Record: 74-56, .569 W-L% (2nd of 11) (Schedule and Results)
SRS: 7.94 (1st of 11) ▪ SOS: 5.58 (1st of 11)
Conference Champion: Northwestern and Ohio State
Ranked in Preseason AP Poll: 5 (Iowa, Michigan, Northwestern, Ohio State and Penn State)
Ranked in Final AP Poll: 5 (Iowa, Michigan, Northwestern, Ohio State and Penn State)
| Rk | Coach | School | W | L | Pct | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John Cooper | Ohio State | 11 | 1 | .917 | |
| 2 | Joe Paterno | Penn State | 11 | 2 | .846 | |
| 3 | Gary Barnett | Northwestern | 9 | 3 | .750 | |
| 4 | Hayden Fry | Iowa | 9 | 3 | .750 | |
| 5 | Lloyd Carr | Michigan | 8 | 4 | .667 | |
| 6 | Barry Alvarez | Wisconsin | 8 | 5 | .615 | |
| 7 | Nick Saban | Michigan State | 6 | 6 | .500 | |
| 8 | Jim Wacker | Minnesota | 4 | 7 | .364 | |
| 9 | Jim Colletto | Purdue | 3 | 8 | .273 | |
| 10 | Bill Mallory | Indiana | 3 | 8 | .273 | |
| 11 | Lou Tepper | Illinois | 2 | 9 | .182 |