| 1980 Big Ten Conference football season | |
|---|---|
| League | NCAA Division I-A |
| Sport | Football |
| Number of teams | 10 |
| Top draft pick | Mel Owens |
| Champion | Michigan |
| Runners-up | Ohio State, Purdue |
| Season MVP | Mark Herrmann |
| Top scorer | Vlade Janakievski |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 4 Michigan $ | 8 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 10 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 15 Ohio State | 7 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 17 Purdue | 7 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Iowa | 4 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minnesota | 4 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indiana | 3 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wisconsin | 3 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Illinois | 3 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 7 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Michigan State | 2 | – | 6 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 8 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northwestern | 0 | – | 9 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 11 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1980 Big Ten Conference football season was the 85th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1980 NCAA Division I-A football season.
The 1980 Big Ten champion was Michigan. The Wolverines lost two of their first three games but went undefeated thereafter, culminating in a 23–6 victory over the Washington Huskies in the 1981 Rose Bowl (the program's first bowl victory under head coach Bo Schembechler). Michigan was ranked No. 4 in the final AP Poll, led the Big Ten in scoring defense (10.8 points per game), and did not allow a touchdown in the final 22 quarters of the season. Schembechler was selected as the Big Ten Coach of the Year.
The Ohio State Buckeyes started the season ranked No. 1 in the AP Poll, but finished the season ranked No. 15 after compiling a 9–3 record and losing to Penn State in the 1980 Fiesta Bowl. The Buckeyes led the conference in scoring offense with 32.3 points per game.
The Purdue Boilermakers finished the season tied with Ohio State for second place in the conference and were ranked No. 17 in the final AP Poll. During the 1980 season, Purdue quarterback Mark Herrmann became the first player in college football history to compile more than 9,000 career passing yards. Hermann also won the Chicago Tribune Silver Football as the most valuable player in the conference.
Mark Herrmann and Purdue teammate Dave Young, a tight end, were the only two Big Ten players to be recognized as consensus first-team players on the 1980 College Football All-America Team. The conference's statistical leaders included Hermann with 3,212 passing yards, Ohio State's Calvin Murray with 1,267 rushing yards, and Ohio State placekicker Vlade Janakievski with 90 points scored. Michigan linebacker Mel Owens was the only Big Ten player selected in the first round of the 1981 NFL draft, going to the Los Angeles Rams with the ninth pick.
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