| 1981 Big Ten Conference football season | |
| League: | NCAA Division I-A |
| Sport: | Football |
| No Of Teams: | 10 |
| Top Pick: | Art Schlichter |
| Season Champs: | Iowa, Ohio State |
| Season Champ Name: | Co-champions |
| Second Place: | Michigan, Illinois |
| Mvp: | Art Schlichter |
| Top Scorer: | Bob Atha |
| Seasonslistnames: | Football |
| Prevseason Year: | 1980 |
| Nextseason Year: | 1982 |
The 1981 Big Ten Conference football season was the 86th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season.
The 1981 Big Ten co-champions were Iowa and Ohio State. In an odd twist of fate, the Hawkeyes and Buckeyes did not play each other, while all other conference teams played a full round-robin. Due to this, Iowa was awarded the Rose Bowl berth since its last appearance was in 1959; by comparison, Ohio State went to Pasadena seven times between 1969 and 1980.
| Conf. Rank | Team | Head coach | AP final | AP high | Overall record | Conf. record | PPG | PAG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (tie) | Ohio State | Earle Bruce | 15 | 7 | 9–3 | 6–2 | 32.2 | 21.1 |
| 1 (tie) | Iowa | Hayden Fry | 18 | 6 | 8–4 | 6–2 | 21.7 | 13.3 |
| 3 (tie) | Michigan | Bo Schembechler | 12 | 1 | 9–3 | 6–3 | 29.6 | 13.5 |
| 3 (tie) | Illinois | Mike White | NR | NR | 7–4 | 6–3 | 26.1 | 26.2 |
| 3 (tie) | Wisconsin | Dave McClain | NR | 14 | 7–5 | 6–3 | 22.3 | 18.2 |
| 6 (tie) | Minnesota | Joe Salem | NR | NR | 6–5 | 4–5 | 24.9 | 24.0 |
| 6 (tie) | Michigan State | Muddy Waters | NR | NR | 5–6 | 4–5 | 23.9 | 22.6 |
| 8 (tie) | Purdue | Jim Young | NR | NR | 5–6 | 3–6 | 22.0 | 21.9 |
| 8 (tie) | Indiana | Lee Corso | NR | NR | 3–8 | 3–6 | 13.1 | 26.6 |
| 10 | Northwestern | Dennis Green | NR | NR | 0–11 | 0–9 | 7.5 | 45.9 |
Four Big Ten teams played in bowl games at the end of the 1981 season.
The Big Ten's individual statistical leaders include the following:[1]
1. Tony Eason, Illinois (3,360)
2. Scott Campbell, Purdue (2,686)
3. Art Schlichter, Ohio State (2,551)
4. Mike Hohensee, Minnesota (2,412)
5. Babe Laufenberg, Indiana (1,788)[1]
1. Butch Woolfolk, Michigan (1,459)
2. Tim Spencer, Ohio State (1,217)
3. Jim Gayle, Ohio State (732)
4. Phil Blatcher, Iowa (708)
5. Steve Smith, Michigan (674)[1]
1. Chester Cooper, Minnesota (1,012)
2. Steve Bryant, Purdue (971)
3. Anthony Carter, Michigan (952)
4. Gary Williams, Ohio State (941)
5. Oliver Williams, Illinois (760)[1]
1. Tony Eason, Illinois (3,331)
2. Scott Campbell, Purdue (2,809)
3. Art Schlichter, Ohio State (2,509)
4. Mike Hohensee, Minnesota (2,437)
5. Steve Smith, Michigan (2,335)
1. Tony Eason, Illinois (140.0)
2. Scott Campbell, Purdue (138.3)
3. Bryan Clark, Michigan State (128.9)
4. Steve Smith, Michigan (125.7)
5. Art Schlichter, Ohio State (123.8)[1]
1. Butch Woolfolk, Michigan (5.8)
2. John Williams, Wisconsin (5.5)
3. Tim Spencer, Ohio State (5.4)
4. Manny Henry, Minnesota (5.2)
5. Chucky Davis, Wisconsin (5.2)[1]
1. Duane Gunn, Indiana (21.2)
2. Daryl Turner, Michigan State (21.1)
3. Oliver Williams, Illinois (20.0)
4. Mike Martin, Illinois (19.7)
5. Anthony Carter, Michigan (19.0)[1]
1. Bob Atha, Ohio State (88)
2. Morten Andersen, Michigan State (73)
3. Steve Smith, Michigan (72)
3. Tim Spencer, Ohio State (72)
5. Steve Bryant, Purdue (66)[1]
The NCAA recognizes four selectors as "official" for the 1980 season.[2] They are (1) the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), (2) the Associated Press (AP), (3) the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), and (4) the United Press International (UPI).
The following Big Ten players were selected in the first six rounds of the draft:[3]
| Name | Position | Team | Round | Overall pick | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Art Schlichter | Quarterback | Ohio State | 1 | 4 | |
| Butch Woolfolk | Running back | Michigan | 1 | 18 | |
| Ron Hallstrom | Guard | Iowa | 1 | 22 | |
| Bubba Paris | Offensive tackle | Michigan | 2 | 29 |