1953 Big Ten Conference football season

1953 Big Ten Conference football season
SportAmerican football
Number of teams10
Top draft pickStan Wallace
ChampionMichigan State
  Runners-upIllinois
Season MVPPaul Giel
Football seasons
← 1952
1954 →
1953 Big Ten Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 3 Michigan State + 5 1 0 9 1 0
No. 7 Illinois + 5 1 0 7 1 1
No. 15 Wisconsin 4 1 1 6 2 1
Ohio State 4 3 0 6 3 0
Minnesota 3 3 1 4 4 1
No. 20 Michigan 3 3 0 6 3 0
No. 9 Iowa 3 3 0 5 3 1
Purdue 2 4 0 2 7 0
Indiana 1 5 0 2 7 0
Northwestern 0 6 0 3 6 0
  • + – Conference co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1953 Big Ten Conference football season was the 58th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference (also known as the Western Conference) and was a part of the 1953 college football season.

The 1953 Michigan State Spartans football team, under head coach Clarence Munn, won the Big Ten championship in the program's first year of participating in the Big Ten. The Spartans compiled a 9–1 record and was ranked No. 3 in the final AP and UPI polls. End Don Dohoney was a consensus first-team All-American. Halfback Leroy Bolden was selected as the team's most valuable player.

The 1953 Illinois Fighting Illini football team, under head coach Ray Eliot, finished in second place in the Big Ten with a 7–1–1, led the conference with 25.3 points allowed per game, and was ranked No. 7 in the final AP Poll. Halfback J. C. Caroline was a consensus first-team All-American.

Minnesota quarterback Paul Giel was a consensus first-team All-American and received the Chicago Tribune Silver Football trophy as the Big Ten's most valuable player for the second consecutive year.