| 1982 Big Ten Conference football season | |
| League: | NCAA Division I-A |
| Sport: | Football |
| No Of Teams: | 10 |
| Top Pick: | Chris Hinton |
| Season Champs: | Michigan |
| Season Champ Name: | Champion |
| Second Place: | Ohio State |
| Mvp: | Anthony Carter |
| Top Scorer: | Mike Bass |
| Seasonslistnames: | Football |
| Prevseason Year: | 1981 |
| Nextseason Year: | 1983 |
The 1982 Big Ten Conference football season was the 87th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1982 NCAA Division I-A football season.
The 1982 Big Ten champion was Michigan. The Wolverines lost two of their first three games, then won seven consecutive games before losing to Ohio State and also losing to UCLA in the 1983 Rose Bowl. Michigan wide receiver Anthony Carter received the Chicago Tribune Silver Football trophy as the conference's most valuable player.
| Conf. Rank | Team | Head coach | AP final | AP high | Overall record | Conf. record | PPG | PAG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michigan | Bo Schembechler | NR |
| 8–4 | 8–1 | 28.8 | 17.0 |
| 2 | Ohio State | Earle Bruce |
|
| 9–3 | 7–1 | 29.0 | 17.3 |
| 3 | Iowa | Hayden Fry | NR | NR | 8–4 | 6–2 | 19.1 | 19.2 |
| 4 | Illinois | Mike White | NR |
| 7–5 | 6–3 | 28.2 | 19.1 |
| 5 | Wisconsin | Dave McClain | NR | NR | 7–5 | 5–4 | 23.9 | 21.0 |
| 6 | Indiana | Lee Corso | NR | NR | 5–6 | 4–5 | 18.5 | 22.7 |
| 7 | Purdue | Leon Burtnett | NR | NR | 3–8 | 3–6 | 19.2 | 29.5 |
| 8 (tie) | Northwestern | Dennis Green | NR | NR | 3–8 | 2–7 | 18.7 | 34.5 |
| 8 (tie) | Michigan State | Muddy Waters | NR | NR | 2–9 | 2–7 | 18.4 | 22.0 |
| 10 | Minnesota | Joe Salem | NR | NR | 3–8 | 1–8 | 22.5 | 27.2 |
Five Big Ten teams played in bowl games as follows:
The Big Ten's individual statistical leaders include the following:[1]
1. Tony Eason, Illinois (3,248)
2. Sandy Schwab, Northwestern (2,735)
3. Scott Campbell, Purdue (2,626)
4. Babe Laufenberg, Indiana (2,468)
5. Mike Hohensee, Minnesota (2,380)[1]
1. Tim Spencer, Ohio State (1,538)
2. Lawrence Ricks, Michigan (1,388)
3. Mel Gray, Purdue (916)
4. Eddie Phillips, Iowa (772)
5. Ricky Edwards, Northwestern (688)[1]
1. Mike Martin, Illinois (941)
2. Anthony Carter, Michigan (844)
3. Jon Harvey, Northwestern (807)
4. Duane Gunn, Indiana (764)
5. Cliff Benson, Purdue (762)[1]
1. Tony Eason, Illinois (3,258)
2. Sandy Schwab, Northwestern (2,555)
3. Scott Campbell, Purdue (2,508)
4. Mike Hohensee, Minnesota (2,418)
5. Babe Laufenberg, Indiana (2,351)[1]
1. Tony Eason, Illinois (128.2)
2. Mike Tomczak, Ohio State (125.7)
3. Steve Smith, Michigan (125.1)
4. Chuck Long, Iowa (124.8)
5. Babe Laufenberg, Indiana (118.8)[1]
1. Troy King, Wisconsin (7.2)
2. Tony Hunter, Minnesota (5.7)
3. Tim Spencer, Ohio State (5.6)
4. Lawrence Ricks, Michigan (5.2)
5. Owen Gill, Iowa (5.1)[1]
1. Duane Gunn, Indiana (21.8)
2. Anthony Carter, Michigan (19.6)
3. John Boyd, Indiana (18.9)
4. Gary Williams, Ohio State (17.2)
5. Lonnie Farrow, Minnesota (16.6)[1]
1. Mike Bass, Illinois (101)
2. Tim Spencer, Ohio State (90)
3. Ali Haji-Sheikh, Michigan (77)
4. Rich Spangler, Ohio State (68)
5. Jim Gallery, Minnesota (61)[1]
The 1983 NFL draft was held in April 1983. The following Big Ten players were selected in the first five rounds of the draft:[2]
| Name | Position | Team | Round | Overall pick |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Hinton | Guard | Northwestern | 1 | 4 |
| Tony Eason | Quarterback | Illinois | 1 | 15 |
| Rich Strenger | Tackle | Michigan | 2 | 40 |
| Keith Bostic | Safety | Michigan | 2 | 42 |
| Steve Maidlow | Linebacker | Michigan St. | 4 | 109 |
| Smiley Creswell | Defensive end | Michigan St. | 5 | 118 |
| Matt Vandenboom | Defensive back | Wisconsin | 5 | 126 |
| Brett Miller | Tackle | Iowa | 5 | 129 |
| Otis Grant | Wide receiver | Michigan St. | 5 | 134 |
| Jerome Foster | Defensive tackle | Ohio St. | 5 | 139 |