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2025 Big Ten Conference football season

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2025 Big Ten Conference football season
LeagueNCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision
SportFootball
DurationAugust 28, 2025
through January 1, 2026
Number of teams18
TV partner(s)Fox Sports (Fox, FS1, Big Ten Network)
CBS Sports (CBS, Paramount+)
NBC Sports (NBC, Peacock)
2026 NFL draft
Regular season
Championship Game
Football seasons
← 2024
2026 →
2025 Big Ten Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
Illinois   0 – 0     0 – 0  
Indiana   0 – 0     0 – 0  
Iowa   0 – 0     0 – 0  
Maryland   0 – 0     0 – 0  
Michigan   0 – 0     0 – 0  
Michigan State   0 – 0     0 – 0  
Minnesota   0 – 0     0 – 0  
Nebraska   0 – 0     0 – 0  
Northwestern   0 – 0     0 – 0  
Ohio State   0 – 0     0 – 0  
Oregon   0 – 0     0 – 0  
Penn State   0 – 0     0 – 0  
Purdue   0 – 0     0 – 0  
Rutgers   0 – 0     0 – 0  
UCLA   0 – 0     0 – 0  
USC   0 – 0     0 – 0  
Washington   0 – 0     0 – 0  
Wisconsin   0 – 0     0 – 0  
Championship: December 6, 2025
  • $ – Conference champion
  • y – Championship game participant
As of December 21, 2024
Rankings from CFP Rankings

The 2025 Big Ten Conference football season is the 130th season of college football play for the Big Ten Conference and part of the 2025 NCAA Division I FBS football season. This is the Big Ten's second season with 18 teams and its second season since 2010 with a non-divisional scheduling format.

Previous season

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Oregon won the Big Ten Championship Game in their first season in the league, defeating Penn State 45–37 in the first season of a division-less format. Four Big Ten teams earned spots in the 2024–25 College Football Playoff. Oregon earned the No. 1 seed in the newly expanded 12-team playoff. They were joined in the playoff by Penn State (No. 6 seed), Ohio State (No. 8 seed) and Indiana (No. 10 seed).

Besides the playoff qualifiers, eight other Big Ten football teams qualified for bowl games: Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Rutgers, USC, and Washington.

Coaching changes

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The Big Ten saw one head coaching change for the 2025 season.

On December 1, 2024, Purdue announced it was parting ways with head coach Ryan Walters after going 5–19 in two seasons, including 1–11 in 2024.[1]

One week later, on December 8, 2023, Purdue announced the hiring of Barry Odom as the next head coach, having spent the previous season coaching at UNLV.[2]

Preseason

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Recruiting classes

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Big Ten Media Days

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Preseason Media Poll

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Preseason Player of the Year

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Rankings

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Main article: 2025 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings
  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		 Final
Illinois AP
C
CFP Not released
Indiana AP
C
CFP Not released
Iowa AP
C
CFP Not released
Maryland AP
C
CFP Not released
Michigan AP
C
CFP Not released
Michigan State AP
C
CFP Not released
Minnesota AP
C
CFP Not released
Nebraska AP
C
CFP Not released
Northwestern AP
C
CFP Not released
Ohio State AP
C
CFP Not released
Oregon AP
C
CFP Not released
Penn State AP
C
CFP Not released
Purdue AP
C
CFP Not released
Rutgers AP
C
CFP Not released
UCLA AP
C
CFP Not released
USC AP
C
CFP Not released
Washington AP
C
CFP Not released
Wisconsin AP
C
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

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

Regular season schedule

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Week 1

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Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
August 28 Buffalo Minnesota Huntington Bank Stadium • Minneapolis, MN      
August 30 Ohio Rutgers SHI Stadium • Piscataway, NJ      
August 30 Western Illinois Illinois Memorial Stadium • Champaign, IL      
August 28 Nebraska Cincinnati Arrowhead Stadium • Kansas City, MO      
August 30 Florida Atlantic Maryland SECU Stadium • College Park, MD      
August 30 Missouri State USC Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA      
August 30 Albany Iowa Kinnick Stadium • Iowa City, IA      
August 30 Utah UCLA Rose Bowl • Pasadena, CA      
August 30 Ball State Purdue Ross-Ade Stadium • West Lafayette, IN      
August 30 Western Michigan Michigan State Spartan Stadium • East Lansing, MI      
August 30 Northwestern Tulane Yulman Stadium • New Orleans, LA      
August 30 Montana State Oregon Autzen Stadium • Eugene, OR      
August 30 Texas Ohio State Ohio Stadium • Columbus, OH      
August 30 Colorado State Washington Husky Stadium • Seattle, WA      
August 30 Old Dominion Indiana Memorial Stadium • Bloomington, IN      
August 30 Nevada Penn State Beaver Stadium • University Park, PA      
August 30 New Mexico Michigan Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI      
August 30 Miami (OH) Wisconsin Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, WI      
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Week 2

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Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
September 6 Akron Nebraska Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, NE      
September 6 Florida International Penn State Beaver Stadium • University Park, PA      
September 6 Kennesaw State Indiana Memorial Stadium • Bloomington, IN      
September 6 Northwestern State Minnesota Huntington Bank Stadium • Minneapolis, MN      
September 6 Georgia Southern USC Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA      
September 6 Grambling Ohio State Ohio Stadium • Columbus, OH      
September 6 Boston College Michigan State Spartan Stadium • East Lansing, MI      
September 6 Western Illinois Northwestern Martin Stadium • Evanston, IL      
September 6 Miami (OH) Rutgers SHI Stadium • Piscataway, NJ      
September 6 Southern Illinois Purdue Ross-Ade Stadium • West Lafayette, IN      
September 6 Middle Tennessee State Wisconsin Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, WI      
September 6 UC-Davis Washington Husky Stadium • Seattle, WA      
September 6 Iowa Iowa State Jack Trice Stadium • Ames, IA (Cy-Hawk Trophy)      
September 6 UCLA UNLV Allegiant Stadium • Las Vegas, NV      
September 6 Oklahoma State Oregon Autzen Stadium • Eugene, OR      
September 6 Michigan Oklahoma Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium • Norman, OK      
September 6 Illinois Duke Wallace Wade Stadium • Durham, NC      
September 6 Northern Illinois Maryland SECU Stadium • College Park, MD      
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Week 3

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Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
September 13 Ohio Ohio State Ohio Stadium • Columbus, OH      
September 13 Houston Christian Nebraska Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, NE      
September 13 Western Michigan Illinois Memorial Stadium • Champaign, IL      
September 13 Massachusetts Iowa Kinnick Stadium • Iowa City, IA      
September 13 Oregon Northwestern Martin Stadium • Evanston, IL      
September 13 USC Purdue Ross-Ade Stadium • West Lafayette, IN      
September 13 Norfolk State Rutgers SHI Stadium • Piscataway, NJ      
September 13 Youngstown State Michigan State Spartan Stadium • East Lansing, MI      
September 13 Villanova Penn State Beaver Stadium • University Park, PA      
September 13 Indiana State Indiana Memorial Stadium • Bloomington, IN      
September 13 New Mexico UCLA Rose Bowl • Pasadena, CA      
September 13 Wisconsin Alabama Bryant-Denny Stadium • Tuscaloosa, AL      
September 13 Towson Maryland SECU Stadium • College Park, MD      
September 13 Central Michigan Michigan Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI      
September 13 Minnesota California California Memorial Stadium • Berkeley, CA      
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.
Date Bye Week
September 13 Washington

Week 4

[edit]
Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
September 20 Oregon State Oregon Autzen Stadium • Eugene, OR (Platypus Trophy)      
September 20 Washington Washington State Martin Stadium • Pullman, WA (Apple Cup)      
September 20 Illinois Indiana Memorial Stadium • Bloomington, IN (ILL-IU Rivalry)      
September 20 Iowa Rutgers SHI Stadium • Piscataway, NJ      
September 20 Maryland Wisconsin Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, WI      
September 20 Michigan Nebraska Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, NE      
September 20 Michigan State USC Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA      
September 20 Purdue Notre Dame Notre Dame Stadium • Notre Dame, IN (Shillelagh Trophy)      
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.
Date Bye Week
September 20 Minnesota Northwestern Ohio State Penn State UCLA

Week 5

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Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
September 27 Rutgers Minnesota Huntington Bank Stadium • Minneapolis, MN      
September 27 USC Illinois Memorial Stadium • Champaign, IL      
September 27 UCLA Northwestern Martin Stadium • Evanston, IL      
September 27 Ohio State Washington Husky Stadium • Seattle, WA      
September 27 Indiana Iowa Kinnick Stadium • Iowa City, IA      
September 27 Oregon Penn State Beaver Stadium • University Park, PA      
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.
Date Bye Week
September 27 Maryland Michigan Michigan State Nebraska Purdue Wisconsin

Week 6

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Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
October 4 Penn State UCLA Rose Bowl • Pasadena, CA      
October 4 Wisconsin Michigan Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI      
October 4 Washington Maryland SECU Stadium • College Park, MD      
October 4 Louisiana-Monroe Northwestern Martin Stadium • Evanston, IL      
October 4 Minnesota Ohio State Ohio Stadium • Columbus, OH      
October 4 Michigan State Nebraska Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, NE      
October 4 Illinois Purdue Ross-Ade Stadium • West Lafayette, IN (Purdue Cannon)      
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.
Date Bye Week
October 4 Indiana Iowa Oregon Rutgers USC

Week 7

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Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
October 11 Rutgers Washington Husky Stadium • Seattle, WA      
October 11 UCLA Michigan State Spartan Stadium • East Lansing, MI      
October 11 Purdue Minnesota Huntington Bank Stadium • Minneapolis, MN      
October 11 Ohio State Illinois Memorial Stadium • Champaign, IL (Illibuck)      
October 11 Northwestern Penn State Beaver Stadium • University Park, PA      
October 11 Nebraska Maryland SECU Stadium • College Park, MD      
October 11 Michigan USC Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA      
October 11 Iowa Wisconsin Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, WI (Heartland Trophy)      
October 11 Indiana Oregon Autzen Stadium • Eugene, OR      
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Week 8

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Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
October 18 USC Notre Dame Notre Dame Stadium • Notre Dame, IN (Jeweled Shillelagh)      
October 18 Nebraska Minnesota Huntington Bank Stadium • Minneapolis, MN ($5 Bits of Broken Chair)      
October 18 Washington Michigan Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI      
October 18 Purdue Northwestern Martin Stadium • Evanston, IL      
October 18 Penn State Iowa Kinnick Stadium • Iowa City, IA      
October 18 Oregon Rutgers SHI Stadium • Piscataway, NJ      
October 18 Ohio State Wisconsin Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, WI      
October 18 Michigan State Indiana Memorial Stadium • Bloomington, IN (Old Brass Spittoon)      
October 18 Maryland UCLA Rose Bowl • Pasadena, CA      
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.
Date Bye Week
October 18 Illinois

Week 9

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Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
October 25 Illinois Washington Husky Stadium • Seattle, WA      
October 25 Michigan Michigan State Spartan Stadium • East Lansing, MI (Paul Bunyan Trophy)      
October 25 Minnesota Iowa Kinnick Stadium • Iowa City, IA (Floyd of Rosedale)      
October 25 Northwestern Nebraska Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, NE      
October 25 Rutgers Purdue Ross-Ade Stadium • West Lafayette, IN      
October 25 UCLA Indiana Memorial Stadium • Bloomington, IN      
October 25 Wisconsin Oregon Autzen Stadium • Eugene, OR      
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.
Date Bye Week
October 25 Maryland Ohio State Penn State USC

Week 10

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Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
November 1 Indiana Maryland SECU Stadium • College Park, MD      
November 1 Michigan State Minnesota Huntington Bank Stadium • Minneapolis, MN      
November 1 Penn State Ohio State Ohio Stadium • Columbus, OH (OSU-PSU Rivalry)      
November 1 Purdue Michigan Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI      
November 1 Rutgers Illinois Memorial Stadium • Champaign, IL      
November 1 USC Nebraska Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, NE      
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.
Date Bye Week
November 1 Iowa Northwestern Oregon UCLA Washington Wisconsin

Week 11

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Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
November 8 Indiana Penn State Beaver Stadium • University Park, PA      
November 8 Maryland Rutgers SHI Stadium • Piscataway, NJ      
November 8 Nebraska UCLA Rose Bowl • Pasadena, CA      
November 8 Northwestern USC Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA      
November 8 Ohio State Purdue Ross-Ade Stadium • West Lafayette, IN      
November 8 Oregon Iowa Kinnick Stadium • Iowa City, IA      
November 8 Washington Wisconsin Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, WI      
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.
Date Bye Week
November 8 Illinois Michigan Michigan State Minnesota

Week 12

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Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
November 15 UCLA Ohio State Ohio Stadium • Columbus, OH      
November 15 Wisconsin Indiana Memorial Stadium • Bloomington, IN      
November 15 Purdue Washington Husky Stadium • Seattle, WA      
November 15 Penn State Michigan State Spartan Stadium • East Lansing, MI (Land Grant Trophy)      
November 15 Minnesota Oregon Autzen Stadium • Eugene, OR      
November 15 Michigan Northwestern Martin Stadium • Evanston, IL (George Jewett Trophy)      
November 15 Maryland Illinois Memorial Stadium • Champaign, IL      
November 15 Iowa USC Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA      
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.
Date Bye Week
November 15 Nebraska Rutgers

Week 13

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Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
November 22 Nebraska Penn State Beaver Stadium • University Park, PA      
November 22 Minnesota Northwestern Martin Stadium • Evanston, IL      
November 22 Washington UCLA Rose Bowl • Pasadena, CA      
November 22 USC Oregon Autzen Stadium • Eugene, OR      
November 22 Rutgers Ohio State Ohio Stadium • Columbus, OH      
November 22 Michigan State Iowa Kinnick Stadium • Iowa City, IA      
November 22 Michigan Maryland SECU Stadium • College Park, MD      
November 22 Illinois Wisconsin Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, WI      
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.
Date Bye Week
November 22 Indiana Purdue

Week 14

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Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
November 28 Iowa Nebraska Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, NE (Heroes Game)      
November 29 Oregon Washington Husky Stadium • Seattle, WA (UO-UW Rivalry)      
November 29 Wisconsin Minnesota Huntington Bank Stadium • Minneapolis, MN (Paul Bunyan's Axe)      
November 29 UCLA USC Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA (Victory Bell)      
November 29 Penn State Rutgers SHI Stadium • Piscataway, NJ      
November 29 Ohio State Michigan Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI (The Game)      
November 29 Northwestern Illinois Memorial Stadium • Champaign, IL (Land of Lincoln Trophy)      
November 29 Maryland Michigan State Spartan Stadium • East Lansing, MI      
November 29 Indiana Purdue Ross-Ade Stadium • West Lafayette, IN (Old Oaken Bucket)      
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Big Ten Championship Game

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Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
December 6 Lucas Oil Stadium • Indianapolis, IN (Big Ten Championship Game)      
#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Postseason

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Bowl games

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Big Ten records vs other conferences

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2025–2026 records against non-conference foes

Awards and honors

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Player of the Week Honors

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Big Ten individual awards

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Home attendance

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Team Stadium Capacity Game 1 Game 2 Game 3 Game 4 Game 5 Game 6 Game 7 Game 8 Total Average % of capacity
Illinois Memorial Stadium 60,670
Indiana Memorial Stadium 52,626
Iowa Kinnick Stadium 69,250
Maryland SECU Stadium 51,802
Michigan Michigan Stadium 107,601
Michigan State Spartan Stadium 75,005
Minnesota Huntington Bank Stadium 50,805
Nebraska Memorial Stadium 85,458
Northwestern Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium[a] 12,000[3]
Ohio State Ohio Stadium 102,780
Oregon Autzen Stadium 54,000
Penn State Beaver Stadium 106,572 [4]
Purdue Ross–Ade Stadium 61,441
Rutgers SHI Stadium 52,454
UCLA Rose Bowl 80,816
USC Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 77,500
Washington Husky Stadium 70,138
Wisconsin Camp Randall Stadium 76,057[5]

Bold – At or Exceed capacity
†Season High

  1. ^ Temporary stadium to be used during the construction of the new Ryan Field, set to open in 2026.

2026 NFL draft

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Main article: 2026 NFL draft

The following list includes all Big Ten players who were drafted in the 2026 NFL draft

Player Position School Draft
round 		Round
pick 		Overall
pick 		Team

Head coaches

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Team Head coach Years at school Overall record Record at school B1G record
Illinois Bret Bielema[a] 5 123–80 (.606) 26–22 (.542) 54–37 (.593)
Indiana Curt Cignetti 2 129–36 (.782) 10–1 (.909) 7–1 (.875)
Iowa Kirk Ferentz 27 216–144 (.600) 204–123 (.624) 128–88 (.593)
Maryland Mike Locksley[b] 7 35–65 (.350) 33–39 (.458) 16–38 (.296)
Michigan Sherrone Moore 2 7–5 (.583) 7–5 (.583) 4–4 (.500)
Michigan State Jonathan Smith 2 39–41 (.488) 5–6 (.455) 3–5 (.375)
Minnesota P. J. Fleck 9 87–61 (.588) 57–39 (.594) 34–36 (.486)
Nebraska Matt Rhule 3 58–56 (.509) 11–13 (.458) 6–12 (.333)
Northwestern David Braun[c][d] 3 12–12 (.500) 12–12 (.500) 7–10 (.412)
Ohio State Ryan Day[e] 7 66–10 (.868) 66–10 (.868) 46–6 (.885)
Oregon Dan Lanning 4 34–5 (.872) 34–5 (.872) 8–0 (1.000)
Penn State James Franklin 12 123–56 (.687) 99–41 (.707) 64–33 (.660)
Purdue Barry Odom 1 44–33 (.571) 0–0 (–) 0–0 (–)
Rutgers Greg Schiano[f] 17 93–100 (.482) 93–100 (.482) 12–32 (.273)
UCLA DeShaun Foster 2 4–7 (.364) 4–7 (.364) 3–6 (.333)
USC Lincoln Riley 4 80–24 (.769) 25–14 (.641) 4–6 (.400)
Washington Jedd Fisch 2 23–27 (.460) 6–5 (.545) 4–4 (.500)
Wisconsin Luke Fickell[g] 3 76–38 (.667) 13–13 (.500) 11–15 (.423)
  1. ^ Bret Bielema coached in the Big Ten from 2006 through 2012 at Wisconsin, going 37–19 in Big Ten play and winning three Big Ten championships.
  2. ^ Mike Locksley served as interim head coach at Maryland in 2015 and coached for six games, going 1–5.[6]
  3. ^ Pat Fitzgerald was relieved as head coach on July 10, 2023, after allegations of hazing within the Wildcat football program surfaced.[7]
  4. ^ David Braun was named interim head coach on July 14, 2023.[8]
  5. ^ 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.[9]
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ Luke Fickell served as interim head coach at Ohio State in 2011, going 6-7 overall and 3-5 in the Big Ten. Fickell took over as coach of Wisconsin for the 2022 Guaranteed Rate Bowl

References

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  1. ^ Fornelli, Tom (December 1, 2024). "Purdue fires Ryan Walters". CBS Sports. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
  2. ^ "Barry Odom Named Head Coach of the Purdue Boilermakers". PurdueSports.com. December 8, 2024. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
  3. ^ McKessy, Jack (August 28, 2024). "How Northwestern turned lacrosse field into unique 12,000-seat, lakeside football stadium". USA Today. Retrieved September 3, 2024.
  4. ^ "Facilities". Archived from the original on November 26, 2011. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
  5. ^ "Camp Randall Stadium" (PDF). Wisconsin Football: 2024 Fact Book. Wisconsin Badgers. August 19, 2024. p. 245. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
  6. ^ "OC Mike Locksley named interim head coach at Maryland". RSN. October 11, 2015.
  7. ^ "Northwestern fires football coach Pat Fitzgerald'". ESPN. July 10, 2023.
  8. ^ Thamel, Pete (July 14, 2023). "Northwestern DC David Braun to be interim coach'". ESPN.
  9. ^ Allen, Paul Myerberg and Kevin (August 22, 2018). "Ohio State suspends football coach Urban Meyer three games: 'I want to apologize'". USA TODAY.
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