2011 Big Ten Conference football season

2011 Big Ten Conference football season
League NCAA Division I FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision)
Sport Football
Duration September 3, 2011
through January, 2012
Number of teams 12
TV partner/s ABC, ESPN Inc., Big Ten Network, FOX (championship game)
Regular Season
Champions Wisconsin Badgers
Season MVP Montee Ball
Football seasons
← 2010

2012 →

2011 Big Ten football standings
Conf     Overall
Team   W   L         W   L  
Legends
#12 Michigan State xy   7 1         11 3  
#13 Michigan   6 2         11 2  
#21 Nebraska   5 3         9 4  
Iowa   4 4         7 6  
Northwestern   3 5         6 7  
Minnesota   2 6         3 9  
Leaders
#9 Wisconsin xy   6 2         11 3  
#24 Penn State x   6 2         9 4  
Purdue   4 4         7 6  
Ohio State   3 5         6 7  
Illinois   2 6         7 6  
Indiana   0 8         1 11  
Championship: Wisconsin 42, Michigan State 39
† – BCS representative as champion
‡ – BCS at-large representative
x – Division champion/co-champions
y – Championship game participant
As of January 4, 2012 • Rankings from AP Poll

The 2011 Big Ten Conference football season is the 116th and current season for the Big Ten. The conference started its season on Saturday, September 3, as each of the conference’s teams began their respective 2011 season of NCAA Division I FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) competition. This season is Nebraska's first season as a member of the Big Ten, and also marks the creation of conference divisions (named Leaders and Legends), and a championship game.[1]

Contents

Rankings

  Pre Wk
1
Wk
2
Wk
3
Wk
4
Wk
5
Wk
6
Wk
7
Wk
8
Wk
9
Wk
10
Wk
11
Wk
12
Wk
13
Wk
14
Final
Illinois AP 24 24 19 16 23 RV
C RV 22 16 15 21 RV
HAR Not released 14 20 RV RV
BCS Not released 23
Indiana AP
C
HAR Not released
BCS Not released
Iowa AP RV RV
C RV RV RV RV
HAR Not released RV
BCS Not released
Michigan AP RV RV RV 22 19 12 11 18 17 13 22 20 17 17 13
C RV RV RV 21 19 11 10 17 17 13 21 18 16 16 12
HAR Not released 10 17 16 13 21 18 16 16 12
BCS Not released 18 18 15 24 18 15 16 13
Michigan State AP 17 17 15 RV RV RV 23 15 9 15 13 12 11 11 12
C 17 16 15 23 25 20 19 13 10 16 13 12 10 9 13
HAR Not released 22 15 11 17 13 12 11 11 13
BCS Not released 16 11 17 17 15 14 11 17
Minnesota AP
C
HAR Not released
BCS Not released
Nebraska AP 10 10 10 9 8 14 14 13 13 9 18 16 22 20 21
C 11 10 10 9 8 15 14 11 13 9 17 16 22 19 20
HAR Not released 13 11 13 9 17 16 21 19 20
BCS Not released 13 14 10 19 16 21 20 20
Northwestern AP RV RV RV
C RV RV RV RV RV
HAR Not released
BCS Not released
Ohio State AP 18 15 17 RV RV RV
C 16 15 16 RV RV RV RV
HAR Not released RV
BCS Not released
Penn State AP RV 23 RV RV RV RV RV RV 21 16 12 21 20 23 24
C 25 20 RV RV RV RV 25 22 19 15 12 21 19 22 23
HAR Not released RV 24 19 16 12 19 18 22 23
BCS Not released 21 19 16 12 21 19 23 22
Purdue AP
C
HAR Not released
BCS Not released
Wisconsin AP 11 8 7 6 7 4 4 4 12 19 16 15 15 15 9
C 10 9 8 7 7 5 4 4 11 17 14 13 12 12 8
HAR Not released 4 4 12 18 14 13 14 13 8
BCS Not released 6 15 20 18 17 16 12 10
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

Spring games

April 9

April 16

April 23

April 30

[2]

Regular season

Index to colors and formatting
Big Ten member won
Big Ten member lost
Big Ten teams in bold

All times Eastern time.

Rankings reflect that of the AP poll.

Week One

Date Time Visiting team Home team Site Broadcast Result Attendance Reference
September 1 8:00 p.m. UNLV #11 Wisconsin Camp Randall StadiumMadison, WI ESPN W 51–17
September 2 7:30 p.m. Youngstown State #17 Michigan State Spartan StadiumEast Lansing, MI BTN W 28–6
September 3 12:00 p.m. Tennessee Tech Iowa Kinnick StadiumIowa City, IA BTN W 37–7
September 3 12:00 p.m. Northwestern Boston College Alumni StadiumChestnut Hill, MA ESPNU W 24–17
September 3 12:00 p.m. Akron #18 Ohio State Ohio StadiumColumbus, OH ESPN W 42-0
September 3 12:00 p.m. Indiana State Penn State Beaver StadiumUniversity, PA BTN W 41–7
September 3 12:00 p.m. Middle Tennessee Purdue Ross-Ade StadiumWest Lafayette, IN BTN W 27–24
September 3 3:30 p.m. Arkansas State Illinois Memorial StadiumChampaign, IL BTN W 33–15
September 3 3:30 p.m. Western Michigan Michigan Michigan StadiumAnn Arbor, MI ABC W 34–10
September 3 7:00 p.m. Chattanooga #10 Nebraska Memorial StadiumLincoln, NE BTN W 40–7
September 3 3:30 p.m. Minnesota #25 USC Los Angeles Memorial ColiseumLos Angeles, CA ABC L 17–19
September 3 7:00 p.m. Ball State Indiana Lucas Oil StadiumIndianapolis, IN ESPN3 L 20–27

Players of the Week

Offensive Defensive Special teams Freshman
Player Team Player Team Player Team Player Team
Russell Wilson Wisconsin Brandin Herron Michigan Brett Maher & Chaz Powell Nebraska & Penn State Houston Bates Illinois
Reference:

Week Two

Date Time Visiting team Home team Site Broadcast Result Attendance Reference
September 10 12:00 p.m. South Dakota State Illinois Memorial Stadium • Champaign, IL BTN W 56–3
September 10 12:00 p.m. Iowa Iowa State Jack Trice StadiumAmes, IA FSN L 41–44
September 10 12:00 p.m. Florida Atlantic #17 Michigan State Spartan Stadium • East Lansing, MI ESPN2 W 44–0
September 10 12:00 p.m. Toledo Ohio State Ohio Stadium • Columbus, OH BTN W 27–22
September 10 12:00 p.m. Oregon State #8 Wisconsin Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, WI ESPN W 35-0
September 10 3:30 p.m. #3 Alabama #23 Penn State Beaver Stadium • University, PA ABC W 41–7
September 10 3:30 p.m. New Mexico State Minnesota TCF Bank StadiumMinneapolis, MN BTN L 21–28
September 10 3:30 p.m. Eastern Illinois Northwestern Ryan FieldEvanston, IL BTN W 42–21
September 10 3:30 p.m. Purdue Rice Rice StadiumHouston, TX CBS Sports Network L 22–24
September 10 7:00 p.m. Fresno State #10 Nebraska Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, NE BTN W 42–29
September 10 7:00 p.m. Virginia Indiana Memorial StadiumBloomington, IN BTN L 31–34
September 10 8:00 p.m. Notre Dame Michigan Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI ESPN W 35–31

Players of the Week

Offensive Defensive Special teams Freshman
Player Team Player Team Player Team Player Team
Denard Robinson Michigan Mike Taylor Wisconsin Ameer Abdullah Nebraska Ameer Abdullah Nebraska
Reference:

Week Three

Date Time Visiting team Home team Site Broadcast Result Attendance Reference
September 17 12:00 p.m. South Dakota State Iowa Kinnick Stadium • Iowa City, IA ESPN2 W 31–27
September 17 12:00 p.m. Eastern Michigan Michigan Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI BTN W 31–3
September 17 12:00 p.m. Penn State Temple Lincoln Financial FieldPhiladelphia, PA ESPN W 14–10
September 17 12:00 p.m. SEMO Purdue Ross-Ade Stadium • West Lafayette, IN BTN W 59–0
September 17 3:30 p.m. Northwestern Army Michie StadiumWest Point, NY CBS Sports Network L 14-21
September 17 3:30 p.m. South Carolina State Indiana Memorial Stadium • Bloomington, IN BTN W 38–21
September 17 3:30 p.m. Miami (OH) Minnesota TCF Bank Stadium • Minneapolis, MN BTN W 29–23
September 17 3:30 p.m. Washington #11 Nebraska Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, NE ABC W 51–38
September 17 3:30 p.m. #15 Michigan State Notre Dame Notre Dame StadiumNotre Dame, IN NBC L 13–31
September 17 3:30 p.m. #7 Wisconsin Northern Illinois Soldier FieldChicago, IL ESPN3 W 49–7
September 17 7:00 p.m. #22 Arizona State Illinois Memorial Stadium • Champaign, IL BTN W 17–14
September 17 7:30 p.m. #17 Ohio State Miami Sun Life StadiumMiami Garden, FL ESPN L 6–24

Players of the Week

Offensive Defensive Special teams Freshman
Player Team Player Team Player Team Player Team
James Vandenberg Iowa Jonathan Brown Illinois Duane Bennett Minnesota D'Angelo Roberts Indiana
Reference:

Week Four

Date Time Visiting team Home team Site Broadcast Result Attendance Reference
September 24 12:00 p.m. Louisiana-Monroe Iowa Kinnick Stadium • Iowa City, IA BTN W 45–17
September 24 12:00 p.m. San Diego State #22 Michigan Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI BTN W 28–7
September 24 12:00 p.m. Central Michigan Michigan State Spartan Stadium • East Lansing, MI ESPNU W 45–7
September 24 12:00 p.m. Eastern Michigan Penn State Beaver Stadium • University Park, PA ESPN2 W 34–6
September 24 3:30 p.m. Western Michigan #24 Illinois Memorial Stadium • Champaign, IL BTN W 23–20
September 24 3:30 p.m. Colorado Ohio State Ohio Stadium • Columbus, OH ABC W 37-17
September 24 3:30 p.m. South Dakota #6 Wisconsin Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, WI BTN W 59–10
September 24 7:00 p.m. North Dakota State Minnesota TCF Bank Stadium • Minneapolis, MN BTN L 24–37
September 24 7:00 p.m. Indiana North Texas Apogee StadiumDenton, TX ESPN3 L 21–24
September 24 7:30 p.m. #9 Nebrsaka Wyoming War Memorial StadiumLaramie, WY Versus W 38–14
September 24 3:30 p.m. #7 Wisconsin Northern Illinois Soldier FieldChicago, IL ESPN3 W 49–7

Players of the Week

Offensive Defensive Special teams Freshman
Player Team Player Team Player Team Player Team
Denard Robinson
Matt McGloin
Michigan
Penn State
Tom Nardo Iowa Derek Dimke Illinois Donovonn Young Illinois
Reference:

Attendance

Team Stadium Capacity Game 1 Game 2 Game 3 Game 4 Game 5 Game 6 Game 7 Game 8 Total Average % of Capacity
Illinois Memorial Stadium 60,670 45,154 42,212 50,669 43,684 53,243 55,229 60,670 54,633 405,494 50,687 83.5%
Indiana Memorial Stadium 52,929 41,549 41,203 42,621 41,665 39,239 42,005 248,282 41,380 78.2%
Iowa Kinnick Stadium 70,585 70,585 70,585 70,585 70,585 70,585 70,585 70,585 494,095 70,585 100%
Michigan Michigan Stadium 109,901 110,506 114,804 110,343 110,707 111,106 112,115 113,718 114,132 897,431 112,179 102%
Michigan State Spartan Stadium 75,005 75,910 70,249 72,119 77,515 76,405 72,219 74,128 518,545 74,078 98.8%
Minnesota TCF Bank Stadium 50,805 48,807 49,950 48,802 49,187 46,543 49,158 41,549 333,996 47,714 93.9%
Nebraska Memorial Stadium 81,067 84,883 85,101 85,110 85,426 85,641 85,115 85,595 596,871 85,267 105%
Northwestern Ryan Field 47,130 28,042 47,330 40,004 26,886 26,215 27,137 195,614 32,602 69.1%
Ohio State Ohio Stadium 102,329 105,001 105,016 105,096 105,306 105,511 105,159 105,493 736,582 105 226 102.8%
Penn State Beaver Stadium 107,282 96,461 107,846 95,636 103,497 100,820 97,828 107,193 709,281 101,326 94.4%
Purdue Ross-Ade Stadium 62,500 42,110 46,116 61,555 38,207 45,146 43,334 40,106 316,574 45,225 72.3%
Wisconsin Camp Randall Stadium 80,312 77,085 80,337 78,880 81,384 80,732 79,708 478,126 79,688 99.2%

Post-season awards and honors

Individual Award Winners

All-Big Ten

The following players were named by the coaches.[3]:

Position Player Class Team
First Team Offense
QB Russell Wilson Sr. Wisconsin
RB Montee Ball Jr. Wisconsin
RB Rex Burkhead Jr. Nebraska
WR A.J. Jenkins Sr. Illinois
WR Marvin McNutt Sr. Iowa
TE Drake Dunsmore Sr. Northwestern
OT Riley Reiff Jr. Iowa
OG Joel Foreman Sr. Michigan State
C David Molk Sr. Michigan
OG Kevin Zeitler Sr. Wisconsin
OT Josh Oglesby Sr. Wisconsin
First Team Defense
DL Whitney Mercilus Jr. Illinois
DL Jerel Worthy Jr. Michigan State
DL John Simon Jr. Ohio State
DL Devon Still Sr. Penn State
LB Lavonte David Jr. Nebraska
LB Gerald Hodges Sr. Penn State
LB Chris Borland So. Wisconsin
DB Shaun Prater Sr. Iowa
DB Johnny Adams Jr. Michigan State
DB Alfonzo Dennard Sr. Nebraska
DB Aaron Henry Sr. Wisconsin
First Team Special Teams
K Brett Maher Jr. Nebraska
P Brett Maher Jr. Nebraska
Position Player Class Team
Second Team Offense
QB Kirk Cousins Sr. Michigan State
RB Marcus Coker So. Iowa
RB Silas Redd So. Penn State
WR B.J. Cunningham Sr. Michigan State
WR Nick Toon Sr. Wisconsin
TE Brian Linthicum Sr. Michigan State
OT Taylor Lewan So. Michigan
OG Adam Gettis Sr. Iowa
C Mike Caputo Sr. Nebraska
C Mike Brewster Sr. Ohio State
OG Travis Frederick So. Wisconsin
OT Mike Adams Sr. Ohio State
Second Team Defense
DL Michael Buchanan Jr. Illinois
DL Mike Daniels Sr. Iowa
DL Mike Martin Sr. Michigan
DL William Gholston So. Michigan State
DL Jack Crawford Sr. Penn State
DL Kawann Short Jr. Purdue
LB Max Bullough So. Michigan State
LB Andrew Sweat Sr. Ohio State
LB Mike Taylor Jr. Wisconsin
DB Isaiah Lewis So. Michigan State
DB C.J. Barnett So. Ohio State
DB Nick Sukay Sr. Penn State
DB Ricardo Allen So. Purdue
Second Team Special Teams
K Carson Wiggs Sr. Purdue
P Cody Webster So. Purdue

HONORABLE MENTION: Illinois: Jeff Allen, Jonathan Brown, Derek Dimke, Terry Hawthorne, Ian Thomas; Indiana: Mitch Ewald, Jeff Thomas; Iowa: Broderick Binns, James Ferentz, Eric Guthrie, Micah Hyde, James Morris, Markus Zusevics; Michigan: Kenny Demens, J.T. Floyd, Kevin Koger, Junior Hemingway, Denard Robinson, Fitzgerald Toussaint, Ryan Van Bergen; Michigan State: Denicos Allen, LeVeon Bell, Kenshawn Martin, Trenton Robinson, Marcus Rush; Minnesota: Kim Royston; Nebrsaka: Will Compton, Ben Cotton, Spencer Long, Marcel Jones, Baker Steinkuhler; Northwestern: Jeremy Ebert, Jordan Mabin, Brian Mulroe, Al Netter, Dan Persa, Brian Peters; Ohio State: Johnathan Hankins, Dan Herron, Jack Mewhort, Jake Stoneburner; Penn State: Drew Astorino, Anthony Fera, Jordan Hill, D'Anton Lynn, Derek Moye, Chima Okoli, Chaz Powell, Johnnie Troutman; Purdue: Joe Holland, Dennis Kelly; Wisconsin: Jared Abbrederis, Patrick Butrym, Antonio Fenelus, Peter Konz, Brad Nortman, Jacob Pedersen, Ricky Wagner.

The following players were named by the media panel.

Position Player Class Team
First Team Offense
QB Russell Wilson Sr. Wisconsin
RB Montee Ball Jr. Wisconsin
RB Rex Burkhead Jr. Nebraska
WR A.J. Jenkins Sr. Illinois
WR Marvin McNutt Sr. Iowa
TE Drake Dunsmore Sr. Northwestern
OT Riley Reiff Jr. Iowa
OG Joel Foreman Sr. Michigan State
C Peter Konz Jr. Wisconsin
OG Kevin Zeitler Sr. Wisconsin
OT Josh Oglesby Sr. Wisconsin
First Team Defense
DL Whitney Mercilus Jr. Illinois
DL Jerel Worthy Jr. Michigan State
DL Devon Still Sr. Penn State
DL Kawann Short Jr. Purdue
LB Lavonte David Jr. Nebraska
LB Chris Borland So. Wisconsin
LB Mike Taylor Jr. Wisconsin
DB Trenton Robinson Sr. Michigan State
DB Alfonzo Dennard Sr. Nebraska
DB Brian Peters Sr. Northwestern
DB Antonio Fenelus Sr. Wisconsin
First Team Special Teams
K Brett Maher Jr. Nebraska
P Brett Maher Jr. Nebraska
Position Player Class Team
Second Team Offense
QB Denard Robinson Jr. Michigan
RB Marcus Coker So. Iowa
RB Silas Redd So. Penn State
WR B.J. Cunningham Sr. Michigan State
WR Jeremy Ebert Sr. Northwestern
TE Jacob Pedersen So. Wisconsin
OT Jeff Allen Sr. Illinois
OG Spencer Long So. Nebraska
C David Molk Sr. Michigan
OG Travis Frederick So. Wisconsin
OT Mike Adams Sr. Ohio State
Second Team Defense
DL Michael Buchanan Jr. Illinois
DL Broderick Binns Sr. Iowa
DL Mike Martin Sr. Michigan
DL William Gholston So. Michigan State
DL John Simon Sr. Ohio State
LB Jonathan Brown Jr. Illinois
LB Denicos Allen So. Ohio State
LB Gerald Hodges Jr. Penn State
DB Micah Hyde Sr. Iowa
DB Johnny Adams Jr. Michigan State
DB Isaiah Lewis So. Michigan State
DB Nick Sukay Sr. Penn State
Second Team Special Teams
K Anthony Fera Sr. Penn State
P Cody Webster So. Purdue

HONORABLE MENTION: Illinois: Derek Dimke, Terry Hawthorne, Travon Wilson; Indiana: Mitch Ewald; Iowa: Mike Daniels, James Ferentz, Adam Gettis, Eric Guthrie, James Morris, Tyler Nielsen, Shaun Prater, Markus Zusevics; Michigan: Kenny Demens, J.T. Floyd, Kevin Koger, Jordan Kovacs, Taylor Lewan, Craig Roh, Fitzgerald Toussaint, Ryan Van Bergen; Michigan State: Le'Veon Bell, Max Bullough, Dan Conroy, Kirk Cousins, Darqueze Dennard, Brian Linthicum, Chris McDonald, Chris Norman, Kevin Pickelman, Marcus Rush; Minnesota: Chris Bunders, Kim Royston; Nebrsaka: Mike Caputo, Austin Cassidy, Will Compton, Ben Cotton, Marcel Jones, Cameron Meredith, Daimion Stafford, Baker Steinkuhler; Northwestern: Kain Colter, Jordan Mabin, Brian Mulroe, Al Netter, Dan Persa; Ohio State: C.J. Barnett, Mike Brewster, Johnathan Hankins, Jack Mewhort, Tyler Moeller, Andrew Norwell, Jake Stoneburner, Andrew Sweat; Penn State: Drew Astorino, Quinn Barham, Jack Crawford, Jordan Hill, D'Anton Lynn, Chima Okoli, Chaz Powell, Nate Stupar, Johnnie Troutman; Purdue: Ricardo Allen, Dwayne Beckford, Joe Holland, Dennis Kelly, Carson Wiggs; Wisconsin: Jared Abbrederis, Patrick Butrym, Aaron Henry, Brad Nortman, Nick Toon, Ricky Wagner, Philip Welch.

Bowl games

Big Ten Bowl Games
No. Game Date Location/Time* Television Big Ten Team+ Score Opponent+ Score Payout (US$) per team
1. Little Caesars Bowl Dec. 27, 2011 Ford Field
Detroit, Michigan
4:30 pm
ESPN Purdue (7–6) 37 Western Michigan (7–6) 32 $750,000
2. Insight Bowl Dec. 30, 2011 Sun Devil Stadium
Tempe, Arizona
10:00 pm
ESPN Iowa (7–5) 14 #19 Oklahoma (9–3) 31 $1,200,000
3. Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas Dec. 31, 2011 Reliant Stadium
Houston Texas
12:00 pm
ESPN Northwestern (6–6) 22 Texas A&M (6–6) 33 $1,700,000
4. Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl Dec. 31, 2011 AT&T Park
San Francisco, California
3:30 pm
ESPN Illinois (6–6) 20 UCLA (6–7) 14 $750,000-$825,000
5. TicketCity Bowl Jan. 2, 2012 Cotton Bowl
Dallas, Texas
12:00 pm
ESPNU #24 Penn State (9–3) 14 #20 Houston (12–1) 30 $1,200,000
6. Outback Bowl Jan. 2, 2012 Raymond James Stadium
Tampa, Florida
1:00 pm
ABC #12 Michigan State (10–3) 33 #18 Georgia (10–3) 30 $3,400,000
7. Capital One Bowl Jan. 2, 2012 Citrus Bowl
Orlando, Florida
1:00 pm
ESPN #21 Nebraska (9–3) 13 #10 South Carolina (10–2) 30 $4,250,000
8. TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl Jan. 2, 2012 EverBank Field
Jacksonville, Florida
1:00 pm
ESPN2 Ohio State (6–6) 17 Florida (6–6) 24 $2,500,000
9. Rose Bowl Jan. 2, 2012 Rose Bowl
Pasadena, California
5:10 pm
ESPN #9 Wisconsin (11–2) 38 #6 Oregon (11–2) 45 $18,000,000
10. Allstate Sugar Bowl Jan. 3, 2012 Mercedes-Benz Superdome
New Orleans, Louisiana
TBA
ESPN #13 Michigan (10–2) #17 Virginia Tech (11–2) $17,000,000
*Time given is Eastern Time (UTC-5).
+Winning team is bolded.
Rankings are AP.

Head coaches

Joe Paterno was fired as head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions on November 9 in the wake of the Penn State sex abuse scandal. Defensive coordinator Tom Bradley was named interim head coach for the remainder of the season.[4]

Notes

External links

References