The 2023 Big Ten Conference football season was the 128th season of

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

played for the

Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference, among others) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Fa ...

and part of the

2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season The 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season was the 154th season of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at its highest level of competition, the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). ...

. This was the Big Ten's tenth season with 14 teams, and its thirteenth and final season with a divisional scheduling format. Next season the league will expand to 18 with the additions of

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

USC USC may refer to: Education United States * Universidad del Sagrado Corazón, Santurce, Puerto Rico * University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina ** University of South Carolina System, a state university system of South Carolina * ...

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

and

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

. This was the first year of the Big Ten's new media deal and thus its first year of no games airing on ESPN/ABC and first year of games airing on NBC Sports and CBS Sports properties. This was also the final year Northwestern played in the original

Ryan Field Ryan Field may refer to: * Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport, also known as Ryan Field, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States * Ryan Airfield, also known as Ryan Field, in Tucson, Arizona, United States * Ryan Field (sportscaster) (born 1977), Am ...

before its demolition. The 2023 season saw the Michigan Wolverines win the

College Football Playoff The College Football Playoff (CFP) is an annual single-elimination tournament, knockout invitational tournament to determine a national champion for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, D ...

and the national championship.

Previous season

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

won the East Division championship, with the Wolverines making their second consecutive appearance in the Big Ten Championship Game. In the West Division,

Purdue Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, United States, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donat ...

won the division title and made their first championship game appearance. In that championship game, Michigan defeated Purdue 43–22 to win the Big Ten championship. With that win, the Wolverines landed a spot in the 2022–23

as the No. 2 seed. The Wolverines lost in the semifinal game of the playoffs to third-seeded

TCU TCU may stand for: Education * Tanzania Commission for Universities, regulatory body for Universities in Tanzania * Texas Christian University, a private university in Fort Worth, Texas ** TCU Horned Frogs, the athletic programs of the school * Tok ...

51–45 in the

Fiesta Bowl The Fiesta Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played annually in the Phoenix metropolitan area since 1971. From its beginning until 2006, the game was hosted at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. Since 2007, the game has be ...

. Along with Michigan, the Big Ten placed a second team into the College Football Playoff as

Ohio State The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one of the largest universities by enrollme ...

earned the #4 seed, but fell to the top-seed and eventual national champion

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

in the

Peach Bowl The Peach Bowl is an annual college football bowl game played annually in Atlanta, Georgia, since December 30, 1968. The first three Peach Bowls were played at Bobby Dodd Stadium, Grant Field on the Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia Tech c ...

, 42–41. Besides Michigan and Ohio State, seven other Big Ten football teams qualified for bowl games: Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Minnesota, Penn State, Purdue, and Wisconsin. The Big Ten overall went 5–4 in postseason games in the 2022 season.

Coaching changes

There are four head coaching changes in the Big Ten for the 2023 season. Nebraska hired

Matt Rhule Matthew Kenneth Rhule (born January 31, 1975) is an American college football coach and former linebacker. He is the head football coach for the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, a position he has held since 2023. He was also the head football c ...

to replace

Scott Frost Scott Andrew Frost (born January 4, 1975) is an American football coach and player who currently serves as the head football coach for UCF Knights football, UCF. He was the head football coach at the Nebraska Cornhuskers football, University o ...

. Rhule most recently coached in the NFL with the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The t ...

. Purdue hired Illinois defensive coordinator Ryan Walters to replace

Jeff Brohm Jeffrey Scott Brohm (born April 24, 1971) is an American college football coach and former professional quarterback. He is the head football coach at his alma mater, the University of Louisville, a position he has held since the 2023 season. Bro ...

, who left for the head coaching job at his alma mater of

Louisville Louisville is the most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeast, and the 27th-most-populous city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 24th-largest city; however, by populatio ...

. Wisconsin released

Paul Chryst Paul Joseph Chryst (born November 17, 1965) is an American football coach. He served as the head football coach at the University of Pittsburgh from 2012 to 2014 and the University of Wisconsin—Madison from 2015 to 2022. Chryst had previously ...

and replaced him with

Luke Fickell Luke Joseph Fickell (born August 18, 1973) is an American college football coach and former player. He is the head football coach for the University of Wisconsin–Madison, a position he has held since 2023. Previously he was the head coach at t ...

, who had been serving as the head coach at

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

. On July 10, 2023, Northwestern announced they were parting ways with head coach

Pat Fitzgerald Patrick William Fitzgerald Jr. (born December 2, 1974) is an American former football player and coach. He served as the head football coach of the Northwestern Wildcats from July 2006 until he was fired in July 2023 in the aftermath of a hazi ...

after allegations surrounding hazing within the Wildcat football program. On July 14, 2023, Northwestern named defensive coordinator David Braun the interim coach for the 2023 season. On September 10, 2023, Michigan State coach

Mel Tucker Melvin Gene Tucker II (born January 4, 1972) is an American football coach and former player. He was the head football coach at Michigan State University from 2020 to 2023. Tucker was the interim head coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the Na ...

was suspended as part of an investigation into a sexual harassment claim. Secondary coach

Harlon Barnett Harlon T. Barnett (born January 2, 1967) is an American football coach and former player who is currently the defensive backs coach at Northwestern University. He was the interim head coach at Michigan State University for most of the 2023 season ...

will serve as interim coach while the case is being sorted out. Tucker was officially fired on September 27. On November 26, 2023, following the conclusion of the regular season, Indiana fired

Tom Allen Thomas Allen may refer to: Clergy * Thomas Allen (nonconformist) (1608–1673), Anglican/nonconformist priest in England and New England *Thomas Allen (dean of Chester) (died 1732) *Thomas Allen (scholar) (1681–1755), Anglican priest in England ...

after the Hoosiers had completed a third consecutive losing season.

Preseason

Recruiting classes

Big Ten Media Days

The teams, representatives and times('' CT'') in respective order were as follows: * Big Ten Commissioner –

Tony Petitti Tony Petitti is an American sports executive who is the 7th commissioner of the Big Ten Conference in collegiate sports, holding the position since May 15, 2023. He was formerly the chief operating officer of Major League Baseball. He succeeded ...

10:30 – 11 a.m. ''Notes:'' * Northwestern players opted out of the media day due to Northwestern hazing scandal.

Preseason Media Poll

The annual Cleveland.com Preseason Big Ten Media Poll.

Preseason Player of the Year

Below are the results of the annual Preseason Big Ten Player of the Year awards conducted by Cleveland.com.

Individual awards

All−American Teams

''Sources:''

Rankings

Schedule

All times Eastern time. † denotes Homecoming game

Regular season schedule

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Week 5

Week 6

Week 7

Week 8

Week 9

Week 10

Week 11

Week 12

Week 13

Big Ten Championship Game

Postseason

Bowl games

For the 2020–2025 bowl cycle, The Big Ten will have annually eight appearances in the following bowls: Rose Bowl (unless they are selected for playoffs filled by a Pac-12 team if champion is in the playoffs),

Citrus Bowl The Citrus Bowl is an annual college football bowl game played at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida. The bowl is operated by Florida Citrus Sports, a non-profit group that also organizes the Pop-Tarts Bowl and Florida Classic. The g ...

Guaranteed Rate Bowl The Rate Bowl is an annual college football bowl game that has been played in the state of Arizona since 1989, under several different names. Played as the Copper Bowl from inception through 1996, it was known as the Insight.com Bowl from 1997 ...

Las Vegas Bowl The Las Vegas Bowl is an NCAA Division I FBS annual post-season college football bowl game held in the Las Vegas area. First played in 1992, the bowl was originally held at the 40,000-seat Sam Boyd Stadium in Whitney, Nevada, before moving t ...

Music City Bowl The Music City Bowl is a post-season American college football bowl game certified by the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA that has been played in Nashville, Tennessee, since 1998 in sports, 1998. Since 2020, it has been sponsored by ...

Pinstripe Bowl The Pinstripe Bowl is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) college football bowl game held annually since 2010 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York City. Through 2025 it is affiliated ...

Quick Lane Bowl The GameAbove Sports Bowl is a post-season college football bowl game certified by the NCAA that began play in the 2014 season. The game was previously known as the Quick Lane Bowl with Ford Motor Company serving as title sponsor of the game fo ...

, and

Outback Bowl The ReliaQuest Bowl is an annual college football bowl game played in Tampa, Florida. The event was known as the Hall of Fame Bowl from 1986 to 1995 and the Outback Bowl from 1996 to 2022. It was held at Tampa Stadium from 1986 until 1999, when it ...

. The Big Ten teams will go to a New Year's Six bowl if a team finishes higher than the champions of

Power Five conferences The power conferences are the most prominent athletic conferences in college football in the United States. They are part of the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I, the highest level o ...

in the final College Football Playoff rankings. The Big Ten champion is also eligible for the

if it is among the top four teams in the final CFP ranking. Rankings are from College Football Playoff Rankings. All times Eastern Time Zone.

Big Ten records vs other conferences

2023–2024 records against non-conference foes Post Season

Awards and honors

Player of the week honors

Big Ten individual awards

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

All-Conference Teams

2023 Big Ten All-Conference Teams and Awards Coaches Honorable Mention: ILLINOIS: Isaiah Adams, Julian Pearl, Josh Gesky, Josh Kreutz, Kaden Feagin, John Paddock, Caleb Griffin, Xavier Scott, Dylan Rosiek, Seth Coleman, Keith Randolph Jr.; INDIANA: Zach Carpenter, Donaven McCulley, Jaylin Lucas, James Evans, Andre Carter; IOWA: Mason Richman, Rusty Feth, Erick All, Leshon Williams, Sebastian Castro, Quinn Schulte,

Nick Jackson The Young Bucks are an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of brothers Matthew Massie and Nicholas Massie, who perform under the ring names Matthew Jackson and Nicholas Jackson. , they are signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), whe ...

, Logan Lee, Joe Evans,

Yahya Black Yahya Black (born April 21, 2002) is an American professional football defensive tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Iowa Hawkeyes and was selected by the Steelers in the ...

; MARYLAND: Corey Bullock,

Roman Hemby Roman Hemby (born August 16, 2002) is an American college football running back for the Indiana Hoosiers. Early life Hemby grew up in Edgewood, Maryland, and attended The John Carroll School. Hemby was rated a three-star recruit and committed ...

, Kaden Prather,

Jeshaun Jones Jeshaun Jones (born December 22, 1999) is an American professional football wide receiver for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Maryland Terrapins. Early life and high school Jones ...

Beau Brade Beau Brade (born January 29, 2002) is an American professional American football, football Safety (gridiron football position), safety for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Maryland Terrapin ...

Ja'Quan Sheppard Ja'Quan Sheppard (born April 2, 2000) is an American professional football defensive back for the Houston Roughnecks of the United Football League (UFL). He played college football at Maryland and Cincinnati. Early life and high school Sheppa ...

, Jaishawn Barham, Quashon Fuller; MICHIGAN : A.J. Barner, Semaj Morgan, Makari Paige, Josh Wallace, Braiden McGregor,

Josaiah Stewart Josaiah Stewart (born April 26, 2003) is an American professional football linebacker for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers and the Michigan Wolverines. ...

Jaylen Harrell Jaylen Davon Harrell (born May 1, 2002) is an American professional football linebacker for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines, winning three consecutive Big Ten Co ...

, Derrick Moore; MICHIGAN STATE: J.D. Duplain, Nick Samac,

Nathan Carter Nathan Kane Tyrone Carter (born 28 May 1990) is a British-born Irish country music singer based in the UK and Ireland. He Nathan Carter discography, has released thirteen studio albums and six live albums as of December 2022, five of which pea ...

, Jonathan Kim,

Jaden Mangham Jaden Mangham (born September 3, 2003) is an American college football safety for the Michigan Wolverines. He previously played for the Michigan State Spartans. Early life and high school Mangham was born on September 3, 2003, the son of Jesse ...

, Cal Haladay,

Simeon Barrow Simeon Barrow Jr. (born July 6, 2002) is an American professional football defensive lineman for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Michigan State Spartans and Miami Hurricanes. Early ...

; MINNESOTA: Quinn Carroll, Nathan Boe,

Brevyn Spann-Ford Brevyn Spann-Ford (born December 27, 1999) is an American professional football tight end for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Minnesota Golden Gophers and was signed by the Cowboys as ...

Darius Taylor Darius Taylor (born October 2, 1978) is an American basketball coach, executive, and former player who is currently the Chief of Basketball Strategy and Roster Management for the Texas A&M Aggies women's basketball team. Career Taylor began ...

, Justin Walley; NEBRASKA: Isaac Gifford,

Quinton Newsome Quinton Newsome (born July 11, 2001) is an American professional American football, football cornerback for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Nebraska Cornhuskers football, Nebraska Corn ...

, Tommi Hill, Omar Brown, Nash Hutmacher, Ty Robinson; NORTHWESTERN: A. J. Henning, Jack Olsen, Rod Heard, Xander Mueller; OHIO STATE: Davison Igbinosun, Josh Proctor, Lathan Ransom,

Sonny Styles Alex "Sonny" Styles (born November 24, 2004) is an American college football linebacker for the Ohio State Buckeyes. Early life Styles attended Pickerington Central High School in Pickerington, Ohio, where he notched 88 tackles with one goin ...

, Steele Chambers, Ty Hamilton; PENN STATE: Caedan Wallace, JB Nelson, Sal Wormley,

Theo Johnson Theodore Joseph Johnson (born February 26, 2001) is a Canadian professional football tight end for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions. Early life Johnson was b ...

KeAndre Lambert-Smith KeAndre Lambert-Smith (born October 16, 2001) is an American professional football wide receiver for the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions and the Auburn Tige ...

, Drew Allar,

Nicholas Singleton Nicholas Sean-Gaylor Singleton (born January 6, 2004) is an American college football running back for the Penn State Nittany Lions. He was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 2022. Early life Singleton attended Governor Mifflin High Sc ...

, Riley Thompson, Jaylen Reed,

Kevin Winston Jr. Kevin Dwayne Winston Jr. (born December 2, 2003) is an American professional football safety for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions and was selected by the Tita ...

, Kobe King, Curtis Jacobs; PURDUE:

Gus Hartwig Gus Hartwig (born January 21, 2002) is an American professional football center for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Purdue Boilermakers. Early life Hartwig attended Zionsville Comm ...

, Tyrone Tracy Jr., Devin Mockobee,

Sanoussi Kane Sanoussi Kane (born October 6, 2001) is an American professional football safety for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Purdue Boilermakers and was selected by the Ravens in the seventh ...

Kydran Jenkins Kydran Jenkins (born July 3, 2002) is an American college football defensive end and linebacker for the Purdue Boilermakers. Early life Jenkins attended Jefferson County High School in Louisville, Georgia. He was rated as a three-star recrui ...

, Isaiah Nichols; RUTGERS:

Hollin Pierce Hollin Pierce (born April 19, 2001) is an American professional football offensive tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. Early life Pierce attended ...

, Jai Patel, Max Melton, Mohamed Toure, Aaron Lewis; WISCONSIN: Tanor Bortolini, Ricardo Hallman. Media Honorable Mention: ILLINOIS: Isaiah Adams, Josh Gesky, Josh Kreutz, Julian Pearl, Zy Crisler, Dylan Rosiek, Seth Coleman, Xavier Scott, Caleb Griffin, Hugh Robertson; INDIANA: Donaven McCulley, Zach Carpenter, Andre Carter, Kobee Minor; IOWA: Gennings Dunker, Leshon Williams, Logan Jones, Mason Richman, Nick DeJong, Rusty Feth, Deontae Craig, Logan Lee, Quinn Schulte,

, Drew Stevens; MARYLAND: Corey Bullock, Gottlieb Ayedze, Kaden Prather,

Ruben Hyppolite II Ruben Hyppolite II (born September 16, 2001) is an American professional football linebacker for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Maryland Terrapins and was selected by the Bears in the f ...

, Braeden Wisloski; MICHIGAN: AJ Barner, Cornelius Johnson, Braiden McGregor, Derrick Moore,

, Josh Wallace, Michael Barrett, Rod Moore, James Turner, Semaj Morgan, Tommy Doman; MICHIGAN STATE: J.D. Duplain,

, Nick Samac, Aaron Brule, Cal Haladay,

, Jonathan Kim; MINNESOTA:

, Quinn Carroll, Danny Striggow,

Jah Joyner Jah Joyner (born July 30, 2001) is an American professional football defensive end for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Early life Joyner attended Danbury H ...

, Justin Walley, Kyler Baugh, Mark Crawford; NEBRASKA: Ben Scott, Bryce Benhart, Isaac Gifford, Jimari Butler, Luke Reimer, Nash Hutmacher, Omar Brown,

, Tommi Hill, Ty Robinson; NORTHWESTERN: A. J. Henning, Bryce Kirt, Aidan Hubbard, Coco Azema, Rod Heard, Jack Olsen; OHIO STATE:

Emeka Egbuka Emeka Egbuka (born October 14, 2002) is an American professional football wide receiver for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes, finishing as their career recept ...

, Davison Igbinosun, Lathan Ransom,

Michael Hall Jr. Michael Hall Jr. (born June 13, 2003) is an American professional football defensive tackle for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes. Early life Hall grew up in Str ...

, Jayden Fielding; PENN STATE: Caedan Wallace, Drew Allar, JB Nelson,

, Olaivavega Ioane, Sal Wormley,

, Tyler Warren, Daequan Hardy, Dani Dennis-Sutton, Dvon Ellies, Jaylen Reed, Johnny Dixon,

, Kobe King, Zane Durant,

, Riley Thompson; PURDUE: Deion Burks, Devin Mockobee,

Hudson Card Hudson Card (born July 29, 2001) is an American football quarterback. He played college football for the Texas Longhorns and the Purdue Boilermakers. He was a highly touted four-star prospect from Lake Travis High School in Austin, Texas. He play ...

Marcus Mbow Marcus Mbow (born April 2, 2003) is an American professional football offensive tackle for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Purdue Boilermakers and was selected by the Giants in the fi ...

, Tyrone Tracy Jr.,

; RUTGERS: Bryan Felter, Gus Zilinskas,

, Johnny Langan, Aaron Lewis, Deion Jennings, Flip Dixon, Max Melton, Mayan Ahanotu, Mohamed Toure, Robert Longerbeam; WISCONSIN:

Will Pauling William Pauling (born March 4, 2003) is an American college football wide receiver for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. He previously played for the Cincinnati Bearcats and Wisconsin Badgers. Early life and high school Pauling was born in Chica ...

, Nathanial Vakos.

Home attendance

Bold – At or Exceed capacity
†Season High

2024 NFL Draft

The following list includes all Big Ten players who were drafted in the

2024 NFL draft The 2024 NFL draft was the 89th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players. The draft was held at Campus Martius Park and Hart Plaza in Detroit on April 25–27, 2024. The draft had an attendanc ...

Trades In the explanations below, (PD) indicates trades completed prior to the start of the draft (i.e. Pre-Draft), while (D) denotes trades that took place during the 2022 draft.

Head coaches

''Through games of Jan. 8, 2024''

References

{{2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season navbox