2014 Big Ten Conference football season

2014 Big Ten Conference football season
LeagueNCAA Division I FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision)
SportFootball
DurationAugust 28, 2014
through January 2015
Number of teams14
TV partner(s)ABC, ESPN2, ESPN Inc., Big Ten Network, FOX (championship game)
2015 NFL Draft
Top draft pickBrandon Scherff (Iowa)
Picked byWashington Redskins, 5th overall
Regular season
Season MVPMelvin Gordon
Top scorerMelvin Gordon (192 points)
East Division championsOhio State
West Division championsWisconsin
Championship Game
ChampionsOhio State
  Runners-upWisconsin
Finals MVPCardale Jones (QB), Ohio State
Football seasons
← 2013
2015 →
2014 Big Ten Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
East Division
No. 1 Ohio State x$#^   8 0     14 1  
No. T–5 Michigan State   7 1     11 2  
Maryland   4 4     7 6  
Rutgers   3 5     8 5  
Michigan   3 5     5 7  
Penn State   2 6     7 6  
Indiana   1 7     4 8  
West Division
No. 13 Wisconsin x   7 1     11 3  
Minnesota   5 3     8 5  
Nebraska   5 3     9 4  
Iowa   4 4     7 6  
Illinois   3 5     6 7  
Northwestern   3 5     5 7  
Purdue   1 7     3 9  
Championship: Ohio State 59, Wisconsin 0
  • # – College Football Playoff champion
  • ^ – College Football Playoff participant
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2014 Big Ten Conference football season was the 119th season of college football play for the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 2014 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The conference began its season on Thursday, August 28, as Minnesota and Rutgers opened their seasons. The remainder of the teams in the conference began their season on August 30.

This was the Big Ten's first season with 14 teams as Maryland and Rutgers joined the conference. It was also the first season with the two seven-team divisions; when Maryland and Rutgers joined, the conference reorganized its divisions on a pure geographic basis. The six schools in the Central Time Zone were joined by Purdue in the new West Division, with the other schools making up the East Division. Under the new setup, the only protected cross-division rivalry game will be Indiana–Purdue.[1]

Ohio State routed Wisconsin, 59–0, to win 2014 Big Ten Football Championship Game in Indianapolis. The Buckeyes then advanced to the first ever College Football Playoff where they defeated Alabama in the Sugar Bowl semifinal game and then defeated Oregon in the 2015 College Football Playoff National Championship to claim their eighth national championship in school history.

For the first time in several years, the Big Ten finished the season with two consensus top-five teams. In addition to Ohio State's consensus national title, Michigan State finished the season as the consensus #5 team in the nation.

  1. ^ McMurphy, Brett; Rittenberg, Adam (April 19, 2013). "Sources: Big Ten to realign divisions". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 19, 2013.