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Big Ten

18 current members. Our membership records under this name start in 1953; its titles go back further. 2025 champion: Indiana.

1961 standings

TeamConf.OverallAPEloLast 5
Ohio State6–⁠08–⁠0–⁠121743WWWWW
Minnesota6–⁠18–⁠261693WWWLW
Michigan State5–⁠27–⁠281671WLLWW
Purdue4–⁠26–⁠3121641WWWLW
Wisconsin4–⁠36–⁠31563LLWWW
Michigan3–⁠36–⁠31586LWWWL
Iowa2–⁠45–⁠41611LLLLW
Northwestern2–⁠44–⁠51512WWLLL
Indiana0–⁠62–⁠71401LLLWL
Illinois0–⁠70–⁠91361LLLLL

Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied. AP: the AP poll, final (else the final AP rank). Elo is our own rating, a measure of strength, not a prediction.

Against other conferences, 1961

Big Ten teams are 20–⁠6–⁠1 outside the conference.

The bar is the share of those games won. Games against teams from lower divisions count together.

All-Big Ten teams, 1961

First team 14

QuarterbackSandy StephensMinnesotaMinnesota
HalfbackBennie McRaeMichiganMichigan
George SaimesMichigan StateMichigan State
FullbackBob FergusonOhio StateOhio State
EndPat RichterWisconsinWisconsin
Jack ElwellPurduePurdue
Tom HallMinnesotaMinnesota
TackleBobby BellMinnesotaMinnesota
Dave BehrmanMichigan StateMichigan State
Fate EcholsNorthwesternNorthwestern
GuardMike IngramOhio StateOhio State
Stan SczurekPurduePurdue
Tony ParrilliIllinoisIllinois
CenterLarry OnestiNorthwesternNorthwestern

Second team 11

QuarterbackRon MillerWisconsinWisconsin
HalfbackSherman LewisMichigan StateMichigan State
Dave RaimeyMichiganMichigan
Bill MunseyMinnesotaMinnesota
FullbackMarv WoodsonIndianaIndiana
Bill TunicliffMichiganMichigan
EndTom PerdueOhio StateOhio State
TackleDon BrummPurduePurdue
Bob VogelOhio StateOhio State
GuardSherwyn ThorsonIowaIowa
CenterBill Van BurenIowaIowa

From Wikipedia’s 1961 all-conference team article (CC BY-SA): each player on the best team any selector named him to (the coaches’, the media’s or the AP’s), in the article’s order. Players link to their pages where we could match them.

Champions

Most titles

Michigan45last 2023
Ohio State39last 2020
Minnesota18last 1967
Illinois15last 2001
Wisconsin14last 2012
Iowa12last 2004
Michigan State9last 2015
Northwestern8last 2000
Purdue8last 2000
Penn State4last 2016

By year

2025Indiana
2024Oregon
2023Michigan
2022Michigan
2021Michigan
2020Ohio State
2019Ohio State
2018Ohio State
2017Ohio State
2016Penn State
2015Michigan State
2014Ohio State
113 earlier seasons, back to 1896
2013Michigan State
2012Wisconsin
2011Wisconsin
2010Michigan State, Wisconsin (shared)
2009Ohio State
2008Ohio State, Penn State (shared)
2007Ohio State
2006Ohio State
2005Ohio State, Penn State (shared)
2004Iowa, Michigan (shared)
2003Michigan
2002Iowa, Ohio State (shared)
2001Illinois
2000Michigan, Northwestern, Purdue (shared)
1999Wisconsin
1998Michigan, Ohio State, Wisconsin (shared)
1997Michigan
1996Northwestern, Ohio State (shared)
1995Northwestern
1994Penn State
1993Ohio State, Wisconsin (shared)
1992Michigan
1991Michigan
1990Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State (shared)
1989Michigan
1988Michigan
1987Michigan State
1986Michigan, Ohio State (shared)
1985Iowa
1984Ohio State
1983Illinois
1982Michigan
1981Iowa, Ohio State (shared)
1980Michigan
1979Ohio State
1978Michigan, Michigan State (shared)
1977Michigan, Ohio State (shared)
1976Michigan, Ohio State (shared)
1975Ohio State
1974Michigan, Ohio State (shared)
1973Michigan, Ohio State (shared)
1972Michigan, Ohio State (shared)
1971Michigan
1970Ohio State
1969Michigan, Ohio State (shared)
1968Ohio State
1967Indiana, Minnesota, Purdue (shared)
1966Michigan State
1965Michigan State
1964Michigan
1963Illinois
1962Wisconsin
1961Ohio State
1960Iowa, Minnesota (shared)
1959Wisconsin
1958Iowa
1957Ohio State
1956Iowa
1955Ohio State
1954Ohio State
1953Illinois, Michigan State (shared)
1952Purdue, Wisconsin (shared)
1951Illinois
1950Michigan
1949Michigan, Ohio State (shared)
1948Michigan
1947Michigan
1946Illinois
1945Indiana
1944Ohio State
1943Michigan, Purdue (shared)
1942Ohio State
1941Minnesota
1940Minnesota
1939Ohio State
1938Minnesota
1937Minnesota
1936Northwestern
1935Minnesota, Ohio State (shared)
1934Minnesota
1933Michigan, Minnesota (shared)
1932Michigan, Purdue (shared)
1931Michigan, Northwestern, Purdue (shared)
1930Michigan, Northwestern (shared)
1929Purdue
1928Illinois
1927Illinois, Minnesota (shared)
1926Michigan, Northwestern (shared)
1925Michigan
1923Illinois, Michigan (shared)
1922Iowa, Michigan (shared)
1921Iowa
1920Ohio State
1919Illinois
1918Illinois, Michigan, Purdue (shared)
1917Ohio State
1916Ohio State
1915Illinois, Minnesota (shared)
1914Illinois
1912Wisconsin
1911Minnesota
1910Illinois, Minnesota (shared)
1909Minnesota
1907Iowa
1906Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin (shared)
1904Michigan, Minnesota (shared)
1903Michigan, Minnesota, Northwestern (shared)
1902Michigan
1901Michigan, Wisconsin (shared)
1900Iowa, Minnesota (shared)
1898Michigan
1897Wisconsin
1896Wisconsin

Conference titles as each program’s Wikipedia infobox lists them (CC BY-SA), shared titles counted for every co-champion; the conference’s earlier names count as the same conference.

Members

  1. Illinois
  2. Indiana
  3. Iowa
  4. Michigan
  5. Michigan State
  6. Minnesota
  7. Northwestern
  8. Ohio State
  9. Purdue
  10. Wisconsin
  11. Penn State
  12. Nebraska
  13. Maryland
  14. Rutgers
  15. Oregon
  16. UCLA
  17. USC
  18. Washington
Every school and its years (18)

Members now

Football membership as CollegeFootballData.com records it under this conference’s name, from 1953; a school’s separate stays are listed apart.

Who came and went

SeasonSchoolMoveAnnounced
2024OregonJoined from Pac-12August 4, 2023
2024UCLAJoined from Pac-12June 30, 2022
2024USCJoined from Pac-12June 30, 2022
2024WashingtonJoined from Pac-12August 4, 2023
2014MarylandJoined from ACCNovember 19, 2012
2014RutgersJoined from American Athletic ConferenceNovember 20, 2012
2011NebraskaJoined from Big 12June 11, 2010
1993Penn StateJoined (independent before)Source

Football moves from Wikipedia’s lists of NCAA Division I conference changes; the season is the first one played in the new conference, and the date the one the lists or their sources give for the announcement. SportsDataverse’s football memberships agree with ours in all 828 team-seasons from 1953. Conference realignment: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA); memberships: SportsDataverse.

Honors while members

Heisman winners 10

Ohio State5
Michigan2
Wisconsin2
Indiana1

Consensus All-Americans 295

Ohio State79
Michigan56
Iowa33
Michigan State28
Wisconsin25

NFL first-round picks 329

Ohio State96
Michigan50
Michigan State32
Iowa25
Penn State25

Counted only in seasons a school was a member on file (from 1953); a draft pick counts for the season before the draft. Heisman and All-America lists from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA), draft picks from CollegeFootballData.com.

The money

The Big Ten Conference is a nonprofit. Its IRS Form 990 for the year to June 2025 reports $1.47 billion in revenue, $1.35 billion of it from sports revenue, and $1.45 billion in expenses; it ended the year with $280.7 million in assets. Its best-paid, former commissioner James E Delany, was paid $5.8 million.

By year

YearRevenueExpensesAssetsTop pay
2024-25$1.47B$1.45B$281M$5.8M
2023-24$928M$942M$292M$6.8M
2022-23$880M$897M$353M$5.9M
2021-22$846M$851M$336M$5.9M
2020-21$680M$706M$379M$7.5M
2019-20$769M$727M$329M$8.5M
2018-19$782M$747M$261M
2017-18$759M$717M$203M$5.5M
2016-17$513M$499M$166M
2015-16$483M$494M$125M
2014-15$449M$436M$98.8M
2013-14$339M$337M$90.3M
2012-13$318M$312M$82.1M
2011-12$315M$300M$48.0M
2010-11$265M$265M$33.8M

Best paid, 2024-25

James E Delany, former commissioner$5.8 million
Anthony Petitti, commissioner$4.5 million
Carol Folt, director (start 8/2/24)$3.0 million
Santa Ono, director (end 5/6/25)$2.1 million
Ted Carter, director$2.1 million

Paid by bowls

2024-25Rose Bowl$44.9 million
2024-25Orange Bowl$8,000
2024-25ReliaQuest Bowl$3.4 million
2023-24Orange Bowl$8,000
2023-24ReliaQuest Bowl$3.2 million
2022-23Rose Bowl$41.9 million
2022-23Orange Bowl$8,000
2022-23ReliaQuest Bowl$3.2 million

Grants it lists, 2024-25

Ohio Stateto support the missions of member institutions$91.6 million
Penn Stateto support the missions of member institutions$88.9 million
Indianato support the missions of member institutions$81.0 million
Nebraskato support the missions of member institutions$79.9 million
Michiganto support the missions of member institutions$79.4 million
Minnesotato support the missions of member institutions$79.2 million
Illinoisto support the missions of member institutions$79.1 million
Iowato support the missions of member institutions$79.1 million
10 more
Rutgers the State Univ of New Jerseyto support the missions of member institutions$78.5 million
USCto support the missions of member institutions$78.1 million
Michigan Stateto support the missions of member institutions$77.9 million
Wisconsinto support the missions of member institutions$77.8 million
Purdueto support the missions of member institutions$77.7 million
Northwesternto support the missions of member institutions$77.5 million
Marylandto support the missions of member institutions$76.0 million
UCLAto support the missions of member institutions$76.0 million
Oregonto support the missions of member institutions$48.4 million
Washingtonto support the missions of member institutions$46.7 million

From the organization’s IRS Form 990, via ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer and the IRS’s e-file data. Fiscal years end in June; top pay is the best-paid person’s total compensation on the return, listed for e-filed years (2018 on). Grants are the ones the conference lists on Schedule I; bowl payments are the ones bowls list on theirs. See every filing at ProPublica (EIN 36-3640583).