| 1997 Big Ten Conference football season | |
| League: | NCAA Division I-A |
| Sport: | Football |
| No Of Teams: | 11 |
| Top Pick: | Charles Woodson |
| Season Champs: | Michigan |
| Season Champ Name: | Champion |
| Second Place: | Ohio State |
| Mvp: | Charles Woodson |
| Top Scorer: | Curtis Enis |
| Seasonslistnames: | Football |
| Prevseason Year: | 1996 |
| Nextseason Year: | 1998 |
The 1997 Big Ten Conference football season was the 102nd season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1997 NCAA Division I-A football season.
The 1997 Big Ten champion was Michigan. Led by head coach Lloyd Carr, Michigan compiled a perfect 12–0 record, defeated Washington State in the 1998 Rose Bowl, and was declared the national champion in the AP Poll. Michigan cornerback Charles Woodson became the first primarily defensive player to win the Heisman Trophy.
Ohio State finished in a tie for second place with a 10–3 record and lost to Florida State in the 1998 Sugar Bowl. Ohio State's defense was led by consensus All-American linebacker Andy Katzenmoyer.
Penn State also tied for second place and was led by Curtis Enis who rushed for 1,363 yards and led the conference with 120 points scored. The Nittany Lions began the 1997 season ranked No. 1 in the AP Poll and ended it with a loss to Florida in the 1998 Florida Citrus Bowl.
Purdue also tied for second place under first-year head coach Joe Tiller who was named Big Ten Coach of the Year. Purdue quarterback Billy Dicken led the conference with 3,136 passing yards, and wide receiver Brian Alford led the conference with 1,228 receiving yards.
Iowa was ranked as high as No. 4 in the AP Poll during the season and fielded the conference's most potent offensive with an average of 34.3 points scored per game. Iowa running back Tavian Banks led the conference with 1,639 rushing yards.
| Conf. Rank | Team | Head coach | AP final | AP high | Overall record | Conf. record | PPG | PAG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michigan | Lloyd Carr |
|
| 12–0 | 8–0 | 26.8 | 9.5 |
| 2 (tie) | Ohio State | John Cooper |
|
| 10–3 | 6–2 | 30.3 | 13.1 |
| 2 (tie) | Penn State | Joe Paterno |
|
| 9–3 | 6–2 | 30.5 | 21.2 |
| 2 (tie) | Purdue | Joe Tiller |
|
| 9–3 | 6–2 | 33.0 | 22.3 |
| 5 | Wisconsin | Barry Alvarez | NR |
| 8–5 | 5–3 | 22.4 | 23.5 |
| 6 (tie) | Iowa | Hayden Fry |
|
| 7–5 | 4–4 | 34.3 | 13.3 |
| 6 (tie) | Michigan State | Nick Saban | NR |
| 7–5 | 4–4 | 28.5 | 19.8 |
| 8 | Northwestern | Gary Barnett | NR |
| 5–7 | 3–5 | 20.3 | 24.0 |
| 9 (tie) | Minnesota | Glen Mason | NR | NR | 3–9 | 1–7 | 19.8 | 27.8 |
| 9 (tie) | Indiana | Cam Cameron | NR | NR | 2–9 | 1–7 | 10.9 | 32.6 |
| 11 | Illinois | Ron Turner | NR | NR | 0–11 | 0–8 | 10.8 | 33.5 |
Seven Big Ten teams played in bowl games as follows:
The Big Ten's individual statistical leaders include the following:[1]
1. Billy Dicken, Purdue (3,136)
2. Mike McQueary, Penn State (2,211)
3. Jay Rodgers, Indiana (2,156)
4. Brian Griese, Michigan 2042
5. Todd Schultz, Michigan State (2,003)
1. Joe Germaine, Ohio State (151.9)
2. Mike McQueary, Penn State (145.0)
3. Brian Griese, Michigan (138.2)
4. Billy Dicken, Purdue (128.9)
5. Todd Schultz, Michigan State (124.0)
1. Tavian Banks, Iowa (1,639)
2. Ron Dayne, Wisconsin (1,457)
3. Curtis Enis, Penn State (1,363)
4. Sedrick Irvin, Michigan State (1,270)
5. Robert Holcombe, Illinois (1,253)
1. Kendall Matthews, Purdue (7.1)
2. Tavian Banks, Iowa (6.7)
3. Curtis Enis, Penn State (6.0)
4. Michael Wiley, Ohio State (5.6)
5. Ron Dayne, Wisconsin (5.5)
1. Brian Alford, Purdue (1,228)
2. Dee Miller, Ohio State (981)
3. David Boston, Ohio State (970)
4. Tutu Atwell, Minnesota (924)
5. Brian Musso, Northwestern (865)
1. Damon Gibson, Iowa (22.4)
2. Joe Jurevicius, Penn State (20.9)
3. Tony Simmons, Wisconsin (19.8)
4. Brian Alford, Purdue (19.5)
5. O. J. Conner, Indiana (18.6)
1. Billy Dicken, Purdue (3,487)
2. Mike McQueary, Penn State (2,184)
3. Mike Samuel, Wisconsin (2,138)
4. Brian Griese, Michigan (2,049)
5. Jay Rodgers, Indiana (2,035)
1. Curtis Enis, Penn State (120)
2. Tavian Banks, Iowa (114)
3. Dan Stultz, Ohio State (92)
4. Ron Dayne, Wisconsin (90)
5. David Boston, Ohio State (84)
5. Sedrick Irvin, Michigan State (84)
Seventeen players were selected as first-team All-Big Ten players by both the coaches and the media:
Four Big Ten players were selected as consensus All-Americans:
Other Big Ten players receiving first-team honors were:
The 1998 NFL draft was held in April 1998. The following Big Ten players were selected in the first four rounds of the draft:[2]
| Name | Position | Team | Round | Overall pick |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charles Woodson | Defensive back | Michigan | 1 | 4 |
| Curtis Enis | Running back | Penn State | 1 | 5 |
| Robert Holcombe | Fullback | Illinois | 2 | 37 |
| Flozell Adams | Offensive tackle | Michigan State | 2 | 38 |
| Tony Simmons | Wide receiver | Wisconsin | 2 | 52 |
| Joe Jurevicius | Wide receiver | Penn State | 2 | 55 |
| Brian Alford | Wide receiver | Purdue | 3 | 70 |
| Mike Goff | Offensive tackle | Iowa | 3 | 78 |
| Chris Floyd | Fullback | Michigan | 3 | 81 |
| Brian Griese | Quarterback | Michigan | 3 | 91 |
| Tavian Banks | Running back | Iowa | 4 | 101 |
| Glen Steele | Defensive tackle | Michigan | 4 | 105 |
| Donald Hayes | Wide receiver | Wisconsin | 4 | 106 |
| Tim Dwight | Wide receiver | Iowa | 4 | 114 |