| 1970 Big Ten Conference football season | |
| Sport: | American football |
| No Of Teams: | 10 |
| Top Pick: | John Brockington |
| Season Champs: | Ohio State |
| Season Champ Name: | Champion |
| Second Place: | Michigan, Northwestern |
| Mvp: | Mike Adamle |
| Prevseason Year: | 1969 |
| Nextseason Year: | 1971 |
The 1970 Big Ten Conference football season was the 75th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1970 NCAA University Division football season.
The 1970 Ohio State Buckeyes football team, under head coach Woody Hayes, won the Big Ten football championship, was ranked No. 5 in the final AP Poll, and led the conference in scoring offense (29.0 points per game). The Buckeyes were undefeated in the regular season but lost to Stanford in the 1971 Rose Bowl. Defensive back Jack Tatum and middle guard Jim Stillwagon were consensus first-team All-Americans. Stillwagon also won the Outland Trophy as the best interior lineman in college football. Running back John Brockington led the conference with 102 points scored, received first-team All-American honors from multiple selectors, and was the first Big Ten player selected in the 1971 NFL draft with the ninth overall pick. Quarterback Rex Kern finished fifth in the voting for the 1970 Heisman Trophy.
The 1970 Michigan Wolverines football team, under head coach Bo Schembechler, was ranked No. 9 in the final AP Poll and led the conference in scoring defense (9.0 points per game). Michigan's only loss was to Ohio State. Offensive tackle Dan Dierdorf was a consensus first-team All-American. Quarterback Don Moorhead and middle guard Henry Hill were selected as the team's most valuable players.
The 1970 Northwestern Wildcats football team, under head coach Alex Agase, tied with Michigan for second place in the Big Ten and was ranked Running back Mike Adamle of Northwestern led the conference with 1,255 rushing yards and received the Chicago Tribune Silver Football as the conference's most valuable player.[1]
| Conf. Rank | Team | Head coach | AP final | AP high | Overall record | Conf. record | PPG | PAG | MVP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ohio State | Woody Hayes |
|
| 9–1 | 7–0 | 29.0 | 12.0 | Jim Stillwagon | |
| 2 (tie) | Michigan | Bo Schembechler |
|
| 9–1 | 6–1 | 28.8 | 9.0 | Don Moorhead Henry Hill | |
| 2 (tie) | Northwestern | Alex Agase | NR |
| 6-4 | 6-1 | 23.3 | 16.1 | Mike Adamle | |
| 4 | Iowa | Ray Nagel | NR | NR | 3–6–1 | 3–3–1 | 12.9 | 25.9 | Dave Clement | |
| 5 (tie) | Wisconsin | John Jardine | NR | NR | 4–5–1 | 3–4 | 19.8 | 19.5 | Chuck Winfrey | |
| 5 (tie) | Michigan State | Duffy Daugherty | NR | NR | 4–6 | 3–4 | 19.0 | 21.5 | Eric Allen | |
| 7 | Minnesota | Murray Warmath | NR | NR | 3–6–1 | 2–4–1 | 18.0 | 23.7 | Jeff Wright | |
| 8 | Purdue | Bob DeMoss | NR | NR | 4–6 | 2–5 | 16.1 | 18.9 | Stan Brown | |
| 9 (tie) | Illinois | Jim Valek | NR | NR | 3–7 | 1–6 | 16.5 | 27.9 | Doug Dieken | |
| 9 (tie) | Indiana | John Pont | NR | NR | 1–9 | 1–6 | 10.2 | 30.0 | Chris Morris |
See main article: 1971 Rose Bowl.
1. Mike Rasmussen, Michigan State (1,344)
2. Craig Curry, Minnesota (1,315)
3. Neil Graff, Wisconsin (1,313)
4. Maurie Daigneau, Northwestern (1,228)
5. Don Moorhead, Michigan (1,167)
1. Mike Adamle, Northwestern (1,255)
2. John Brockington, Ohio State (1,142)
3. Otis Armstrong, Purdue (1,009)
4. Billy Taylor, Michigan (911)
5. Levi Mitchell, Iowa (900)
1. Larry Mialik, Wisconsin (702)
2. Barry Pearson, Northwestern (552)
3. Doug Dieken, Illinois (537)
4. Paul Staroba, Michigan (519)
5. Gordon Bowdell, Michigan State (495)[3]
1. Craig Curry, Minnesota (1,610)
2. Neil Graff, Wisconsin (1,561)
3. Don Moorhead, Michigan (1,535)
4. Mike Rasmussen, Michigan State (1,358)
5. Mike Adamle, Northwestern (1,255)[3]
1. John Brockington, Ohio State (102)
2. Billy Taylor, Michigan (66)
3. Eric Allen, Michigan State (60)
3. Mike Adamle, Northwestern (60)
5. Fritz Seyferth, Michigan (48)[3]
The following players were picked by the Associated Press (AP) and/or the United Press International (UPI) as first-team players on the 1970 All-Big Ten Conference football team.
Offense
| Position | Name | Team | Selectors | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterback | Don Moorhead | Michigan | AP, UPI | |
| Halfback | Mike Adamle | Northwestern | AP, UPI | |
| Fullback | John Brockington | Ohio State | AP, UPI | |
| Tight end | Doug Dieken | Illinois | UPI | |
| Offensive end | Paul Staroba | Michigan | AP, UPI [split end] | |
| Offensive end | Larry Mialik | Wisconsin | AP | |
| Flanker | Barry Pearson | Northwestern | AP | |
| Offensive tackle | Dan Dierdorf | Michigan | AP, UPI | |
| Offensive tackle | John Rodman | Northwestern | AP | |
| Offensive tackle | Dave Cheney | Ohio State | UPI | |
| Offensive guard | Mike Sikich | Northwestern | AP, UPI | |
| Offensive guard | Reggie McKenzie | Michigan | UPI | |
| Offensive guard | Phil Strickland | Ohio State | AP | |
| Center | Tom DeLeone | Ohio State | AP | |
| Center | Guy Murdock | Michigan | UPI [tie] | |
| Center | Joe Zigulich | Northwestern | UPI [tie] |
Defense
| Position | Name | Team | Selectors | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Defensive end | Phil Seymour | Michigan | AP, UPI | |
| Defensive end | Bill Gregory | Wisconsin | AP, UPI [def. tackle] | |
| Defensive end | Mark Debevc | Ohio State | UPI | |
| Defensive tackle | Pete Newell | Michigan | AP, UPI | |
| Middle guard | Henry Hill | Michigan | AP [def. tackle], UPI [tie] | |
| Middle guard | Jim Stillwagon | Ohio State | AP [linebacker], UPI [tie] | |
| Linebacker | Chuck Winfrey | Wisconsin | AP, UPI | |
| Linebacker | Bill Light | Minnesota | AP | |
| Linebacker | Marty Huff | Michigan | UPI | |
| Defensive back | Eric Hutchinson | Northwestern | AP, UPI | |
| Defensive back | Mike Sensibaugh | Ohio State | AP [safety], UPI | |
| Defensive back | Jack Tatum | Ohio State | AP, UPI | |
| Defensive back | Jeff Wright | Minnesota | AP | |
| Defensive back | Thom Darden | Michigan | UPI |
At the end of the 1970 season, Big Ten players secured three of the consensus first-team picks for the 1970 College Football All-America Team.[4] The Big Ten's consensus All-American was:
| Position | Name | Team | Selectors | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Defensive back | Jack Tatum | Ohio State | AFCA, AP, CP, FWAA, NEA, UPI, FN, PFW, Time, TSN, WCFF | |
| Offensive tackle | Dan Dierdorf | Michigan | AFCA, AP, FWAA, NEA, UPI, FN, PFW, Time, WCFF | |
| Middle guard | Jim Stillwagon | Ohio State | AFCA, AP, CP, FWAA, NEA, UPI, FN, WCFF |
Other Big Ten players who were named first-team All-Americans by at least one selector were:
| Position | Name | Team | Selectors | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Running back | John Brockington | Ohio State | CP [fullback], UPI, FN, PFW, Time, TSN | |
| Running back | Mike Adamle | Northwestern | FN | |
| Running back | Leo Hayden | Ohio State | PFW | |
| Tight end | Jan White | Ohio State | NEA, Time, TSN | |
| Middle guard | Henry Hill | Michigan | CP | |
| Linebacker | Marty Huff | Michigan | AFCA | |
| Defensive back | Mike Sensibaugh | Ohio State | CP [safety], UPI | |
| Defensive back | Tim Anderson | Ohio State | Time, TSN |
Jim Stillwagon of Ohio State received the Outland Trophy as the best interior lineman in college football.
Two Big Ten players finished in the top 10 in the voting for the 1970 Heisman Trophy. They were: Ohio State quarterback Rex Kern (fifth); and Ohio State defensive back Jack Tatum (seventh).[5]
The following Big Ten players were among the first 100 picks in the 1971 NFL draft:[6]
| Name | Position | Team | Round | Overall pick | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Brockington | Running back | Ohio State | 1 | 9 | |
| Jack Tatum | Safety | Ohio State | 1 | 19 | |
| William Tim Anderson | Cornerback | Ohio State | 1 | 23 | |
| Leo Hayden | Running back | Ohio State | 1 | 24 | |
| Jan White | Tight end | Ohio State | 2 | 29 | |
| Dan Dierdorf | Tackle | Michigan | 2 | 43 | |
| Paul Staroba | Wide receiver | Michigan | 3 | 66 | |
| Bill Gregory | Defensive tackle | Wisconsin | 3 | 77 |