS
DT	Haskell Garrett	Ohio State	AP, Athletic, TSN, WCFF
LB	Paddy Fisher	Northwestern	AFCA, CBS
LB	Micah McFadden	Indiana	PS
CB	Tiawan Mullen	Indiana	Athletic
CB	Greg Newsome II	Northwestern	FWAA, PS, USAT
CB	Shaun Wade	Ohio State	CBS, FWAA, PS, WCFF
S	Jaquan Brisker	Penn State	CBS
CB	Brandon Joseph	Northwestern	Athletic
DB	Shakur Brown	Michigan State	WCFF
P	Tory Taylor	Iowa	Athletic

Position	Player	School	Selector
Third Team All-Americans
RB	Mohamed Ibrahim	Minnesota	AP
RB	Trey Sermon	Ohio State	PS
WR	Ty Fryfogle	Indiana	AP
WR	Garrett Wilson	Ohio State	PS
OL	Alaric Jackson	Iowa	PS
DL	Haskell Garrett	Ohio State	PS
LB	Micah McFadden	Indiana	AP
LB	Blake Gallagher	Northwestern	PS
CB	Greg Newsome II	Northwestern	AP
CB	Brandon Joseph	Northwestern	PS

Position	Player	School	Selector
Fourth Team All-Americans
QB	Justin Fields	Ohio State	PS
RB	Mohamed Ibrahim	Minnesota	PS
WR	Ty Fryfogle	Indiana	PS
OL	Josh Myers	Ohio State	PS
LB	Paddy Fisher	Northwestern	PS

*Associated Press All-America Team (AP)
*CBS Sports All-America Team (CBS)
*ESPN Sports All-America Team (ESPN)
*The Athletic All-America Team (Athletic)
*USA Today All-America Team (USAT)
*The Sporting News All-America Team (TSN)
*Football Writers Association of America All-America Team (FWAA)
*American Football Coaches Association All-America Team (AFCA)
*Phil Steele All-America Team (PS) Archived December 1, 2021, at the Wayback Machine
*Walter Camp Football Foundation All-America Team (WCFF)

Home attendance

Due to COVID-19, the Big Ten is not allowing fans into stadiums for the 2020 season. Family members and limited staff are permitted. Some schools count and track those numbers and some do not.

Team	Stadium	Capacity	Game 1	Game 2	Game 3	Game 4	Game 5	Total	Average	% of Capacity
Illinois	Memorial Stadium	60,670	838	863	(Canceled)	875	2,576	859	1.4%
Indiana	Memorial Stadium	52,656	995	1,034	963	(Canceled)	–	2,992	997	1.9%
Iowa	Kinnick Stadium	69,250	1,432	1,441	1,469	1,445	–	5,787	1,447	2.1%
Maryland	Maryland Stadium	51,802	0	(Canceled)	(Canceled)	0	–	0	0	0.0%
Michigan	Michigan Stadium	107,601	615	605	0	(Canceled)	–	1,220	407	0.4%
Michigan State	Spartan Stadium	75,005	376	340	0	0	–	716	179	0.2%
Minnesota	TCF Bank Stadium	50,805	589	771	593	(Canceled)	–	1,953	651	1.3%
Nebraska	Memorial Stadium	85,458	(Canceled)	0	0	0	–	0	0	0.0%
Northwestern	Ryan Field	47,130	0	0	0	0	–	0	0	0.0%
Ohio State	Ohio Stadium	102,780	1,344	1,275	635	(Canceled)	–	3,254	1,085	1.1%
Penn State	Beaver Stadium	106,572	1,500	1,500	1,500	0	0	4,500	900	0.8%
Purdue	Ross–Ade Stadium	57,236	900	886	728	808	–	3,322	831	1.5%
Rutgers	SHI Stadium	52,454	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.0%
Wisconsin	Camp Randall Stadium	80,321	0	(Canceled)	(Canceled)	0	0	0	0	0.0%

2021 NFL Draft

Main article: 2021 NFL Draft

The Big Ten had 44 players selected in the 2021 NFL Draft, the second-most of any conference, trailing only the SEC who had 65.

Team	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Round 4	Round 5	Round 6	Round 7	Total
Illinois	–	–	1	–	1	–	–	2
Indiana	–	–	–	–	1	–	–	1
Iowa	–	–	1	–	2	1	–	4
Maryland	–	–	–	–	–	–	1	1
Michigan	1	–	3	–	2	2	–	8
Michigan State	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
Minnesota	1	1	–	–	–	–	–	2
Nebraska	–	–	–	–	1	–	1	2
Northwestern	2	–	–	–	1	–	–	3
Ohio State	1	2	3	1	2	–	1	10
Penn State	2	1	–	–	–	–	3	6
Purdue	–	1	–	1	–	–	–	2
Rutgers	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
Wisconsin	–	–	–	–	1	2	–	3

*	compensatory selection
×	2020 Resolution JC-2A selection

	Rnd.	Pick No.	NFL team	Player	Pos.	College	Conf.	Notes
	1	11	Chicago Bears	Justin Fields	QB	Ohio State	Big Ten	from N.Y. Giants [R1 - 1]
	1	12	Dallas Cowboys	Micah Parsons	LB	Penn State	Big Ten	from San Francisco via Miami and Philadelphia [R1 - 2]
	1	13	Los Angeles Chargers	Rashawn Slater	OT	Northwestern	Big Ten
	1	21	Indianapolis Colts	Kwity Paye	DE	Michigan	Big Ten
	1	26	Cleveland Browns	Greg Newsome II	CB	Northwestern	Big Ten
	1	27	Baltimore Ravens	Rashod Bateman	WR	Minnesota	Big Ten
	1	31	Baltimore Ravens	Odafe Oweh	DE	Penn State	Big Ten	from Kansas City [R1 - 3]
	2	49	Arizona Cardinals	Rondale Moore	WR	Purdue	Big Ten
	2	55	Pittsburgh Steelers	Pat Freiermuth	TE	Penn State	Big Ten
	2	60	New Orleans Saints	Pete Werner	LB	Ohio State	Big Ten
	2	62	Green Bay Packers	Josh Myers	C	Ohio State	Big Ten
	3	68	Atlanta Falcons	Jalen Mayfield	OT	Michigan	Big Ten
	3	74	Washington Football Team	Benjamin St-Juste	CB	Minnesota	Big Ten	from San Francisco [R3 - 1]
	3	84	Dallas Cowboys	Chauncey Golston	DE	Iowa	Big Ten	from Indianapolis via Philadelphia [R3 - 2]
	3	86	Minnesota Vikings	Wyatt Davis	OG	Ohio State	Big Ten	from Seattle via N.Y. Jets [R3 - 3]
	3	87	Pittsburgh Steelers	Kendrick Green	OG	Illinois	Big Ten
	3	88	San Francisco 49ers	Trey Sermon	RB	Ohio State	Big Ten	from L.A. Rams [R3 - 4]
	3	89	Houston Texans	Nico Collins	WR	Michigan	Big Ten	from Cleveland via Carolina [R3 - 5]
	3×	102	San Francisco 49ers	Ambry Thomas	CB	Michigan	Big Ten	2020 Resolution JC-2A selection [lower-alpha 1]
	3×	105	Denver Broncos	Baron Browning	LB	Ohio State	Big Ten	2020 Resolution JC-2A selection [lower-alpha 2] via New Orleans
	4	113	Detroit Lions	Derrick Barnes	LB	Purdue	Big Ten	from Carolina via Cleveland [R4 - 1]
	4	132	Cleveland Browns	Tommy Togiai	OT	Ohio State	Big Ten
	5	145	Jacksonville Jaguars	Luke Farrell	TE	Ohio State	Big Ten
	5	156	Pittsburgh Steelers	Isaiahh Loudermilk	DT	Wisconsin	Big Ten	from Dallas via Philadelphia, [R5 - 1] Miami, and Philadelphia
	5	157	Minnesota Vikings	Ihmir Smith-Marsette	WR	Iowa	Big Ten
	5	158	Carolina Panthers	Daviyon Nixon	DT	Iowa	Big Ten	from New England via Houston [R5 - 2]
	5	159	Los Angeles Chargers	Brenden Jaimes	OT	Nebraska	Big Ten
	5	160	Baltimore Ravens	Shaun Wade	CB	Ohio State	Big Ten	from Arizona
	5	164	Denver Broncos	Jamar Johnson	S	Indiana	Big Ten	from Chicago via N.Y. Giants [R5 - 3]
	5	167	Las Vegas Raiders	Nate Hobbs	CB	Illinois	Big Ten	from Seattle [R5 - 4]
	5	174	Los Angeles Rams	Earnest Brown IV	DE	Northwestern	Big Ten	from Buffalo via Houston
	5*	177	New England Patriots	Cameron McGrone	LB	Michigan	Big Ten	33rd compensatory selection [N 1]
	5*	184	Baltimore Ravens	Ben Mason	FB	Michigan	Big Ten
	6	185	Los Angeles Chargers	Nick Niemann	LB	Iowa	Big Ten	from Jacksonville via Tennessee [R6 - 1]
	6	202	Cincinnati Bengals	Chris Evans	RB	Michigan	Big Ten	from Miami via Houston [R6 - 2]
	6	213	Buffalo Bills	Rachad Wildgoose	CB	Wisconsin	Big Ten
	6	214	Green Bay Packers	Cole Van Lanen	OG	Wisconsin	Big Ten
	6*	225	Washington Football Team	Camaron Cheeseman	LS	Michigan	Big Ten	from Philadelphia
	7	233	Los Angeles Rams	Jake Funk	RB	Maryland	Big Ten	from Cincinnati via Houston [R7 - 1]
	7	238	Dallas Cowboys	Matt Farniok	OG	Nebraska	Big Ten
	7	239	Denver Broncos	Jonathon Cooper	DE	Ohio State	Big Ten	from N.Y. Giants [R7 - 2]
	7	246	Washington Football Team	Shaka Toney	DE	Penn State	Big Ten
	7	247	Arizona Cardinals	Michal Menet	C	Penn State	Big Ten	from Chicago via Las Vegas [R7 - 3]
	7	248	Indianapolis Colts	Will Fries	OG	Penn State	Big Ten

Draft Notes

1. San Francisco received 2021, 2022, and 2023 third-round selections when its defensive coordinator Robert Saleh was hired by the New York Jets as head coach and its vice president of player personnel Martin Mayhew was hired by Washington as general manager. ^{[52] [53] [54]}
2. New Orleans received 2021 and 2022 third-round selections when its director of pro scouting Terry Fontenot was hired by Atlanta as general manager. ^[55]

1. "Chicago Bears select QB Justin Fields with No. 11 pick in NFL draft after making deal with New York Giants". ESPN.com. April 30, 2021. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
2. Shook, Nick (March 26, 2021). "49ers acquire No. 3 overall pick from Dolphins; Miami gets No. 12 pick, two future firsts". NFL.com. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
3. Patra, Kevin (March 26, 2021). "Dolphins acquire No. 6 pick in 2021 draft from Eagles for No. 12 pick, 2022 first-rounder". NFL.com. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
4. "Eagles trade up, get Bama WR Smith at No. 10". ESPN.com. April 30, 2021. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
5. Lambert, Ivan (April 25, 2020). "Goodbye Trent". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 26, 2020. Williams will now become a member of the San Francisco 49ers; while in return the Redskins received a fifth round choice in this year's draft (156th overall) and also a third round choice in the 2021 draft.
6. "Philadelphia Eagles trade QB Carson Wentz to Indianapolis Colts for two draft picks". ESPN. February 19, 2021. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
7. Cimini, Rich (July 25, 2020). "New York Jets trade Jamal Adams to Seattle Seahawks, get two first-round picks". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
8. Smith, Eric (April 29, 2021). "Vikings Trade Down with Jets in 2021 NFL Draft's 1st Round". Minnesota Vikings. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
9. "2021 NFL Draft trade tracker: Full details of every move". NFL.com. Archived from the original on April 30, 2021. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
10. Archer, Todd (April 25, 2020). "Dallas Cowboys make rare trade with Eagles to draft center Tyler Biadasz". ESPN. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
11. "Here Are Reported Details On Patriots' Marcus Cannon Trade To Texans". NES. March 18, 2021. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
12. Eisen, Michael (April 30, 2021). "Giants trade up for UCF CB Aaron Robinson". Giants.com.
13. Boyle, John (March 21, 2021). "Seahawks Acquire Guard Gabe Jackson In Trade With Raiders". Seahawks.com.
14. Davenport, Turron (October 14, 2020). "Unhappy LB Correa traded by Titans to Jaguars". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on October 15, 2020. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
15. Comway, Tyler (November 2, 2020). "Desmond King Traded to Titans; Chargers Acquire 6th-Round Draft Pick". Bleacher Report . Archived from the original on November 2, 2020. Retrieved March 20, 2020.
16. Patra, Kevin (August 31, 2019). "Texans trade for Dolphins' Laremy Tunsil, Kenny Stills". NFL.com. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
17. "Bengals Trade Quarterback Ryan Finley To Texans". Sports Illustrated . March 19, 2021. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
18. O'Halloran, Ryan (September 2, 2020). "Broncos trade cornerback Isaac Yiadom to New York Giants". The Denver Post . Retrieved September 2, 2020.
19. "Sources: Bears trade for Raiders kicker Pineiro". ESPN . May 6, 2019.
20. "Cardinals Make Trade For 3-Time Pro Bowl Center Rodney Hudson". azcardinals.com. March 17, 2021. Retrieved March 17, 2021.

1. Hensley, Jamison (April 23, 2021). "Sources: Chiefs shipping first-round pick, 3 others to Ravens for package highlighted by Orlando Brown Jr". ESPN. Archived from the original on April 23, 2021. Retrieved April 24, 2021.

1. No. 11: NY Giants → Chicago (D). NY Giants traded its first-round selection (11th overall) to Chicago in exchange for first- and fifth-round selections (20th and 164th overall), alongside their first and fourth-round selections in 2022. ^{[trade 1]}
2. Multiple trades:
       No. 12: San Francisco → Miami (PD). See No. 3: Miami → San Francisco. ^{[trade 2]}
       No. 6: Philadelphia → Miami (PD).No. 12: Miami → Philadelphia (PD). See ^{[trade 3]}
       No. 12: Philadelphia → Dallas (D). See No. 10: Dallas → Philadelphia. ^{[trade 4]}
3. No. 31: Kansas City → Baltimore (PD). Kansas City traded a first, third, and fourth-round selection (31st, 94th, and 136th overall) and a 2022 fifth-round selection to Baltimore in exchange for a second-round selection (58th overall), a 2022 sixth-round selection, and offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr. ^{[Trade 1]}

1. No. 74: San Francisco → Washington (PD). San Francisco traded third-round and 2020 fifth-round selections to Washington in exchange for offensive tackle Trent Williams. ^{[trade 5]}
2. Multiple trades:
       No. 84: Indianapolis → Philadelphia (PD). Indianapolis traded a third-round selection and a 2022 conditional second-round selection, which could go up to the first round, to Philadelphia in exchange for quarterback Carson Wentz. ^{[trade 6]}
       No. 84: Philadelphia → Dallas (D). See No. 10: Dallas → Philadelphia. ^{[trade 4]}
3. Multiple trades:
       No. 86: Seattle → N.Y. Jets (PD). See No. 23: Seattle → N.Y. Jets. ^{[trade 7]}
       No. 86: N.Y. Jets → Minnesota (D). See No. 14: Minnesota → N.Y. Jets. ^{[trade 8]}
4. No. 88: L.A. Rams → San Francisco (D). The L.A. Rams traded a third-round selection (88th overall) to San Francisco in exchange for two fourth-round selections (117th and 121st overall). ^{[trade 9]}
5. Multiple trades:
       No. 89: Cleveland → Carolina (D). See No. 52: Carolina → Cleveland. ^{[trade 9]}
       No. 89: Carolina → Houston (D). Carolina traded a third-round selection (89th overall) to Houston in exchange for fourth- and fifth-round selections (109th and 158th overall) and a 2022 fourth-round selection. ^{[trade 9]}

1. No. 113: Carolina → Cleveland (D). See No. 52: Carolina → Cleveland. ^{[trade 9]}

1. Multiple trades:
       No. 156: Dallas → Philadelphia (PD). Dallas traded 2020 and 2021 fifth-round selections to Philadelphia in exchange for a 2020 fourth-round selection. ^{[trade 10]}
       No. 156: Philadelphia → Miami (PD). See No. 6: Philadelphia → Miami. ^{[trade 3]}
2. Multiple trades:
       No. 158: New England → Houston (PD). See No. 122: Houston → New England. ^{[trade 11]}     No. 158: Houston → Carolina (D). See No. 89: Carolina → Houston. ^{[trade 9]}
3. Multiple trades:
       No. 164: Chicago → N.Y. Giants (D). See No. 11: N.Y. Giants → Chicago. ^{[trade 1]}
       No. 164: N.Y. Giants → Denver (D). See No. 71: Denver → N.Y. Giants. ^{[trade 12]}
4. No. 167: Seattle → Las Vegas (PD). Seattle traded a fifth-round selection to Las Vegas in exchange for offensive guard Gabe Jackson. ^{[trade 13]}

1. Multiple trades:
       No. 185: Jacksonville → Tennessee (PD). Jacksonville traded a sixth-round selection to Tennessee in exchange for a seventh-round selection and linebacker Kamalei Correa. ^{[trade 14]}
       No. 185: Tennessee → L.A. Chargers (PD). Tennessee traded Jacksonville's six-round selection to the Los Angeles Chargers in exchange for cornerback Desmond King. ^{[trade 15]}
2. Multiple trades:
       No. 202: Miami → Houston (PD). See No. 3: Houston → Miami. ^{[trade 16]}     No. 202: Houston → Cincinnati (PD). Houston traded Miami's sixth-round pick in exchange for a seventh-round selection and quarterback Ryan Finley. ^{[trade 17]}

1. No. 233: Cincinnati → Houston. See No. 202: Houston → Cincinnati. ^{[trade 17]}
2. No. 239: N.Y. Giants → Denver (PD). The New York Giants traded a seventh-round selection to Denver in exchange for cornerback Isaac Yiadom. ^{[trade 18]}
3. Multiple trades:
       No. 247: Chicago → Las Vegas (PD). Chicago traded a conditional seventh-round selection to Las Vegas, based in Oakland at the time of trade, in exchange for kicker Eddy Piñeiro. ^{[trade 19]}
       No. 247: Las Vegas → Arizona (PD). See No. 79: Arizona → Las Vegas. ^{[trade 20]}

1. The NFL originally announced 32 compensatory selections. On March 19, it released a revised list of 33 selections. After correcting an error in the original calculation, the Patriots earned an additional fifth-round compensatory selection. The NFL Management Council and NFLPA agreed to add an extra compensatory selection instead of removing a previously awarded one. ^[56]

Head coaches

Current through January 11, 2021

Team	Head coach	Years at school	Overall record	Record at school	B1G record
Illinois	Lovie Smith*	5	17–39 (.304)	17–39 (.304)	10–33 (.233)
Illinois	Rod Smith*	1	0–1 (.000)	0–1 (.000)	0–1 (.000)
Indiana	Tom Allen*	4	24–22 (.522)	24–22 (.522)	15–19 (.441)
Iowa	Kirk Ferentz	22	180–127 (.586)	168–106 (.613)	103–77 (.572)
Maryland	Mike Locksley*	2	8–43 (.157)	6–17 (.261)	4–16 (.200)
Michigan	Jim Harbaugh	6	107–49 (.686)	49–22 (.690)	34–16 (.680)
Michigan State	Mel Tucker	1	7–12 (.368)	2–5 (.286)	2–5 (.286)
Minnesota	P. J. Fleck	4	56–41 (.577)	26–19 (.578)	15–19 (.441)
Nebraska	Scott Frost	3	31–27 (.534)	12–20 (.375)	9–17 (.346)
Northwestern	Pat Fitzgerald	15	106–81 (.567)	106–81 (.567)	63–60 (.512)
Ohio State	Ryan Day*	2	23–2 (.920)	23–2 (.920)	15–0 (1.000)
Penn State	James Franklin	7	84–43 (.661)	60–28 (.682)	38–23 (.623)
Purdue	Jeff Brohm	4	49–35 (.583)	19–25 (.432)	14–19 (.424)
Rutgers	Greg Schiano*	12	71–73 (.493)	71–73 (.493)	3–6 (.333)
Wisconsin	Paul Chryst	6	75–38 (.664)	56–19 (.747)	37–13 (.740)

* Tom Allen was hired to replace Kevin Wilson in December 2016 at Indiana and coached the Hoosiers in their 2016 bowl game, going 0–1.

* Mike Locksley served as interim head coach at Maryland in 2015 and coached for six games, going 1–5. ^[57]

* Ryan Day served as interim head coach at Ohio State for the first three games of the 2018 season while Urban Meyer served a three-game suspension and went 3–0. ^[58]

* Greg Schiano served as head coach at Rutgers from 2001 through 2011 then left for the NFL. Following the conclusion of the 2019 season, Schiano returned to Rutgers for his second stint as head coach. The Scarlet Knights competed in the Big East Conference in his previous stay at the school.

* Lovie Smith was relieved of his coaching duties at Illinois on December 13. Offensive coordinator Rod Smith was named interim coach for the final game of the 2020 season. ^[59]

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