1981 Ohio State Buckeyes football team

1981 Ohio State Buckeyes football
1981 Ohio State Buckeyes football
Big Ten co-champion; Liberty Bowl champion
Liberty Bowl, W 31–28 vs. Navy
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 12
AP	No. 15
Record	9–3 (6–2 Big Ten)
Head coach	Earle Bruce (3rd season);
Offensive coordinator	Glen Mason (2nd season)
Defensive coordinator	Dennis Fryzel (3rd season)
MVP	Art Schlichter
Captains	Glen Cobb; Art Schlichter;
Home stadium	Ohio Stadium
	Seasons ← 1980 1982 →

1981 Big Ten Conference football standings
v t e	Conf.					Overall
Team	W		L		T	W		L		T
No. 15 Ohio State +	6	–	2	–	0	9	–	3	–	0
No. 18 Iowa +	6	–	2	–	0	8	–	4	–	0
No. 12 Michigan	6	–	3	–	0	9	–	3	–	0
Illinois	6	–	3	–	0	7	–	4	–	0
Wisconsin	6	–	3	–	0	7	–	5	–	0
Minnesota	4	–	5	–	0	6	–	5	–	0
Michigan State	4	–	5	–	0	5	–	6	–	0
Purdue	3	–	6	–	0	5	–	6	–	0
Indiana	3	–	6	–	0	3	–	8	–	0
Northwestern	0	–	9	–	0	0	–	11	–	0

+ – Conference co-champions Rankings from AP Poll

The 1981 Ohio State Buckeyes football team was an American football team represented the Ohio State University as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 1981 Big Ten season. In their third season under head coach Earle Bruce, the Buckeyes compiled a 9–3 record (6–2 in conference games), tied with Iowa for the Big Ten championship, and outscored opponents by a total of 356 to 225. They concluded the season with a 31–28 victory over Navy in the 1981 Liberty Bowl.^[1]

The team's statistical leaders included:

Quarterback Art Schlichter ranked third in the conference with 2,551 passing yards and 2,509 total yards and fifth with a 52.3 pass completion percentage.^[2]
Running back Tim Spencer led the conference with 12 rushing touchdowns and ranked second with 1,217 rushing yards and 1,427 yards from scrimmage.^[2]
Wide receiver Gary Williams ranked third in the conference with 50 receptions and fourth with 941 receiving yards.^[2]
Placekicker Bob Atha led the conference with 88 points scored and 44 extra points made and ranked second with 13 field goals made and a 68.4% field goal percentage.^[2]

The team played its home games at Ohio Stadium in Columbus Ohio.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 12	1:30 p.m.	Duke*	No. 11	Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH		W 34–13	86,266	^[3]
September 19	1:30 p.m.	Michigan State	No. 8	Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH		W 27–13	87,084	^[4]
September 26	4:30 p.m.	at Stanford*	No. 8	Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA		W 24–19	76,102	^[5]
October 3	1:30 p.m.	Florida State*	No. 7	Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH		L 27–36	87,158	^[6]
October 10	2:30 p.m.	at Wisconsin	No. 18	Camp Randall Stadium Madison, WI		L 21–24	78,973	^[7]
October 17	1:30 p.m.	Illinois		Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH (Illibuck)		W 34–27	87,158	^[8]
October 24	1:30 p.m.	Indiana		Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH		W 29-10	87,182	^[9]
October 31	12:30 p.m.	at Purdue		Ross–Ade Stadium West Lafayette, IN	ABC	W 45–33	69,927	^[10]
November 7	2:00 p.m.	at Minnesota	No. 18	Memorial Stadium Minneapolis, MN		L 31–35	42,793	^[11]
November 14	1:30 p.m.	Northwestern		Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH		W 70–6	86,912	^[12]
November 21	12:30 p.m.	at No. 7 Michigan		Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI (rivalry)	ABC	W 14–9	106,043	^[13]
December 30	8:00 p.m.	vs. Navy*	No. 15	Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Memphis, TN (Liberty Bowl)	USA	W 31–28	43,216	^[14]
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

^[15]

Game summaries

Duke

Michigan State

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Michigan St	0	0	7	6	13
• Ohio St	7	10	0	10	27

Date: September 12
Location: Ohio Stadium
Game attendance: 87,084

Stanford

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
• Ohio State	0	17	7	0	24
Stanford	3	3	0	13	19

Date: September 26
Location: Stanford Stadium • Palo Alto, California
Television network: ESPN

Florida State

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
• Florida St	10	13	13	0	36
Ohio State	7	14	0	6	27

Date: October 3
Location: Ohio Stadium • Columbus, Ohio
Television network: USA

^[16]

Wisconsin

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Ohio St	7	7	0	7	21
• Wisconsin	0	17	0	7	24

Date: October 10
Location: Camp Randall Stadium
Game attendance: 78,973

Illinois

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Illinois	10	10	7	0	27
• Ohio St	21	3	7	3	34

Date: October 17
Location: Ohio Stadium

Indiana

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Indiana	7	3	0	0	10
• Ohio St	3	9	14	3	29

Date: October 24
Location: Ohio Stadium
Game attendance: 87,182

At Purdue

Ohio State Buckeyes (5–2) at Purdue Boilermakers (5–2)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Ohio St	0	17	7	21	45
Purdue	7	7	6	13	33

at Ross–Ade Stadium, West Lafayette, Indiana

Date: October 31, 1981
Game time: 12:30 p.m.
Game weather: Partly sunny, 66 °F (19 °C)
Game attendance: 69,927
Referee: Jerry Hendrickson
TV announcers (ABC): Al Michaels and Ara Parseghian
Box Score

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Ohio St	Passing	Art Schlichter	19/33, 336 Yds, 3 TD, INT
	Rushing	Tim Spencer	22 Rush, 95 Yds, TD
	Receiving	Gary Williams	7 Rec, 126 Yds
Purdue	Passing	Scott Campbell	31/52, 516 Yds, 3 TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Jimmy Smith	11 Rush, 33 Yds
	Receiving	Steve Bryant	10 Rec, 195 Yds, 2 TD

Scoring summary

Quarter	Time	Drive			Team	Scoring information	Score
Quarter	Time	Plays	Yards	TOP	Team	Scoring information	OSU	PU
1	3:11	10	71	3:40	Purdue	Cliff Benson 11-yard touchdown reception from Scott Campbell, Tim Clark kick good	0	7
2	11:24	6	32	2:46	Ohio St	53-yard field goal by Bob Atha	3	7
2	8:45	2	16	0:42	Ohio St	Art Schlichter 14-yard touchdown run, Bob Atha kick good	10	7
2	6:58	1	47	0:07	Ohio St	Cedric Anderson 47-yard touchdown reception from Art Schlichter, Bob Atha kick good	17	7
2	4:38	5	70	2:20	Purdue	Steve Bryant 32-yard touchdown reception from Scott Campbell, Tim Clark kick good	17	14
3	12:24	7	80	2:36	Purdue	26-yard field goal by Tim Clark	17	17
3	10:45	9	83	1:39	Ohio St	Jim Gayle 2-yard touchdown run, Bob Atha kick good	24	17
3	2:04	6	59	1:26	Purdue	38-yard field goal by Tim Clark	24	20
4	14:45	9	75	2:19	Ohio St	Tim Spencer 2-yard touchdown run, Bob Atha kick good	31	20
4	14:32	1	23	0:05	Ohio St	Cedric Anderson 23-yard touchdown reception from Art Schlichter, Bob Atha kick good	38	20
4	9:10	15	71	5:22	Purdue	Wally Jones 1-yard touchdown run, 2-point pass failed	38	26
4	7:12	2	8	0:09	Purdue	Steve Bryant 4-yard touchdown reception from Scott Campbell, Tim Clark kick good	38	33
4	2:19	5	62	1:44	Ohio St	John Frank 29-yard touchdown reception from Art Schlichter, Bob Atha kick good	45	33
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football.							45	33

Minnesota

Ohio State Buckeyes at Minnesota Golden Gophers

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Ohio St	14	7	7	3	31
Minnesota	0	7	14	14	35

at Memorial Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Date: November 7
Game time: 1:00 p.m.
Game weather: Clear, 64 °F (18 °C)
Game attendance: 42,793
Referee: Glenn Fortin
Box Score

Game information

First quarter

OSU – John Frank 7-yard pass from Art Schlichter (Bob Atha kick), 5:33. Ohio St 7–0. Drive: 8 plays, 76 yards.
OSU – Tim Spencer 73-yard run (Bob Atha kick), 0:00. Ohio St 14–0. Drive: 2 plays, 80 yards, 0:10.

Second quarter

MINN – Todd Hallstrom 1-yard pass from Mike Hohensee (Jim Gallery kick), 9:53. Ohio St 14–7. Drive: 11 plays, 80 yards, 5:07.
OSU – Tim Spencer 2-yard run (Bob Atha kick), 7:39. Ohio St 21–7. Drive: 6 plays, 74 yards, 2:14.

Third quarter

MINN – Jay Carroll 27-yard pass from Mike Hohensee (Jim Gallery kick), 11:25. Ohio St 21–14. Drive: 12 plays, 64 yards, 2:35.
MINN – Frank Jacobs 17-yard pass from Mike Hohensee (Jim Gallery kick), 8:34. Tie 21–21. Drive: 4 plays, 36 yards, 1:20.
OSU – Art Schlichter 1-yard run (Bob Atha kick), 0:30. Ohio St 28–21. Drive: 9 plays, 57 yards, 3:39.

Fourth quarter

OSU – Bob Atha 31-yard field goal, 8:18. Ohio St 31–21. Drive: 4 plays, 27 yards, 1:13.
MINN – Jay Carroll 18-yard pass from Mike Hohensee (Jim Gallery kick), 6:56. Ohio St 31–28. Drive: 5 plays, 68 yards, 1:23.
MINN – Jay Carroll 28-yard pass from Mike Hohensee (Jim Gallery kick), 2:38. Minnesota 35–31. Drive: 5 plays, 40 yards, 1:03

Top passers

OSU – Art Schlichter – 13/33, 169 yards, TD, INT
MINN – Mike Hohensee – 37/67, 444 yards, 5 TD, INT

Top rushers

OSU – Tim Spencer – 16 rushes, 135 yards, 2 TD
MINN – Tony Hunter – 6 rushes, 19 yards

Top receivers

OSU – Gary Williams – 4 receptions, 72 yards
MINN – Chester Cooper – 12 receptions, 182 yards

Northwestern

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Northwestern	0	6	0	0	6
• Ohio St	7	28	28	7	70

Date: November 14
Location: Ohio Stadium
Game attendance: 86,916

Michigan

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
• Ohio State	0	7	0	7	14
Michigan	3	0	6	0	9

Date: November 21
Location: Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, Michigan
Game attendance: 106,043
TV announcers (ABC): Al Michaels and Lee Grosscup

Liberty Bowl

1981 Liberty Bowl

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
• Ohio State	10	7	7	7	31
Navy	7	6	7	8	28

Date: December 30
Location: Liberty Bowl • Memphis, Tennessee

Personnel

Coaching staff

Earle Bruce – Head Coach (3rd year)
Dennis Fryzel – Defensive Coordinator (3rd year)
Glen Mason – Offensive Coordinator (4th year)
Bill Myles – Offensive Line (5th year)
Nick Saban – Defensive Backs (2nd year)
Wayne Stanley – Running Backs (3rd year)
Steve Szabo – Defensive Line (3rd year)
Bob Tucker – Defensive Outside Linebackers (3rd year)
Fred Zechman – Quarterbacks/Receivers (3rd year)

Roster

1981 Ohio State Buckeyes football team roster

Players

Coaches

Offense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
QB	`1`	Robert Atha	Sr
QB	`4`	James Karsatos	Fr
QB	`6`	Timothy Stephens	So
QB	`9`	Gary Alders	Fr
QB	`10`	Arthur Schlichter	Sr
QB	`13`	Walter Norley	Fr
FB	`32`	Timothy Spencer	Jr
FB	`38`	Vaughn Broadnax	So
FB	`42`	Craig Dunn	Jr
TB	`46`	Brien Smith	Jr
C	`50`	James DeLeone	Sr
C	`52`	Bernhard Brown	Jr
C	`53`	Craig Pack	Jr
TB	`54`	Timothy O'Cain	Fr
G	`56`	Steven Simpson	Jr
C	`58`	Joseph Apke	So
C	`59`	Gary Burris	Jr
G	`60`	Richard Czyzynski	Fr
G	`61`	David Medich	Sr
G	`63`	Kirk Lowdermilk	Fr
G	`67`	Donte Wheat	Fr
G	`69`	Scott Zalenski	So
C	`72`	John Lucente	Fr
OT	`73`	Mark Krerowicz	Fr
SE	`74`	Gary Williams	Jr
OT	`75`	Rory Graves	Fr
OT	`76`	Steven Corbin	Jr
OT	`77`	James Carson	So
OT	`78`	Joseph Dooley	So
G	`79`	Michael Palahnuk	Jr
SE	`80`	Jeffrey McCarthy	Jr
TE	`81`	Brad Dowelie	Jr
TE	`84`	Russell Gatewood	Jr
TE	`85`	L. Judson Groza	So
OLB	`86`	Ben Lee	Sr
SE	`88`	Thad Jemison	So
TE	`89`	John Frank	So
OT	`90`	Joseph Smith	Jr
DT	`95`	Larry Phillips	Jr
DT	`97`	David Crecelius	Fr
MG	`99`	Nicholas Miller	Sr

Defense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
ROV	`27`	Douglas Hill	So
LB	`33`	Larry Kolic	Fr
CB	`34`	Jay Holland	Fr
LB	`35`	Glen Cobb	Jr
OLB	`37`	Orlando Lowry	So
OLB	`39`	Robert Manning	Sr
CB	`41`	Mark Eberts	Jr
CB	`43`	James Palmer	Fr
ROV	`44`	Rowland Tatum	So
CB	`47`	Thomas Anthony	Jr
OLB	`48`	Anthony Griggs	Sr
S	`49`	Douglas Smith	Fr
DT	`57`	David Morrill	Fr
DT	`62`	Alan Balen	Sr
OT	`64`	James Lachey	Fr
LB	`66`	Richard Czyzynski	So
DT	`68`	John Sullivan	Fr
OT	`70`	Larry Roberts	Jr
MG	`71`	Scott Burrows	Jr
C	`72`	John Lucente	Fr
OT	`73`	Mark Krerowicz	Fr
OT	`75`	Rory Graves	Fr
OT	`77`	James Carson	So
OT	`78`	Joseph Dooley	So
G	`79`	Michael Palahnuk	Jr
SE	`80`	Jeffrey McCarthy	Jr
TE	`81`	Brad Dowelie	Jr
OB	`82`	Michael Tomczak	Jr
TE	`84`	Russell Gatewood	Jr
TE	`85`	L. Judson Grola	So
OLB	`86`	Ben Lee	Sr
OT	`87`	Rory Graves	Fr
SE	`88`	Thad Jemison	So
TE	`89`	John Frank	So
OT	`90`	Joseph Smith	Jr
DT	`91`	James Gilmore	Fr
MG	`92`	Mark Hocevar	So
DT	`93`	Larry Phillips	Fr
LB	`94`	Joseph Berner	Jr
DT	`95`	Larry Phillips	Jr
DT	`96`	Michael D’Andrea	Sr
DT	`97`	David Crecelius	Fr
DE	`98`	Michael D’Andrea	Sr
MG	`99`	Nicholas Miller	Sr

Special teams

Pos.	#	Name	Class
PK	`19`	William Andrews	Jr
P	`5`	Karl Edwards	So

Head coach

Earle Bruce

Coordinators/assistant coaches

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible

Injured
Redshirt

Depth chart

Defense

FS
Garcia Lane
⋅

ROLB	ILB	ILB	LOLB
Anthony Griggs	Glen Cobb	Marcus Marek	Mike D’Andrea
Ben Lee	⋅	⋅	Orlando Lowry

ROV
Doug Hill
Rowland Tatum

CB
Shaun Gayle
Jeff Cisco

DE	NT	DE
Chris Riehm	Nick Miller	Jerome Foster
⋅	Spencer Nelms	⋅

CB
Kelvin Bell
Mark Eberts

Offense

SE
Gary Williams
Thad Jemison

LT	LG	C	RG	RT
William Roberts	Scott Zalenski	Jim DeLeone	Joe Lukens	Joe Smith
Jim Lachey	⋅	Kirk Lowdermilk	⋅	Jim Carson

TE
John Frank
Brad Dwelle

FL
Cedric Anderson
⋅

QB
Art Schlichter
Mike Tomczak

FB
Vaughn Broadnax
⋅

Special teams
PK Bob Atha
P Gary Alders
P Karl Edwards

RB
Tim Spencer
Jimmy Gayle

^[17]

1982 NFL draftees

Player	Round	Pick	Position	NFL club
Art Schlichter	1	4	Quarterback	Baltimore Colts
Anthony Griggs	4	105	Linebacker	Philadelphia Eagles
Bob Atha	12	317	Kicker	St. Louis Cardinals

References

↑ "1981 Ohio State Buckeyes Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 1, 2025.
1 2 3 4 "1981 Big Ten Conference Year Summary". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 19, 2016.
↑ "Buckeyes inconsistent in win". The Akron Beacon Journal. September 13, 1981. Retrieved January 28, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
↑ "OSU flies 27–13". St. Petersburg Times. September 20, 1981. Retrieved November 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
↑ "Ohio State, Schlichter beat Stanford, Elway". Chicago Tribune. September 27, 1981. Retrieved November 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
↑ "Passing marks fall; so do Buckeyes". The Akron Beacon Journal. October 4, 1981. Retrieved November 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
↑ "Wisconsin numbs Ohio State 24–21". News Journal. October 11, 1981. Retrieved November 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
↑ "Ohio State survives air assault by Illini". The Plain Dealer. October 18, 1981. Retrieved November 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
↑ "Atha boots Bucks past Indiana, 29–10". The Cincinnati Enquirer. October 25, 1981. Retrieved November 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
↑ "Buckeyes take Big Ten lead". The Akron Beacon Journal. November 1, 1981. Retrieved November 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
↑ "Minnesota's passing devastates Bucks". Springfield News-Sun. November 8, 1981. Retrieved November 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
↑ "Bucks bomb Wildcats in 'Big Game' tuneup". The Marion Star. November 15, 1981. Retrieved November 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
↑ "U-M goes down". Lansing State Journal. November 22, 1981. Retrieved November 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
↑ "Navy's hit by a Gayle (Jimmy)". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. December 31, 1981. Retrieved November 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
↑ "1981 Ohio State Buckeyes Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 3, 2024.
↑ "Florida State University Official Athletic Site - Football". Archived from the original on April 27, 2014. Retrieved April 27, 2014.
↑ 1982 Ohio State Football Media Guide

[1] "1981 Ohio State Buckeyes Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 1, 2025.

[B10-2] 1 2 3 4 "1981 Big Ten Conference Year Summary". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 19, 2016.

[3] "Buckeyes inconsistent in win". The Akron Beacon Journal. September 13, 1981. Retrieved January 28, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

[4] "OSU flies 27–13". St. Petersburg Times. September 20, 1981. Retrieved November 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

[5] "Ohio State, Schlichter beat Stanford, Elway". Chicago Tribune. September 27, 1981. Retrieved November 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

[6] "Passing marks fall; so do Buckeyes". The Akron Beacon Journal. October 4, 1981. Retrieved November 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

[7] "Wisconsin numbs Ohio State 24–21". News Journal. October 11, 1981. Retrieved November 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

[8] "Ohio State survives air assault by Illini". The Plain Dealer. October 18, 1981. Retrieved November 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

[9] "Atha boots Bucks past Indiana, 29–10". The Cincinnati Enquirer. October 25, 1981. Retrieved November 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

[10] "Buckeyes take Big Ten lead". The Akron Beacon Journal. November 1, 1981. Retrieved November 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

[11] "Minnesota's passing devastates Bucks". Springfield News-Sun. November 8, 1981. Retrieved November 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

[12] "Bucks bomb Wildcats in 'Big Game' tuneup". The Marion Star. November 15, 1981. Retrieved November 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

[13] "U-M goes down". Lansing State Journal. November 22, 1981. Retrieved November 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

[14] "Navy's hit by a Gayle (Jimmy)". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. December 31, 1981. Retrieved November 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

[15] "1981 Ohio State Buckeyes Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 3, 2024.

[16] "Florida State University Official Athletic Site - Football". Archived from the original on April 27, 2014. Retrieved April 27, 2014.

[RecordBook-17] 1982 Ohio State Football Media Guide

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]


1	Stanford	Mark Harmon 25-yard field goal	Stanford 3-0

2	OSU	Shaun Gayle 1-yard run (Atha kick)	OSU 7-3

2	Stanford	Mark Harmon 39-yard field goal)	OSU 7-6

2	OSU	Robert Atha 45-yard field goal	OSU 10-6

2	OSU	Brad Dwelle 5-yard pass from Art Schlichter (Atha kick)	OSU 17-6

3	OSU	Brad Dwelle 7-yard pass from Art Schlicther (Atha kick)	OSU 24-6

4	Stanford	Donald Lonslinger 4-yard pass from John Elway (pass failed)	OSU 24-12

4	Stanford	Michael Tolliver 23-yard pass from John Elway (Harmon kick)	OSU 24-19


1	MICH	Ali Haji-Sheikh 19-yard field goal	MICH 3-0

2	OSU	Art Schlichter 1-yard run (Robert Atha kick)	OSU 7-3

3	MICH	Ali Haji-Sheikh 26-yard field goal	OSU 7-6

3	MICH	Ali Haji-Sheikh 24-yard field goal	MICH 9-7

4	OSU	Art Schlichter 6-yard run (Robert Atha kick)	OSU 14-9

v t e Ohio State Buckeyes football
Venues	Recreation Park (1890–1897) Ohio Field (1898–1921) Ohio Stadium (1922–present) Woody Hayes Athletic Center (practice)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Illinois: Illibuck Michigan (The Ten Year War) Penn State
Culture & lore	History Block O Brutus Buckeye "Across the Field" "Buckeye Battle Cry" "Carmen Ohio" "Hang On Sloopy" Marching band Neutron Man The Ten Year War Snow Bowl (1950) 1969 Michigan game 1973 Michigan game The Kick Holy Buckeye 2005 Texas game 2006 Michigan game 2016 Penn State game Ohio State University football scandal
Media	WBNS-TV WBNS WBNS-FM Ohio State Sports Network
People	Head coaches All-Century Team NFL draftees Starting quarterbacks Statistical leaders
Seasons	1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026
National championship seasons in bold

v t e Big Ten Conference football champions
Western Conference	Wisconsin (1896) Wisconsin (1897) Michigan (1898) Chicago (1899) Iowa & Minnesota (1900) Michigan & Wisconsin (1901) Michigan (1902) Michigan, Minnesota, & Northwestern (1903) Michigan & Minnesota (1904) Chicago (1905) Michigan, Minnesota, & Wisconsin (1906) Chicago (1907) Chicago (1908) Minnesota (1909) Illinois & Minnesota (1910) Minnesota (1911) Wisconsin (1912) Chicago (1913) Illinois (1914) Illinois & Minnesota (1915) Ohio State (1916)
Big Ten	Ohio State (1917) Illinois, Michigan, & Purdue (1918) Illinois (1919) Ohio State (1920) Iowa (1921) Chicago, Iowa, & Michigan (1922) Illinois & Michigan (1923) Chicago (1924) Michigan (1925) Michigan & Northwestern (1926) Illinois & Minnesota (1927) Illinois (1928) Purdue (1929) Michigan & Northwestern (1930) Purdue, Michigan & Northwestern (1931) Michigan & Purdue (1932) Michigan & Minnesota (1933) Minnesota (1934) Minnesota & Ohio State (1935) Northwestern (1936) Minnesota (1937) Minnesota (1938) Ohio State (1939) Minnesota (1940) Minnesota (1941) Ohio State (1942) Michigan & Purdue (1943) Ohio State (1944) Indiana (1945)
Big Nine	Illinois (1946) Michigan (1947) Michigan (1948) Michigan & Ohio State (1949)
Big Ten	Michigan (1950) Illinois (1951) Purdue & Wisconsin (1952) Illinois & Michigan State (1953) Ohio State (1954) Ohio State (1955) Iowa (1956) Ohio State (1957) Iowa (1958) Wisconsin (1959) Minnesota & Iowa (1960) Ohio State (1961) Wisconsin (1962) Illinois (1963) Michigan (1964) Michigan State (1965) Michigan State (1966) Indiana, Minnesota, Purdue (1967) Ohio State (1968) Michigan & Ohio State (1969) Ohio State (1970) Michigan (1971) Michigan & Ohio State (1972) Michigan & Ohio State (1973) Michigan & Ohio State (1974) Ohio State (1975) Michigan & Ohio State (1976) Michigan & Ohio State (1977) Michigan & Michigan State (1978) Ohio State (1979) Michigan (1980) Iowa & Ohio State (1981) Michigan (1982) Illinois (1983) Ohio State (1984) Iowa (1985) Michigan & Ohio State (1986) Michigan State (1987) Michigan (1988) Michigan (1989) Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, & Michigan State (1990) Michigan (1991) Michigan (1992) Ohio State & Wisconsin (1993) Penn State (1994) Northwestern (1995) Ohio State & Northwestern (1996) Michigan (1997) Michigan, Ohio State, & Wisconsin (1998) Wisconsin (1999) Michigan, Northwestern, & Purdue (2000) Illinois (2001) Ohio State & Iowa (2002) Michigan (2003) Iowa & Michigan (2004) Ohio State & Penn State (2005) Ohio State (2006) Ohio State (2007) Ohio State & Penn State (2008) Ohio State (2009) Michigan State & Wisconsin (2010) Wisconsin (2011) Wisconsin (2012) Michigan State (2013) Ohio State (2014) Michigan State (2015) Penn State (2016) Ohio State (2017) Ohio State (2018) Ohio State (2019) Ohio State (2020) Michigan (2021) Michigan (2022) Michigan (2023) Oregon (2024) Indiana (2025)
National championships in bold