1983 Big Ten Conference football season
Sports season
| 1983 Big Ten Conference football season | |
|---|---|
| League | NCAA Division I-A |
| Sport | Football |
| Number of teams | 10 |
| Top draft pick | Carl Banks |
| Champion | Illinois |
| Runners-up | Ohio State |
| Season MVP | Don Thorp |
| Top scorer | Keith Byars |
| Football seasons | |
← 1982 1984 → | |
| Conf | Overall | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 10 Illinois $ | 9 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 10 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 8 Michigan | 8 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 14 Iowa | 7 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 9 Ohio State | 6 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wisconsin | 5 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Purdue | 3 | – | 5 | – | 1 | 3 | – | 7 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Michigan State | 2 | – | 6 | – | 1 | 4 | – | 6 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indiana | 2 | – | 7 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 8 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northwestern | 2 | – | 7 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 9 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minnesota | 0 | – | 9 | – | 0 | 1 | – | 10 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1983 Big Ten Conference football season was the 88th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1983 NCAA Division I-A football season.
The 1983 Big Ten champion was Illinois. The Illini compiled a 10-2 record (9-0 against Big Ten opponents). They were led quarterback Jack Trudeau with 2,446 passing yards, running back Thomas Rooks with 842 rushing yards, and wide receiver David Williams with 870 receiving yards. The 1983 Illini are the only Big Ten team to go 9-0 in regular season conference play, until Wisconsin went 9-0 in 2017.[1]
Season overview
Results and team statistics
| Conf. Rank | Team | Head coach | AP final | AP high | Overall record | Conf. record | PPG | PAG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Illinois | Mike White | #10 | #4 | 10–2 | 9–0 | 28.9 | 17.8 |
| 2 | Michigan | Bo Schembechler | #8 | #6 | 9–3 | 8–1 | 29.6 | 13.3 |
| 3 | Iowa | Hayden Fry | #14 | #4 | 9–3 | 7–2 | 31.7 | 15.8 |
| 4 | Ohio State | Earle Bruce | #9 | #3 | 9–3 | 6–3 | 34.2 | 17.2 |
| 5 | Wisconsin | Dave McClain | NR | NR | 7–4 | 5–4 | 32.6 | 22.0 |
| 6 | Purdue | Leon Burtnett | NR | NR | 3–7–1 | 3–5–1 | 22.8 | 33.3 |
| 7 | Michigan State | George Perles | NR | NR | 4–6–1 | 2–6–1 | 14.7 | 21.2 |
| 8 (tie) | Indiana | Sam Wyche | NR | NR | 3–8 | 2–7 | 18.3 | 32.7 |
| 8 (tie) | Northwestern | Dennis Green | NR | NR | 2–9 | 2–7 | 9.2 | 36.2 |
| 10 | Minnesota | Joe Salem | NR | NR | 1–10 | 0–9 | 16.5 | 47.1 |
Key
AP final = Team's rank in the final AP Poll of the 1983 season[2]
AP high = Team's highest rank in the AP Poll throughout the 1983 season[2]
PPG = Average of points scored per game[2]
PAG = Average of points allowed per game[2]
Pre-season
Regular season
Bowl games
Four Big Ten teams played in bowl games as follows:
- Ohio State defeated Pittsburgh, 28-23, in the 1984 Fiesta Bowl in Tempe, Arizona
- Illinois lost to UCLA, 45-9, in the 1984 Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California
- Michigan lost to Auburn, 9-7, in the 1984 Sugar Bowl in New Orleans
- Iowa lost to Florida, 14-6, in the 1983 Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Florida.
Statistical leaders
The Big Ten's individual statistical leaders include the following:[2]
Passing yards1. Jack Trudeau, Illinois (2,446) Rushing yards1. Keith Byars, Ohio State (1,199) Receiving yards1. Dave Moritz, Iowa (912) Total offense1. Randy Wright, Wisconsin (2,418)
| Passing efficiency rating1. Chuck Long, Iowa (160.4) Rushing yards per attempt1. Steve Smith, Michigan (6.5) Yards per reception1. Ronnie Harmon, Iowa (22.0) Points scored1. Keith Byars, Ohio State (132) |
All-conference players
All-Americans
1984 NFL Draft
The 1984 NFL Draft was held May 1–2, 1984. The following Big Ten players were selected in the first round of the draft:[3]
| Name | Position | Team | Round | Overall pick |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carl Banks | Linebacker | Michigan State | 1 | 3 |
| John Alt | Offensive tackle | Iowa | 1 | 21 |
| William Roberts | Guard | Ohio State | 1 | 27 |
References
- ^ "2021 College Football Standings".
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "1983 Big Ten Conference Year Summary". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
- ^ "1984 NFL Draft: Full Draft". NFL.com. National Football League. Archived from the original on January 21, 2012. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
