The 2023 Big Ten Conference football season was the 128th season of college football played for the Big Ten Conference and part of the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season. This was the Big Ten's tenth season with 14 teams, and its thirteenth and final season with a divisional scheduling format. Next season the league will expand to 18 with the additions of UCLA, USC, Oregon and Washington. This was the first year of the Big Ten's new media deal and thus its first year of no games airing on ESPN/ABC and first year of games airing on NBC Sports and CBS Sports properties. This was also the final year Northwestern played in the original Ryan Field before its demolition.
The 2023 season saw the Michigan Wolverines win the College Football Playoff and the national championship.
Coaching changes There are four head coaching changes in the Big Ten for the 2023 season. Nebraska hired Matt Rhule to replace Scott Frost. Rhule most recently coached in the NFL with the Carolina Panthers.
Purdue hired Illinois defensive coordinator Ryan Walters to replace Jeff Brohm, who left for the head coaching job at his alma mater of Louisville.
Wisconsin released Paul Chryst and replaced him with Luke Fickell, who had been serving as the head coach at Cincinnati.
On July 10, 2023, Northwestern announced they were parting ways with head coach Pat Fitzgerald after allegations surrounding hazing within the Wildcat football program.Northwestern fires football coach Pat Fitzgerald On July 14, 2023, Northwestern named defensive coordinator David Braun the interim coach for the 2023 season.Northwestern DC David Braun to be interim coach
On September 10, 2023, Michigan State coach Mel Tucker was suspended as part of an investigation into a sexual harassment claim. Secondary coach Harlon Barnett will serve as interim coach while the case is being sorted out.Mel Tucker suspended amid investigation into sexual harassment of rape survivor Tucker was officially fired on September 27.
On November 26, 2023, following the conclusion of the regular season, Indiana fired Tom Allen after the Hoosiers had completed a third consecutive losing season.Indiana coach Tom Allen fired, owed $20.8M buyout
Preseason
Recruiting classes + Rankings Team Rivals Scout & 24/7On3 Recruits Signees Illinois 35 42 40 23 Indiana 62 69 61 16 Iowa 31 39 39 22 Maryland 48 36 48 25 Michigan 18 17 18 25 Michigan State 36 23 22 16 Minnesota 38 44 47 21 Nebraska 25 24 29 28 Northwestern 45 47 44 19 Ohio State 4 5 4 20 Penn State 15 13 14 23 Purdue 67 67 58 18 Rutgers 65 57 60 19 Wisconsin 58 58 43 15
Big Ten Media Days The teams, representatives and times(CT) in respective order were as follows:
Big Ten Commissioner – Tony Petitti 10:30 – 11 a.m.
+ Media Day Schedule Team Head coach Time Players Wednesday, July 26 Illinois Bret Bielema11:00 a.m.Johnny Newton (DL), Keith Randolph Jr. (DL), Isaiah Williams (WR) Rutgers Greg Schiano11:15 a.m.Deion Jennings (LB), Johnny Langan (TE), Aaron Lewis (DL) Michigan State Mel Tucker11:30 a.m.J.D. Duplain (G), Cal Haladay (LB), Tre Mosley (WR) Northwestern David Braun 11:45 a.m. – Penn State James Franklin12:00 p.m.Keaton Ellis (S), Olumuyiwa Fashanu (OL), Adisa Isaac (DE) Iowa Kirk Ferentz12:15 p.m.Cooper DeJean (DB), Jay Higgins (LB), Luke Lachey (TE) Ohio State Ryan Day12:30 p.m.Marvin Harrison Jr. (WR), Cade Stover (TE), JT Tuimoloau (DE) Thursday, July 27 Indiana Tom Allen11:00 a.m.Aaron Casey (LB), Jaylin Lucas (RB/RS), Noah Pierre (DB) Maryland Mike Locksley 11:15 a.m. Roman Hemby (RB), Tarheeb Still (DB), Taulia Tagovailoa (QB) Minnesota P. J. Fleck11:30 a.m.Chris Autman-Bell (WR), Tyler Nubin (DB), Brevyn Spann-Ford (TE) Purdue Ryan Walters11:45 a.m.Hudson Card (QB), Sanoussi Kane (DB), TJ Sheffield (WR) Nebraska Matt Rhule12:00 p.m.Ethan Piper (G), Luke Reimer (LB), Jeff Sims (G) Wisconsin Luke Fickell12:15 p.m.Braelon Allen (RB), Tanner Mordecai (QB), Maema Njongmeta (LB) Michigan Jim Harbaugh12:30 p.m.Blake Corum (RB), Kris Jenkins (DT), Mike Sainristil (CB) Notes:
Northwestern players opted out of the media day due to Northwestern hazing scandal.
Preseason Media Poll The annual Cleveland.com Preseason Big Ten Media Poll.
East 1 Michigan 248 (27) 2 Ohio State 226 (8) 3 Penn State 192 (2) 4 Maryland 143 5 Michigan State 105 6 Rutgers 74 7 Indiana 48 West 1 Wisconsin 233 (20) 2 Iowa 232 (16) 3 Minnesota 176 (1) 4 Illinois 152 5 Nebraska 116 6 Purdue 89 7 Northwestern 38 Media poll (Big Ten Championship) 1 Michigan over Wisconsin 15 2 Michigan over Iowa 11 T3 Ohio State over Iowa 4 T3 Ohio State over Wisconsin 4 T5 Michigan over Minnesota 1 T5 Penn State over Iowa 1 T5 Penn State over Wisconsin 1
Preseason Player of the Year Below are the results of the annual Preseason Big Ten Player of the Year awards conducted by Cleveland.com.
Preseason Offensive Player of the Year 1 Marvin Harrison Jr. WR Ohio State 94 (27) 2 Blake Corum RB Michigan 56 (4) 3 J. J. McCarthy QB 27 (5) 4 Braelon Allen RB Wisconsin 21 T5 Nick Singleton RB Penn State 6 Taulia Tagovailoa QB Maryland 7 Kyle McCord QB Ohio State 5 T8 Olu Fashanu OT Penn State 2 TreVeyon Henderson RB Ohio State Donovan Edwards RB Michigan 11 Emeka Egbuka WR Ohio State 1 Preseason Defensive Player of the Year 1 Cooper DeJean DB Iowa 42 (6) 2 Johnny Newton DT Illinois 41 (7) 3 Tommy Eichenberg LB Ohio State 29 (6) 4 JT Tuimoloau DE 28 (5) 5 Kalen King DB Penn State 22 (1) 6 Abdul Carter LB 20 (5) 7 Chop Robinson DE 13 (3) 8 Denzel Burke DB Ohio State 7( 1) T9 Junior Colson LB Michigan 5 (1) Will Johnson DB 11 Mike Hall Jr. DT Ohio State 3 (1) T12 Cal Haladay LB Michigan State 2 Jack Sawyer DE Ohio State T14 Maema Njongmeta LB Wisconsin 1 Tyler Nubin DB Minnesota Nic Scourton LB Purdue
Individual awards
Lott TrophyJaishawn Barham Maryland LBSo. Abdul Carter Penn StateJunior Colson MichiganJr. Tommy Eichenberg Ohio StateSr.JT TuimoloauDEJr.Will Johnson MichiganDBSo.Kalen King Penn StateJr.Johnny Newton IllinoisDTDodd Trophy Ryan Day Ohio State — — Kirk Ferentz IowaP. J. Fleck Minnesota Jim Harbaugh MichiganMel Tucker Michigan State Maxwell Award Isaiah Williams IllinoisWRJr. Cade McNamara IowaQBSr. Taulia Tagovailoa Maryland J. J. McCarthy Michigan Jr. Blake Corum RB Sr. Marvin Harrison Jr. Ohio State WR Jr. Emeka Egbuka Nicholas Singleton Penn State RB So. Hudson Card Purdue QB Jr. Tanner Mordecai Wisconsin QB Sr. Braelon Allen RB Jr.Davey O'Brien AwardQBDoak Walker AwardRBBiletnikoff AwardWRJohn Mackey AwardTERimington TrophyOLButkus AwardLBJim Thorpe AwardDBBronko Nagurski Trophy Cooper DeJean IowaCBJr.Tommy EichenbergLBSr.Cal Haladay Michigan State Jr.Kris Jenkins Michigan DT Sr.Rod MooreSJr.Abdul Carter Penn StateLBSo.Kalen KingDBJr.Chop RobinsonDEJohnny Newton Illinois DTKeith Randolph Jr.Maema Njongmeta WisconsinLB Sr.Tyler Nubin Minnesota SSr.Lathan Ransom Ohio StateJT TuimoloauDEJr.Outland TrophyOlu Fashanu Penn State OTJr.Isaiah Adams Illinois OG Sr.Keith Randolph Jr. DTJr.Mike Hall Jr. Ohio StateDonovan Jackson OGGus Hartwig Purdue C Sr.Kris Jenkins Michigan DTZak ZinterOGTrevor Keegan GSDrake Nugent CMatthew Jones Ohio StateOG Sr.
Lou Groza AwardDrew Stevens IowaPKSo.James Turner MichiganSr.Nathanial Vakos WisconsinSo.Ray Guy AwardBrian Buschini NebraskaPJr.Colton Spangler MarylandSr.Jack Ansell PurdueJr.James Evans IndianaSo.Jesse Mirco Ohio StateJr.Tory Taylor Iowa Sr.Paul Hornung Award Cooper DeJeanDBJr.Chimere Dike WisconsinWRSr.Emeka Egbuka Ohio StateJr.Jeshaun Jones MarylandGSJaylin Lucas Indiana So.Nicholas Singleton Penn StateRBWuerffel TrophyDvon ElliesDTSr.Tre Mosley Michigan State WRIsaiah Williams IllinoisJr.Walter Camp AwardBraelon Allen WisconsinRBJr.Blake Corum MichiganSr.J. J. McCarthyQBJr.Emeka Egbuka Ohio StateWRTreVeyon HendersonRBMarvin Harrison Jr.WRSr.Tommy EichenbergLBOlu Fashanu Penn StateOTJr.Nicholas SingletonRBSo.Jaylin Lucas IndianaRB/KRJohnny Newton IllinoisDTJr.Bednarik AwardLBRotary Lombardi AwardPatrick Mannelly Award LSEarl Campbell Tyler Rose AwardPolynesian College Football Player Of The Year AwardManning AwardJ. J. McCarthyMichiganQBJr.Taulia Tagovailoa MarylandSr.Johnny Unitas Golden Arm AwardQB Ted Hendricks Award
All−American Teams Sources:
AP 1st TeamAP 2nd TeamAS 1st TeamAS 2nd TeamAS 3rd TeamAS 4th TeamWCFF 1st TeamWCFF 2nd Team ESPNCBS 1st TeamCBS 2nd TeamCFN 1st TeamCFN 2nd Team PFF 1st TeamPFF 2nd TeamPFF 3rd TeamSN 1st TeamSN 2nd TeamBraelon AllenAbdul CarterConnor ColbyJunior ColsonBlake CorumCooper DeJeanDonovan EdwardsTommy EichenbergEmeka EgbukaOlumuyiwa FashanuBrevyn Spann-FordMarvin Harrison Jr.TreVeyon HendersonDonovan JacksonKris JenkinsWill JohnsonMatthew JonesKalen KingJaylin LucasRod MooreJohnny NewtonTyler NubinDrake NugentKeith Randolph Jr.Lathan RansomChop RobinsonNicholas SingletonTory TaylorJT Tuimoloau Zak Zinter
Rankings
Pre Wk1 Wk2 Wk3 Wk4 Wk5 Wk6 Wk7 Wk8 Wk9 Wk10 Wk11 Wk12 Wk13 Wk14 Final Illinois AP RV RV C RV RV CFP Not released Indiana AP C CFP Not released Iowa AP 25 RV 25 24 RV 24 RV RV 20 18 20 24C RV RV 24 22 RV RV RV 23 RV RV RV 23 19 17 20 22 CFP Not released 22 16 17 16 17 Maryland AP RV RV RV RV RV C RV RV RV RV RV RV RV RV RV CFP Not released Michigan AP 2 (2) 2 (2) 2 (2) 2 (2) 2 (1) 2 (12) 2 (11) 2 (16) 2 (19) 2 (9) 2 (9) 2 (7) 3 2 (10) 1 (51) 1 (61)C 2 2 (1) 2 (1) 2 (1) 2 2 (1) 2 2 (4) 2 (4) 2 (3) 2 (4) 2 (3) 3 (1) 2 (4) 1 (51) 1 (63) CFP Not released 3 3 3 3 2 1 Michigan State AP C RV RV CFP Not released Minnesota AP RV RV RV C RV RV RV CFP Not released Nebraska AP C CFP Not released Northwestern AP RVC RV CFP Not released Ohio State AP 3 (1) 5 6 6 4 (1) 4 (1) 3 (1) 3 (1) 3 (3) 3 (3) 3 (3) 3 (1) 2 (1) 6 7 10C 4 (1) 4 4 4 (1) 3 (2) 3 (2) 3 (2) 3 (1) 3 (2) 3 (3) 3 (5) 3 (3) 2 (1) 6 7 10 CFP Not released 1 1 2 2 6 7 Penn State AP 7 7 7 7 6 6 6 7 10 9 9 12 11 10 10 13C 7 7 7 7 7 6 5 6 10 9 9 12 11 10 10 13 CFP Not released 11 10 12 11 10 10 Purdue AP C CFP Not released Rutgers AP RV RV C CFP Not released Wisconsin AP 19 19 RV RV RV RV RV RV C 21 19 RV RV RV RV 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 Index to colors and formattingBig Ten member wonBig Ten member lostBig Ten teams in bold All times Eastern time.
† denotes Homecoming game
Regular season schedule
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Date Bye WeekSeptember 30 No. 4 Ohio State Wisconsin
Week 6
Date Bye WeekOctober 7 Indiana Michigan State No. 6 Penn State
Week 7
Date Bye WeekOctober 14 Minnesota Nebraska Northwestern
Week 8
Date Bye WeekOctober 21 Maryland Purdue
Week 9
Date Bye WeekOctober 28 Illinois Iowa #2 Michigan Rutgers
Week 10
Week 11
Week 12
Week 13
Big Ten Championship Game
Postseason Bowl games
For the 2020–2025 bowl cycle, The Big Ten will have annually eight appearances in the following bowls: Rose Bowl (unless they are selected for playoffs filled by a Pac-12 team if champion is in the playoffs), Citrus Bowl, Guaranteed Rate Bowl, Las Vegas Bowl, Music City Bowl, Pinstripe Bowl, Quick Lane Bowl, and Outback Bowl. The Big Ten teams will go to a New Year's Six bowl if a team finishes higher than the champions of Power Five conferences in the final College Football Playoff rankings. The Big Ten champion is also eligible for the College Football Playoff if it is among the top four teams in the final CFP ranking.
Legend Big Ten win Big Ten loss