2018 Big Ten Conference football season explained

The 2018 Big Ten conference football season was the 123rd season of college football play for the Big Ten Conference and was part of the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season.

This was the Big Ten's fifth season with 14 teams. The defending league champion was Ohio State. The 2018 season consisted of a nine–game conference schedule for the third year in a row.^[1]

The Big Ten had one new coach for the 2018 season, with Nebraska hiring alumnus Scott Frost. Frost came to Nebraska after having coached UCF to an undefeated 13–0 season in 2017.

Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer was suspended for the first three games of the 2018 season by Ohio State for the mishandling of a situation involving domestic abuse charges against former assistant coach Zach Smith. Ohio State offensive coordinator Ryan Day served as acting head coach for the first three games of the 2018 season.^[2]

Maryland head coach D.J. Durkin was placed on administrative leave on August 11, 2018 due to the death of a player on his team, Jordan McNair, during summer workouts.^[3] On October 30, the school reinstated Durkin to his role as head coach, and was set to rejoin the team in Week #10.^[4] However, after a lot of negative reaction, a day later the University of Maryland decided to fire DJ Durkin.^[5]

Ohio State and Michigan shared the East Division title, but Ohio State advances to the championship game by virtue of its head-to-head win in the regular season finale. Northwestern clinched the West Division title on November 10. The Buckeyes went on to defeat the Wildcats in the conference championship game in Indianapolis by a score of 45-24 to win their second consecutive Big Ten championship and 37th conference crown in program history.

Nine Big Ten programs advanced to bowl games, with Ohio State and Michigan earning New Year's Six bowl bids in the Rose and Peach Bowls, respectively.

On December 4, 2018, Ohio State announced that head coach Urban Meyer would be stepping down following the Buckeyes' appearance in the Rose Bowl and that offensive coordinator Ryan Day, who served as interim head coach for the first three games of the season, would become the next head coach at Ohio State.^[6]

Previous season

Ohio State defeated Wisconsin, 27–21, in the Big Ten Football Championship Game.^[7]

Eight teams participated in bowl games in the 2017 season and the league went a very impressive 7–1 in those games, however the Big Ten failed to land a team in the 2017 College Football Playoff. Iowa defeated Boston College, 27-20, in the Pinstripe Bowl.^[8] Purdue won, 38–35, over Arizona in the Foster Farms Bowl.^[9] Michigan State defeated Washington State, 42–17, in the Holiday Bowl.^[10] Northwestern defeated Kentucky, 24–23, at the Music City Bowl.^[11] Ohio State defeated USC, 24–7, in the Cotton Bowl.^[12] Wisconsin defeated Miami (FL), 34–24, in the Orange Bowl.^[13] Penn State defeated Washington by a score of 35–28 in the Fiesta Bowl.^[14] Michigan lost to South Carolina, 26–19, in the Outback Bowl.^[15]

Preseason

2018 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	54	50	54	26
Indiana	48	45	50	27
Iowa	43	40	39	23
Maryland	31	29	28	24
Michigan	20	24	22	21
Michigan State	34	26	31	22
Minnesota	30	43	38	25
Nebraska	21	21	23	24
Northwestern	49	60	58	18
Ohio State	2	2	2	26
Penn State	4	5	6	23
Purdue	46	49	53	25
Rutgers	59	58	56	22
Wisconsin	39	40	46	20

Big Ten Media Days

The Big Ten conducted its annual media days at the Chicago Marriott Downtown Chicago Magnificent Mile in Chicago, IL on July 23–24. The event commenced with a speech by Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany, and all 14 teams sent their head coaches and two selected players to speak with members of the media. The event along with all speakers and interviews were broadcast live on the Big Ten Network. The teams and representatives in respective order were as follows:

Preseason media polls

The Big Ten Media Days concluded with its annual preseason media polls in early August. Since 1992, the credentialed media has gotten the preseason champion correct just five times. Only eight times has the preseason pick even made it to the Big Ten title game. Below are the results of the media poll with total points received next to each school and first-place votes in parentheses.^[19]

Big Ten Champion Voting
Ohio State def. Wisconsin - 14
Wisconsin def. Ohio State - 9
Wisconsin def. Michigan - 2
Wisconsin def. Penn State - 1
Wisconsin def. Michigan State - 1
Michigan State def. Wisconsin - 1

East Division
1. Ohio State (23.5) - 191.5 pts
2. Michigan State (2) - 142
3. Penn State (1) - 141.5
4. Michigan (1.5) - 140.5
5. Maryland - 75.5
6. Indiana - 60
7. Rutgers - 33West Division
1. Wisconsin (28) - 196 pts
2. Iowa - 155
3. Northwestern - 138
4. Nebraska - 104
5. Purdue - 98.5
6. Minnesota - 64.5
7. Illinois - 28

Rankings

See main article: 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings.

	Pre	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
	C
	CFP	Not released
Iowa	AP	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	19	18	19	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	25
	C	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	22	18	18	RV		RV	RV	RV	RV
	CFP	Not released									16	21
Maryland	AP		RV	RV		RV	RV		RV
	C		RV	RV		RV	RV
	CFP	Not released
Michigan	AP	14	21	19	19	14	15	12	6	5	5	4	4	4	8	8	14
	C	14	22	22	21	15	16	13	7	5	5t	4	4	4	8	8	14
	CFP	Not released									5	4	4	4	7	7
Michigan State	AP	11	15	25	24	21	20		24	RV	RV	24	RV
	C	12	13	24	23	18	19	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV
	CFP	Not released										18
Minnesota	AP
	C				RV
	CFP	Not released
Nebraska	AP
	C
	CFP	Not released
Northwestern	AP	RV	RV								RV	RV	24	20	21	RV	21
	C	RV	RV								RV	RV	RV	21	21	22	19
	CFP	Not released											22	19	21	22
Ohio State	AP	5	4	4	4	4	3(1)	3 (1)	2 (1)	11	8	8	9	10	6	5	3
	C	3(1)	4(1)	4(1)	4	4 (1)	3 (1)	3 (1)	2 (1)	9	8	7	8	10	6	5	3
	CFP	Not released									10	10	10	10	6	6
Penn State	AP	10	13	11	10t	9	11	8	18	17	14	21	16	15	14	13	17
	C	9	10	10	9	9	11	8	16	16	13	20	15	14	12	12	17
	CFP	Not released									14	20	14	12	12	12
Purdue	AP									RV		RV
	C									RV		RV
	CFP	Not released
Rutgers	AP
	C
	CFP	Not released
Wisconsin	AP	4 (1)	5 (1)	6 (1)	18	15	16	15	23	20	RV	RV		RV			RV
	C	7	6	6	16	13	12	10	19	19	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV		RV
	CFP	Not released

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

Week one

Date		Bye Week
September 1	Nebraska

Week three

Date		Bye Week
September 15	No. 25 Michigan State

Week four

Date		Bye Week
September 22	Northwestern

Week nine

Nebraska adds Bethune-Cookman to 2018 schedule in place of previously scheduled bye week to make up for Akron game that was canceled in Week 1 due to weather.^[20]

Week ten

Date		Bye Week
November 3	Indiana

Week thirteen

Championship game

Week 14 (Big Ten Championship Game)

See main article: 2018 Big Ten Football Championship Game.

Bowl games

Legend
	Big Ten win
	Big Ten loss

See also: 2018–19 NCAA football bowl games.

Bowl game	Date	Site	Television	Time (EST)	Big Ten team	Opponent	Score	Attendance
Quick Lane Bowl	December 26	Ford Field • Detroit, MI	ESPN	5:15 p.m.	Minnesota	Georgia Tech	34 - 10	27,228
Pinstripe Bowl	December 27	Yankee Stadium • New York, NY	ESPN	5:15 p.m.	Wisconsin	Miami (FL)	35 - 3	37,821
Music City Bowl	December 28	Nissan Stadium • Nashville, TN	ESPN	1:30 p.m.	Purdue	Auburn	14 - 63	59,024
Redbox Bowl	December 31	Levi's Stadium • Santa Clara, CA	FOX	3:00 p.m.	Michigan State	Oregon	6 - 7	30,212
Holiday Bowl	December 31	SDCCU Stadium • San Diego, CA	FS1	7:00 p.m.	Northwestern	No. 20 Utah	31 - 20	47,007
Outback Bowl	January 1	Raymond James Stadium • Tampa, FL	ESPN2	12:00 p.m.	Iowa	No. 18 Mississippi State	27 - 22	40,518
Citrus Bowl	January 1	Camping World Stadium • Orlando, FL	ABC	1:00 p.m.	No. 13 Penn State	No. 16 Kentucky	24 - 27	59,167
New Year's Six Bowls
Peach Bowl	December 29	Mercedes-Benz Stadium • Atlanta, GA	ESPN	12:00 p.m.	No. 8 Michigan	No. 10 Florida	15 - 41	74,006
Rose Bowl	January 1	Rose Bowl • Pasadena, CA	ESPN	5:00 p.m.	No. 5 Ohio State	No. 9 Washington	28 - 23	91,853

Rankings are from AP Poll. All times Eastern Time Zone.

Big Ten records vs other conferences

2018–2019 records against non-conference foes:

(Through games of January 1, 2019)

Regular season

Power 5 conferences	Record
ACC	3–1
Big 12	3–1
Pac-12	1–2
BYU/Notre Dame	0–2
SEC	0–1
Power 5 total	7–8
Other FBS conferences	Record
American	2-2
C-USA	2–0
Independents (Excluding BYU and Notre Dame)	1–0
MAC	8–3
Mountain West	3–0
Sun Belt	2–1
Other FBS total	18–6
FCS ppponents	Record
Football Championship Subdivision	3–0
Total non-conference record	28–14

Postseason

Power Conferences 5	Record
ACC	2–0
Big 12	0–0
Pac-12	2–1
BYU/Notre Dame	0-0
SEC	1–3
Power 5 total	5–4
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	5–4

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[21]	Dwayne Haskins	QB	OSU	Jake Hansen	LB	ILL	Ambry Thomas	KR	MICH	Jeshaun Jones	WR	MD
				Antoine Brooks	DB	MD	Antoine Winfield Jr.	PR	MIN	Rondale Moore	WR	PUR
Week 2[22]	Jonathan Taylor	RB	WIS	A. J. Epenesa	DE	IA	Emmit Carpenter	K	MIN	Stevie Scott	RB	IND
				Antoine Winfield Jr.	DB	MIN				Tate Martell	QB	OSU
Week 3[23]	David Blough	QB	PUR	Dre'Mont Jones	DT	OSU	J-Shun Harris II	WR	IND	Stevie Scott	RB	IND
Week 4[24]	Dwayne Haskins	QB	OSU	Tre Watson	LB	MD	Donovan Peoples-Jones	WR	MICH	Anthony McFarland	RB	MD
	Miles Sanders	RB	PSU				Matt Coghlin	K	MSU	Rondale Moore	WR	PUR
Week 5[25]	Dwayne Haskins	QB	OSU	Chase Winovich	DL	MICH	Joe Schopper	P	PUR	K. J. Hamler	WR	PSU
				Chase Young	DE	OSU
Week 6[26]	Dwayne Haskins	QB	OSU	Anthony Nelson	DE	IA	Ty Johnson	KR	MD	Riley Moss	DB	IA
Week 7[27]	Nate Stanley	QB	IA	Khari Willis	S	MSU	Drew Luckenbaugh	K	NU	Mohamed Ibrahim	RB	MIN
	Flynn Nagel	WR	NU
Week 8[28]	David Blough	QB	PUR	Markus Bailey	LB	PUR	Joe Schopper	P	PUR	Adrian Martinez	QB	NEB
										Rondale Moore	WR	PUR
Week 9[29]	Javon Leake	RB	MD	Yetur Gross-Matos	DE	PSU	Javon Leake	RB	MD	Rocky Lombardi	QB	MSU
										Tanner Morgan	QB	MIN
Week 10[30]	Reggie Corbin	RB	ILL	Joe Bachie	LB	MSU	Spencer Evans	K	PUR	Rashod Bateman	WR	MIN
	Terry Wright	WR	PUR							Adrian Martinez	QB	NEB
Week 11[31]	Devine Ozigbo	RB	NEB	Robert Windsor	DT	PSU	Logan Justus	K	IND	Adrian Martinez	QB	NEB
Week 12[32]	Dwayne Haskins	QB	OSU	A. J. Epenesa	DE	IA	Jake Moody	K	MICH	Anthony McFarland	RB	MD
	Jonathan Taylor	RB	WIS	Antonio Reed	S	NEB	Barret Pickering	K	NEB
Week 13[33]	Dwayne Haskins	QB	OSU	Anthony Nelson	DE	IA	Demetrius Douglas	PR	MIN	Rondale Moore	WR	PUR
				Josiah Scott	CB	MSU

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	Dwayne Haskins	Ohio State
Nagurski-Woodson Defensive Player of the Year	Devin Bush Jr.	Michigan
Thompson-Randle El Freshman of the Year	Rondale Moore	Purdue
Griese-Brees Quarterback of the Year	Dwayne Haskins	Ohio State
Richter-Howard Receiver of the Year	Rondale Moore	Purdue
Ameche-Dayne Running Back of the Year	Jonathan Taylor	Wisconsin
Kwalick-Clark Tight End of the Year	T. J. Hockenson	Iowa
Rimington-Pace Offensive Lineman of the Year	Michael Deiter	Wisconsin
Smith-Brown Defensive Lineman of the Year	Kenny Willekes	Michigan State
Butkus-Fitzgerald Linebacker of the Year	Devin Bush	Michigan
Tatum-Woodson Defensive Back of the Year	Amani Hooker	Iowa
Bakken-Andersen Kicker of the Year	Chase McLaughlin	Illinois
Eddleman-Fields Punter of the Year	Will Hart	Michigan
Rodgers-Dwight Return Specialist of the Year	Ihmir Smith-Marsette	Iowa
Hayes-Schembechler Coach of the Year (coaches vote)	Pat Fitzgerald	Northwestern
Dave McClain Coach of the Year (media vote)	Pat Fitzgerald	Northwestern
Dungy-Thompson Humanitarian Award	Jake Wood	Wisconsin
Ford-Kinnick Leadership Award	Antwaan Randle El	Indiana

All-Conference Teams

See main article: 2018 All-Big Ten Conference football team.

2018 Big Ten All-Conference Teams and Awards^[34]

Position	Player	Team
First Team Offense (Coaches)
QB	Dwayne Haskins	style=	Ohio State
RB	Jonathan Taylor	style=	Wisconsin
RB	Karan Higdon	style=	Michigan
WR	Rondale Moore	style=	Purdue
WR	Parris Campbell	style=	Ohio State
TE	Noah Fant	style=	Iowa
C	Tyler Biadasz	style=	Wisconsin
OG	Michael Deiter	style=	Wisconsin
OG	Beau Benzschawel	style=	Wisconsin
OT	Jon Runyan	style=	Michigan
OT	Isaiah Prince	style=	Ohio State
First Team Defense (Coaches)
DL	Chase Winovich	style=	Michigan
DL	Rashan Gary	style=	Michigan
DL	Kenny Willekes	style=	Michigan State
DL	Dre'mont Jones	style=	Ohio State
LB	Devin Bush Jr.	style=	Michigan
LB	Joe Bachie	style=	Michigan State
LB	Paddy Fisher	style=	Northwestern
DB	Amani Hooker	style=	Iowa
DB	Lavert Hill	style=	Michigan
DB	David Long	style=	Michigan
DB	Amani Oruwariye	style=	Penn State
First Team Special Teams (Coaches)
K	Chase McLaughlin	style=	Illinois
P	Will Hart	style=	Michigan
RS	Rondale Moore	style=	Purdue

Position	Player	Team
Second Team Offense (Coaches)
QB	Trace McSorley	style=	Penn State
RB	J. K. Dobbins	style=	Ohio State
RB	Miles Sanders	style=	Penn State
WR	Stanley Morgan Jr.	style=	Nebraska
WR	Tyler Johnson	style=	Minnesota
TE	T. J. Hockenson	style=	Iowa
C	Michael Jordan	style=	Ohio State
OG	Ross Reynolds	style=	Iowa
OG	Ben Bredeson	style=	Michigan
OT	Alaric Jackson	style=	Iowa
OT	David Edwards	style=	Wisconsin
Second Team Defense (Coaches)
DL	A. J. Epenesa	style=	Iowa
DL	Carter Coughlin	style=	Minnesota
DL	Joe Gaziano	style=	Northwestern
DL	Chase Young	style=	Ohio State
LB	Tre Watson	style=	Maryland
LB	Markus Bailey	style=	Purdue
LB	T. J. Edwards	style=	Wisconsin
DB	Antoine Brooks	style=	Maryland
DB	Darnell Savage	style=	Maryland
DB	Josh Metellus	style=	Michigan
DB	Justin Layne	style=	Michigan State
Second Team Special Teams (Coaches)
K	Logan Justus	style=	Indiana
P	Drue Chrisman	style=	Ohio State
RS	Ihmir Smith-Marsette	style=	Iowa

Position	Player	Team
Third Team Offense (Coaches)
QB	Shea Patterson	style=	Michigan
RB	Reggie Corbin	style=	Illinois
RB	Anthony McFarland Jr.	style=	Maryland
WR	JD Spielman	style=	Nebraska
WR	Donovan Peoples-Jones	style=	Michigan
TE	Zach Gentry	style=	Michigan
C	Cesar Ruiz	style=	Michigan
OG	Michael Onwenu	style=	Michigan
OG	Connor McGovern	style=	Penn State
OT	Rashawn Slater	style=	Northwestern
OT	Ryan Bates	style=	Penn State
Third Team Defense (Coaches)
DL	Anthony Nelson	style=	Iowa
DL	Raequan Williams	style=	Michigan State
DL	Yetur Gross-Matos	style=	Penn State
DL	Shareef Miller	style=	Penn State
LB	Blake Cashman	style=	Minnesota
LB	Ryan Connelly	style=	Wisconsin
LB	Andrew Van Ginkel	style=	Wisconsin
DB	David Dowell	style=	Michigan State
DB	Dicaprio Bootle	style=	Nebraska
DB	Montre Hartage	style=	Northwestern
DB	D'Cota Dixon	style=	Wisconsin
Third Team Special Teams (Coaches)
K	Matt Coghlin	style=	Michigan State
P	Joe Schopper	style=	Purdue
RS	Donovan Peoples-Jones	style=	Michigan

Coaches Honorable Mention: ILLINOIS: Nick Allegretti, Blake Hayes; INDIANA: Marcelino Ball, Jonathan Crawford, Donovan Hale, J-Shun Harris II, Brandon Knight, Wes Martin, Stevie Scott; IOWA: Jake Gervase, Matt Nelson, Miguel Recinos, Keegan Render, Tristan Wirfs; MARYLAND: Byron Cowart, Tino Ellis, Derwin Gray, Ty Johnson, Wade Lees, Brendan Moore, Joseph Petrino; MICHIGAN: Juwann Bushell-Beatty, Nico Collins, Bryan Mone, Josh Ross, Josh Uche, Khaleke Hudson, Tyree Kinnel; MICHIGAN STATE: Felton Davis III, Andrew Dowell, Khari Willis, Mike Panasiuk; MINNESOTA: Emmit Carpenter, Donnell Greene, Jacob Huff, Jacob Herbers; NEBRASKA: Isaac Armstrong, Mohamed Barry, Carlos Davis, Luke Gifford, Brenden Jaimes, Adrian Martinez, Devine Ozigbo; NORTHWESTERN: Blake Gallagher, Cameron Green, Flynn Nagel, J.R. Pace, Nate Hall, Clayton Thorson; OHIO STATE: Damon Arnette, Tuf Borland, Jonathon Cooper, Jordan Fuller, Malik Harrison, K. J. Hill, Demetrius Knox, Robert Landers, Thayer Munford, Jeffrey Okudah, Malcolm Pridgeon, Kendall Sheffield, Mike Weber; PENN STATE: Pat Freiermuth, Steven Gonzalez, K. J. Hamler, Garrett Taylor, John Reid, Robert Windsor; PURDUE: Derrick Barnes, Kirk Barron, Antonio Blackmon, David Blough, Spencer Evans, Brycen Hopkins, D.J. Knox, Matt McCann, Jacob Thineneman; RUTGERS: Rahmeem Blackshear, Justin Davidovicz, Saquan Hampton, Jonah Jackson, Adam Korsack; WISCONSIN: Jake Ferguson, Rafael Gaglianone.

Position	Player	Team
First Team Offense (Media)
QB	Dwayne Haskins	style=	Ohio State
RB	Karan Higdon	style=	Michigan
RB	Jonathan Taylor	style=	Wisconsin
WR	Tyler Johnson	style=	Minnesota
WR	Rondale Moore	style=	Purdue
TE	T. J. Hockenson	style=	Iowa
C	Tyler Biadasz	style=	Wisconsin
OG	Beau Benzschawel	style=	Wisconsin
OG	Michael Deiter	style=	Wisconsin
OT	Isaiah Prince	style=	Ohio State
OT	David Edwards	style=	Wisconsin
First Team Defense (Media)
DL	A. J. Epenesa	style=	Iowa
DL	Chase Winovich	style=	Michigan
DL	Kenny Willekes	style=	Michigan State
DL	Yetur Gross-Matos	style=	Penn State
LB	Tre Watson	style=	Maryland
LB	Devin Bush Jr.	style=	Michigan
LB	T. J. Edwards	style=	Wisconsin
DB	Amani Hooker	style=	Iowa
DB	Lavert Hill	style=	Michigan
DB	Montre Hartage	style=	Northwestern
DB	Amani Oruwariye	style=	Penn State
First Team Special Teams (Media)
K	Matt Coghlin	style=	Michigan State
P	Will Hart	style=	Michigan
RS	Ihmir Smith-Marsette	style=	Iowa

Position	Player	Team
Second Team Offense (Media)
QB	Trace McSorley	style=	Penn State
RB	Anthony McFarland Jr.	style=	Maryland
RB	Miles Sanders	style=	Penn State
WR	Stanley Morgan Jr.	style=	Nebraska
WR	Parris Campbell	style=	Ohio State
TE	Noah Fant	style=	Iowa
C	Michael Jordan	style=	Ohio State
OG	Nick Allegretti	style=	Illinois
OG	Ben Bredeson	style=	Michigan
OT	Alaric Jackson	style=	Iowa
OT	Jon Runyan Jr.	style=	Michigan
Second Team Defense (Media)
DL	Anthony Nelson	style=	Iowa
DL	Rashan Gary	style=	Michigan
DL	Carter Coughlin	style=	Minnesota
DL	Dre'Mont Jones	style=	Ohio State
LB	Joe Bachie	style=	Michigan State
LB	Blake Cashman	style=	Minnesota
LB	Paddy Fisher	style=	Northwestern
DB	Darnell Savage	style=	Maryland
DB	Josh Metellus	style=	Michigan
DB	Justin Layne	style=	Michigan State
DB	Jordan Fuller	style=	Ohio State
Second Team Special Teams (Media)
K	Chase McLaughlin	style=	Illinois
P	Drue Chrisman	style=	Ohio State
RS	Rondale Moore	style=	Purdue

Position	Player	Team
Third Team Offense (Media)
QB	David Blough	style=	Purdue
RB	Reggie Corbin	style=	Illinois
RB	Devine Ozigbo	style=	Nebraska
WR	JD Spielman	style=	Nebraska
WR	K. J. Hill	style=	Ohio State
TE	Brycen Hopkins	style=	Purdue
C	Keegan Render	style=	Iowa
OG	Ross Reynolds	style=	Iowa
OG	Demetrius Knox	style=	Ohio State
OG	Connor McGovern	style=	Penn State
OT	Damian Prince	style=	Maryland
OT	Ryan Bates	style=	Penn State
Third Team Defense (Media)
DL	Raequan Williams	style=	Michigan State
DL	Joe Gaziano	style=	Northwestern
DL	Chase Young	style=	Ohio State
DL	Shareef Miller	style=	Penn State
LB	Mohamed Barry	style=	Nebraska
LB	Blake Gallagher	style=	Northwestern
LB	Markus Bailey	style=	Purdue
DB	David Long	style=	Michigan
DB	Khari Willis	style=	Michigan State
DB	Dicaprio Bootle	style=	Nebraska
DB	D'Cota Dixon	style=	Wisconsin
Third Team Special Teams (Media)
K	Logan Justus	style=	Indiana
P	Blake Hayes	style=	Illinois
RS	Donovan Peoples-Jones	style=	Michigan

Media Honorable Mention: ILLINOIS: Del'Shawn Phillips, Alex Palczewski, Bobby Roundtree; INDIANA: Marcelino Ball, Jonathan Crawford, J-Shun Harris II, Brandon Knight, Wes Martin, Stevie Scott; IOWA: Jake Gervase, Parker Hesse, Matt Nelson, Miguel Recinos, Ihmir Smith-Marsette, Geno Stone, Tristan Wirfs; MARYLAND: Antoine Brooks, Byron Cowart, Tino Ellis, Derwin Gray, Ty Johnson, Wade Lees, Brendan Moore, Joseph Petrino; MICHIGAN: Juwann Bushell-Beatty, Zach Gentry, Khaleke Hudson, Tyree Kinnel, Sean McKeon, Michael Onwenu, Shea Patterson, Kwity Paye, Donovan Peoples-Jones, Cesar Ruiz, Josh Uche; MICHIGAN STATE: Felton Davis III, Andrew Dowell, David Dowell, Connor Heyward, Mike Panasiuk; MINNESOTA: Blaise Andries, Emmit Carpenter, Demetrius Douglas, Daniel Faalele, Donnell Greene, Jacob Herbers, Jacob Huff, Mohamed Ibrahim, Conner Olson, Jared Weyler; NEBRASKA: Isaac Armstrong, Khalil Davis, Luke Gifford, Brenden Jaimes, Adrian Martinez, Boe Wilson; NORTHWESTERN: Cameron Green, Nate Hall, Flynn Nagel, J.R. Pace, Rashawn Slater, Clayton Thorson; OHIO STATE: Damon Arnette, Tuf Borland, Nick Bosa, Jonathon Cooper, J. K. Dobbins, Malik Harrison, Terry McLaurin, Thayer Munford, Malcolm Pridgeon, Kendall Sheffield, Pete Werner; PENN STATE: Pat Freiermuth, Steven Gonzalez, K. J. Hamler, Micah Parsons, John Reid, Nick Scott, Garrett Taylor, Robert Windsor; PURDUE: Kirk Barron, Antonio Blackmon, Spencer Evans, Kenneth Major, Matt McCann, Lorenzo Neal, Joe Schopper, Jacob Thineneman, Isaac Zico; RUTGERS: Saquan Hampton, Jonah Jackson, Adam Korsack, Trevor Morris; WISCONSIN: Ryan Connelly, Jake Ferguson, Andrew Van Ginkel.

All-Americans

The 2018 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) 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.^{[35] [36]}

Position	Player	School	Selector	Unanimous	Consensus
First Team All-Americans
RB	Jonathan Taylor	style=	Wisconsin	AFCA, AP, FWAA, TSN, WCFF, SI, BR, CFN, CBS, Athlon
WR	Rondale Moore	style=	Purdue	CFN
TE	T. J. Hockenson	style=	Iowa	AFCA, BR
OG	Beau Benzschawel	style=	Wisconsin	AFCA, AP, WCFF, SI, BR, CFN, ESPN, CBS, Athlon
OG	Michael Deiter	style=	Wisconsin	FWAA, BR
C	Michael Jordan	style=	Ohio State	CBS, SI, BR
DT	Dre'Mont Jones	style=	Ohio State	CFN
LB	Devin Bush Jr.	style=	Michigan	AFCA, FWAA, TSN, WCFF, SI, BR, CFN, CBS
AP	Rondale Moore	style=	Purdue	AP, FWAA, SI, ESPN, CBS, Athlon

Position	Player	School	Selector
Second Team All-Americans
TE	T.J. Hockenson	style=	Iowa	AP, FWAA, WCFF, Athlon
OG	Michael Deiter	style=	Wisconsin	AFCA, AP, TSN, WCFF, CFN
OG	Beau Benzschawel	style=	Wisconsin	TSN
C	Michael Jordan	style=	Ohio State	WCFF
DE	Chase Winovich	style=	Michigan	AFCA, WCFF, CFN, Athlon
DE	Kenny Willekes	style=	Michigan State	FWAA, TSN, WCFF
LB	Devin Bush	style=	Michigan	AP, Athlon
LB	Tre Watson	style=	Maryland	FWAA
S	Amani Hooker	style=	Iowa	AP, CFN
P	Will Hart	style=	Michigan	SI
AP	Rondale Moore	style=	Purdue	TSN

Position	Player	School	Selector
Third Team All-Americans
QB	Dwayne Haskins	style=	Ohio State	AP, Athlon
TE	Noah Fant	style=	Iowa	AP
C	Michael Jordan	style=	Ohio State	AP
C	Tyler Biadasz	style=	Wisconsin	Athlon
OL	Michael Deiter	style=	Wisconsin	Athlon
DE	Chase Winovich	style=	Michigan	AP
LB	Paddy Fisher	style=	Northwestern	AP
CB	Lavert Hill	style=	Michigan	AP
S	Amani Hooker	style=	Iowa	Athlon
KR	Ihmir Smith-Marsette	style=	Iowa	Athlon

Position	Player	School	Selector
Fourth Team All-Americans
DE	Kenny Willekes	style=	Michigan State	Athlon
DT	Dre'Mont Jones	style=	Ohio State	Athlon
CB	David Long	style=	Michigan	Athlon
P	Drue Chrisman	style=	Ohio State	Athlon

• AFCA All-America Team (AFCA)
  

• Walter Camp Football Foundation All-America Team (WCFF)
  

• Associated Press All-America Team (AP)
  

• The Sporting News All-America Team (TSN)
  

• Football Writers Association of America All-America Team (FWAA)
  

• Sports Illustrated All-America Team (SI)
  

• Bleacher Report All-America Team (BR)
  

• College Football News All-America Team (CFN)
  

• ESPN All-America Team (ESPN)
  

• CBS Sports All-America Team (CBS)
  

• Athlon Sports All-America Team (Athlon)

National award winners

2018 College Football Award Winners^[37]

Doak Walker Award (Nation's Top Running Back)
Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin

John Mackey Award (Outstanding Tight End)
T. J. Hockenson, Iowa

Paul Hornung Award (Most Versatile Player)
Rondale Moore, Purdue

Academic All-Americans

2018 CoSIDA Academic-All Americans^[38]

Player	School	Team
CoSIDA Academic All-Americans
Payton Jordahl	style=	Minnesota	First Team
Gary Moore	style=	Minnesota	First Team
Jordan Fuller	style=	Ohio State	First Team
Blake Gillikin	style=	Penn State	First Team
Anthony Nelson	style=	Iowa	Second Team
Cole Chewins	style=	Michigan State	Second Team
Sam Renner	style=	Minnesota	Second Team
Joe Schopper	style=	Purdue	Second Team

Home attendance

Team	Stadium	Capacity	Game 1	Game 2	Game 3	Game 4	Game 5	Game 6	Game 7	Total	Average	% of Capacity
Illinois	Memorial Stadium	60,670	31,898	39,252	21,725‡	34,704	41,966	35,774	33,313	238,632	34,090	56.2%
Indiana	Memorial Stadium	52,656	35,492	40,240	45,445	40,512	41,553	35,264	48,247	286,753	40,965	77.8%
Iowa	Kinnick Stadium	69,250	67,510	69,250	69,250	69,250	69,250	66,493	65,299	476,302	68,043	98.3%
Maryland	Maryland Stadium	51,802	32,057	36,211	32,995	30,387	31,735	38,177		201,562	33,594	64.9%
Michigan	Michigan Stadium	107,601	110,814	110,549	111,037	109,531	111,360	111,747	110,118	775,156	110,737	102.9%
Michigan State	Spartan Stadium	75,005	73,114	73,752	72,850	76,131	72,657	74,633	64,951	508,088	72,584	96.8%
Minnesota	TCF Bank Stadium	50,805 [39]	41,291	38,280	41,162	48,199	33,273	31,068	32,134	265,407	37,915	74.6%
Nebraska	Memorial Stadium	85,458	89,853	89,360	88,911	89,272	88,735	88,316	88,793	623,240	89,034	104.2%
Northwestern	Ryan Field	47,130	40,654	40,014	47,330	47,330	47,330	47,330	37,124	307,112	43,873	93.1%
Ohio State	Ohio Stadium	102,082	102,169	93,057	103,336	104,193	100,042	104,245	106,588	713,630	101,947	99.9%
Penn State	Beaver Stadium	106,572	105,232	106,528	110,889	106,685	105,244	105,396	98,422	738,396	105,485	99.0%
Purdue	Ross–Ade Stadium	57,236	47,410	47,661	48,103	47,119	60,716	60,716	46,114	357,839	51,120	89.3%
Rutgers	HighPoint.com Stadium	52,454	40,124	34,574	32,056	36,702	32,514	43,786	44,840	264,596	37,799	72.1%
Wisconsin	Camp Randall Stadium	80,321	74,145	77,003	80,720	80,051	79,736	74,379	74,038	540,072	77,153	96.1%

Bold – Exceed capacity
†Season High
‡Played at Soldier Field

2019 NFL Draft

See main article: 2019 NFL draft.

Team	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Round 4	Round 5	Round 6	Round 7	Total
Illinois	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	1
Indiana	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	1
Iowa	2	-	-	2	-	-	-	4
Maryland	1	-	-	-	1	1	1	4
Michigan	2	-	1	-	1	-	-	4
Michigan State	-	-	1	1	-	-	-	2
Minnesota	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	1
Nebraska	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	0
Northwestern	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	1
Ohio State	2	1	2	2	-	1	1	9
Penn State	-	1	1	1	1	1	1	6
Purdue	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	0
Rutgers	-	-	-	-	-	2	-	2
Wisconsin	-	-	1	-	3	-	-	4

^	= supplemental compensatory selection
†	= Pro Bowler[40] -->

Head coaches

Current through games of January 1, 2019

Team	Head coach	Years at school	Overall record	Record at school	B1G record
Illinois	Lovie Smith	3	data-sort-value=		data-sort-value=		data-sort-value=
Indiana	Tom Allen	2	data-sort-value=		data-sort-value=		data-sort-value=
Iowa	Kirk Ferentz	20	data-sort-value=		data-sort-value=		data-sort-value=
Maryland	D.J. Durkin	3	data-sort-value=		data-sort-value=		data-sort-value=
Maryland	Matt Canada	1	data-sort-value=		data-sort-value=		data-sort-value=
Michigan	Jim Harbaugh	4	data-sort-value=		data-sort-value=		data-sort-value=
Michigan State	Mark Dantonio	12	data-sort-value=		data-sort-value=		data-sort-value=
Minnesota	P. J. Fleck	2	data-sort-value=		data-sort-value=		data-sort-value=
Nebraska	Scott Frost	1	data-sort-value=		data-sort-value=		data-sort-value=
Northwestern	Pat Fitzgerald	13	data-sort-value=		data-sort-value=		data-sort-value=
Ohio State	Urban Meyer	7	data-sort-value=		data-sort-value=		data-sort-value=
Ohio State	Ryan Day	2	data-sort-value=		data-sort-value=		data-sort-value=
Penn State	James Franklin	5	data-sort-value=		data-sort-value=		data-sort-value=
Purdue	Jeff Brohm	2	data-sort-value=		data-sort-value=		data-sort-value=
Rutgers	Chris Ash	3	data-sort-value=		data-sort-value=		data-sort-value=
Wisconsin	Paul Chryst	4	data-sort-value=		data-sort-value=		data-sort-value=

• Tom Allen was hired to replace Kevin Wilson in December 2016 at Indiana and coached the Hoosiers in their 2016 bowl game.

• Matt Canada was named interim coach at Maryland after D.J. Durkin was placed on administrative leave by the school.^[41] D.J. Durkin was reinstated as head coach at Maryland on October 30, 2018, in time for Maryland's ninth game of the season.^[4] A day after his reinstatement, after much negative reaction from multiple stakeholders, Maryland ultimately decided to fire D.J. Durkin.^[5]

• Urban Meyer was suspended by Ohio State University for the first three games of the 2018 season due to the mishandling of domestic abuse allegations against one of his former assistant coaches. Ryan Day was named interim head coach in Meyer's absence.^[2]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Big Ten Announces 2018 and 2019 Conference Football Schedules. October 31, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20131017205108/http://www.bigten.org/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/101613aad.html. October 17, 2013. dead. mdy-all.
2. Web site: Ohio State suspends Urban Meyer for three games. October 31, 2018.
3. Web site: Maryland Suspends Football Coach D.J. Durkin After Report of Abuse. . October 31, 2018.
4. Web site: Coach DJ Durkin reinstated at Maryland, expected to be back on sideline against Michigan State. Don. Markus. October 31, 2018. October 31, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181031133038/http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/terps/tracking-the-terps/bs-sp-durkin-reinstated-1030-story.html. dead.
5. Web site: Maryland fires coach Durkin after reinstatement. October 31, 2018.
6. Web site: Urban Meyer to retire after Rose Bowl, with Ryan Day taking over as Buckeyes head coach. ESPN.com. December 4, 2018.
7. Web site: ESPN Box Score: Ohio State vs. Wisconsin - 2017 Big Ten Championship Game. ESPN.com . January 16, 2018.
8. Web site: ESPN Box Score: Iowa vs. Boston - Pinstripe Bowl. ESPN.com.
9. Web site: ESPN Box Score: Purdue vs. Arizona - Foster Farms Bowl. ESPN.com.
10. Web site: ESPN Box Score: Michigan State vs. Washington State: Holiday Bowl. ESPN.com.
11. Web site: Box Score: Northwestern vs. Kentucky - Music City Bowl. ESPN.com.
12. Web site: ESPN Box Score: Ohio State vs. USC - Cotton Bowl. ESPN.com.
13. Web site: ESPN Box Score: Wisconsin vs. Miami - Orange Bowl. ESPN.com.
14. Web site: ESPN Box Score: Penn State vs. Washington- Fiesta Bowl. ESPN.com.
15. Web site: ESPN Box Score: Michigan vs. South Carolina - Outback Bowl. ESPN.com.
16. Web site: 2018 Football Class Rankings.
17. Web site: 2018 Class Rankings.
18. Web site: 2018 Football Recruiting Team Rankings.
19. Web site: Ohio State barely edges Wisconsin as pick to win Big Ten in 2018 cleveland.com preseason poll. October 31, 2018.
20. Web site: Nebraska Announces Additional Game for 2018 Schedule. October 31, 2018.
21. Web site: Big Ten Football Players of the Week. https://web.archive.org/web/20180903215228/https://bigten.org/news/2018/9/3/big-ten-football-players-of-the-week.aspx. dead. September 3, 2018. September 3, 2018. BigTen.org. Big Ten Conference. September 3, 2018.
22. Web site: Big Ten Football Players of the Week. https://web.archive.org/web/20180910204206/https://bigten.org/news/2018/9/10/big-ten-football-players-of-the-week.aspx. dead. September 10, 2018. September 10, 2018. BigTen.org. Big Ten Conference. September 10, 2018.
23. Web site: Big Ten Football Players of the Week. https://web.archive.org/web/20180917181819/https://bigten.org/news/2018/9/17/big-ten-football-players-of-the-week.aspx. dead. September 17, 2018. September 17, 2018. BigTen.org. Big Ten Conference. September 17, 2018.
24. Web site: Big Ten Football Players of the Week. https://web.archive.org/web/20180924190608/https://bigten.org/news/2018/9/24/big-ten-football-players-of-the-week.aspx. dead. September 24, 2018. September 24, 2018. BigTen.org. Big Ten Conference. September 24, 2018.
25. News: Big Ten Football Players of the Week. https://web.archive.org/web/20181001182537/https://bigten.org/news/2018/10/1/big-ten-football-players-of-the-week.aspx. dead. October 1, 2018. October 1, 2018. en.
26. News: Big Ten Football Players of the Week. https://web.archive.org/web/20181008175114/https://bigten.org/news/2018/10/8/big-ten-football-players-of-the-week.aspx. dead. October 8, 2018. October 8, 2018. en.
27. News: Big Ten Football Players of the Week. https://web.archive.org/web/20181015192504/https://bigten.org/news/2018/10/15/big-ten-football-players-of-the-week.aspx. dead. October 15, 2018. October 15, 2018. en.
28. News: Big Ten Football Players of the Week. https://web.archive.org/web/20181022232508/https://bigten.org/news/2018/10/22/big-ten-football-players-of-the-week.aspx. dead. October 22, 2018. October 22, 2018. en.
29. News: Big Ten Football Players of the Week. https://web.archive.org/web/20181029191848/https://bigten.org/news/2018/10/29/big-ten-football-players-of-the-week.aspx. dead. October 29, 2018. October 29, 2018. en.
30. News: Big Ten Football Players of the Week. https://web.archive.org/web/20181106004707/https://bigten.org/news/2018/11/5/big-ten-football-players-of-the-week.aspx. dead. November 6, 2018. November 5, 2018. en.
31. News: Big Ten Football Players of the Week. https://web.archive.org/web/20181112153316/https://bigten.org/news/2018/11/12/big-ten-football-players-of-the-week.aspx. dead. November 12, 2018. November 12, 2018. en.
32. News: Big Ten Football Players of the Week. https://web.archive.org/web/20181119214653/https://bigten.org/news/2018/11/19/big-ten-football-players-of-the-week.aspx. dead. November 19, 2018. November 19, 2018. en.
33. News: Big Ten Football Players of the Week. https://web.archive.org/web/20181126221535/https://bigten.org/news/2018/11/26/big-ten-football-players-of-the-week.aspx. dead. November 26, 2018. November 26, 2018. en.
34. Web site: 2018 Big Ten All-Conference Teams and Awards. https://web.archive.org/web/20181129100105/https://bigten.org/documents/2018/11/28//2018_All_Big_Ten.pdf?id=6210. dead. November 29, 2018.
35. Web site: 2010-11 NCAA Statistics Policies(updated 9/15/2010) . December 10, 2011 . November 9, 2011 . September 15, 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20111109025404/http://www.ncaa.org/wps/wcm/connect/public/ncaa/resources/stats/statistics+policies . . dead .
36. http://www.sportingnews.com/ca/ncaa-football/news/alabamas-tua-tagovailoa-2018-consensus-all-american-team/u4gei2bnxvig1jmptsbwhsj97 2018 Consensus All-America Team
37. http://www.espn.com/college-football/awards 2018 College Football Award Winners
38. https://web.archive.org/web/20181211010314/https://bigten.org/news/2018/12/10/eight-big-ten-football-students-named-academic-all-americans.aspx 2018 CoSIDA Academic All-Americans
39. Web site: Facilities - University of Minnesota Athletics. www.gophersports.com. October 31, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20160926135458/http://www.gophersports.com/facilities/tcf-bank-stadium.html. September 26, 2016. dead.
40. Players are identified as a Pro Bowler if they were selected for the Pro Bowl at any time in their career.
41. Web site: Maryland coach DJ Durkin placed on leave by administration as investigation begins. October 31, 2018.