1984 Big Ten Conference football season

1984 Big Ten Conference football season
SportAmerican football
Number of teams10
TV partner(s)ABC, CBS, PASS, SportsVision
Top draft pickKevin Allen
ChampionOhio State
  Runners-upIllinois, Purdue
Season MVPKeith Byars
Seasons
← 1983
1985 →
1984 Big Ten Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 13 Ohio State $ 7 2 0 9 3 0
Illinois 6 3 0 7 4 0
Purdue 6 3 0 7 5 0
No. 16 Iowa 5 3 1 8 4 1
Wisconsin 5 3 1 7 4 1
Michigan State 5 4 0 6 6 0
Michigan 5 4 0 6 6 0
Minnesota 3 6 0 4 7 0
Northwestern 2 7 0 2 9 0
Indiana 0 9 0 0 11 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1984 Big Ten Conference football season was the 89th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1984 NCAA Division I-A football season.

The 1984 Ohio State Buckeyes football team, under head coach Earle Bruce, compiled a 9–3 record, won the Big Ten championship, led the conference in scoring offense (32.6 points per game), lost the 1985 Rose Bowl to USC, and was ranked No. 13 in the final AP poll. Running back Keith Byars set a Big Ten record with 1,764 rushing yards, won the Chicago Tribune Silver Football as the Big Ten's most valuable player, was selected as a consensus All-American, and finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting. Offensive guard Jim Lachey was also selected as a consensus All-American.

The 1984 Iowa Hawkeyes football team, under head coach Hayden Fry, compiled an 8–4–1 record, led the conference in scoring defense (15.5 points allowed per game), defeated Texas in the 1984 Freedom Bowl, and was ranked No. 15 in the final UPI poll. Linebacker Larry Station was a consensus All-American. Chuck Long was the first-team All-Big Ten quarterback and led the conference with a 156.4 passing efficiency rating, and Ronnie Harmon was a first-team All-Big Ten running back.

The 1984 Illinois Fighting Illini football team, under head coach Mike White, compiled a 7–3 record and finished in a tie for second place in the Big Ten. Wide receiver David Williams set Big Ten records with 101 receptions and 1,278 receiving yards and was a consensus All-American.

The 1984 Purdue Boilermakers football team compiled a 7–5 record, tied with Illinois for second place in the Big Ten, and lost to Virginia in the 1984 Peach Bowl. Leon Burtnett was named Big Ten Coach of the Year, and quarterback Jim Everett led the conference with 3,256 passing yards.

Six Big Ten teams played in bowl games, compiling a 1–5 record in those games.