The 1977 Big Ten Conference football season was the 82nd season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1977 NCAA Division I football season.
The 1977 Michigan Wolverines football team, under head coach Bo Schembechler, compiled a 10–2 record, tied for the Big Ten championship, led the conference in scoring offense (29.4 points per games), lost to Washington in the 1978 Rose Bowl, and was ranked No. 9 in the final AP Poll and No. 8 in the final UPI Poll. Rick Leach totaled 1,109 passing yards and 370 rushing yards and finished eighth in the voting for the Heisman Trophy. Russell Davis led the team with 1,013 rushing yards and finished second in the voting for the Chicago Tribune Silver Football. Three Michigan players received first-team honors on the 1977 College Football All-America Team: (1) offensive guard Mark Donahue (consensus); (2) center Walt Downing; and (3) linebacker John Anderson.
The 1977 Ohio State Buckeyes football team, under head coach Woody Hayes, compiled a 9–3 record, tied with Michigan for the Big Ten championship, led the conference in scoring defense (10.0 points allowed per game), lost to Alabama in the 1978 Sugar Bowl, and was ranked No. 11 in the AP Poll. Ron Springs led the conference with 1,166 rushing yards. Four Ohio State players received first-team All-America honors: offensive tackle Chris Ward (consensus); linebacker Tom Cousineau (consensus); middle guard Aaron Brown; and defensive back Ray Griffin.
Mark Herrmann of Purdue led the conference with 2,453 passing yards. Defensive end Larry Bethea of Michigan State won the Chicago Tribune Silver Football as the Big Ten's most valuable player.
Season overview
Results and team statistics
Conf. RankTeamHead coachAP finalAP highOverall recordConf. recordPPGPAGMVP1 (tie)MichiganBo Schembechler#9#110–27–129.410.3Russell Davis1 (tie)Ohio StateWoody Hayes#11#39–37–128.610.0Dave Adkins3Michigan StateDarryl RogersNRNR7–3–16–1–123.614.7Larry Bethea4IndianaLee CorsoNRNR5–5–14–3–118.620.7Joe Norman5MinnesotaCal StollNR#197–54–414.315.0Steve Midboe6 (tie)PurdueJim YoungNRNR5–63–521.022.5Fred Arrington6 (tie)IowaBob CommingsNRNR4–73–515.520.8Dean MooreRod Sears8WisconsinJohn JardineNR#145–63–612.118.2Dave Crossen9IllinoisGary MoellerNRNR3–82–612.826.5John Sullivan10NorthwesternJohn PontNRNR1–101–812.826.5Paul Maly Key AP final = Team's rank in the final AP Poll of the 1977 season AP high = Team's highest rank in the AP Poll throughout the 1977 season PPG = Average of points scored per game; conference leader's average displayed in bold PAG = Average of points allowed per game; conference leader's average displayed in bold MVP = Most valuable player as voted by players on each team as part of the voting process to determine the winner of the Chicago Tribune Silver Football trophy; trophy winner in bold
Regular season September 10 On September 10, 1977, the Big Ten teams opened their seasons with four conference games and two non-conference games. The non-conference games both resulted in wins.
Michigan 37, Illinois 9. Michigan (ranked No. 2 in the AP Poll) defeated Illinois, 37-9, at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois. The game matched Michigan coach Bo Schembechler against his former defensive coordinator, Gary Moeller, who took over as Illinois' head coach in 1977. The game attracted a crowd of 60,477, the largest opening day crowd in Illinois school history. Michigan quarterback Rick Leach rushed for 78 yards and completed 6 of 11 passes for 76 yards, including touchdown passes of 30 yards to Ralph Clayton and 11 yards to Gene Johnson. Running back Harlan Huckleby rushed for 128 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries. Russell Davis also rushed for 99 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. Michigan State 19, Purdue 14. Michigan State defeated Purdue, 19–14, before a crowd of 53,014 at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Michigan. Wisconsin 30, Indiana 14. Wisconsin defeated Indiana, 30–14, before a crowd of 34,755 at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Indiana. Iowa 24, Northwestern 0. Iowa defeated Northwestern, 24–0, before a crowd of 53,725 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. Ohio State 10, Miami (FL) 0. Ohio State (ranked No. 5 in the AP Poll) defeated Miami (FL), 10-0, before a crowd of 86,287 at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. The game was Lou Saban's debut with Miami after spending 15 of the prior 17 years as a head coach in the AFL and NFL. Ohio State's lone touchdown came on a 93-yard drive in the second quarter and was capped by Ron Springs' 21-yard touchdown run. Minnesota 10, Western Michigan 7. Minnesota defeated Western Michigan, 10-7, before a crowd of 29,619 at Memorial Stadium in Minneapolis.
September 17 On September 17, 1977, the Big Ten teams played one conference game and eight non-conference games. The non-conference games resulted in six wins and two losses, giving the Big Ten an 8–2 non-conference record to that point in the season.
Ohio State 38, Minnesota 7. In the only conference game of the week, Ohio State (ranked No. 6 in the AP Poll) defeated Minnesota, 38-7, before a crowd of 87,799 at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. Ron Springs rushed for 147 yards for the Buckeyes. Michigan 21, Duke 9. Michigan (ranked No. 1 in the AP Poll) defeated Duke, 21-9, in front of a crowd of 104,072 at Michigan Stadium. On the opening kickoff, Harlan Huckleby stepped across the goal line to the one-yard line, then stepped back, with the ball being marked down at the one-yard line. From there, Michigan was penalized for being offside and then for delay of game. Michigan did not score in the first quarter, but then scored two touchdowns in the second quarter. Rick Leach rushed for 99 yards and two touchdowns and completed six of 11 passes for 76 yards. Russell Davis also rushed for 95 yards and a touchdown. Washington State 23, Michigan State 21. Michigan State lost to Washington State, 23–21, before a crowd of 50,263 at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Michigan. Indiana 24, LSU 21. Indiana defeated LSU, 24–21, at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Indiana. Purdue 44, Ohio 7. Purdue defeated Ohio, 44–7, before a crowd of 49,354 at Ross–Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Indiana. Wisconsin 14, Northern Illinois 3. Wisconsin defeated Northern Illinois, 14–3, before a crowd of 64,475 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin. Iowa 12, Iowa State 10. In the annual battle for the Cy-Hawk Trophy, Iowa defeated Iowa State, 12–10, before a crowd of 59,725 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City. Illinois 11, Missouri 7. Arizona State 35, Northwestern 3.
September 24 On October 24, 1977, the Big Ten teams participated in 10 non-conference games, resulting in four wins and six losses. The days results gave the Big Ten a 12–8 non-conference record to that point in the season.
Oklahoma 29, Ohio State 28. Ohio State (ranked No. 4 in the AP Poll) lost to Oklahoma (ranked No. 3), 29–28, before a crowd of 88,119 at Ohio Stadium (the third largest in stadium history to that point) in Columbus, Ohio. Oklahoma took a 20-0 lead early in the second quarter, but Ohio State then scored 28 unanswered points and led, 28-20, with six-and-a-half minutes left in the game. At that point, Ohio State backup quarterback Greg Castignola fumbled, and Oklahoma took over on Ohio State's 43-yard line. On the ensuing drive, Ohio State stopped Oklahoma on a fourth down play with four yards to go at the Buckeyes' 12-yard line, but an offside penalty resulted in a first down at the seven-yard line. Oklahoma scored a touchdown, but a run for two-point conversion to tie the game was stopped at the two-yard line by a swarming Ohio State defense. With only a minute-and-a-half remaining in the game, Ohio State players celebrated on the field, with a couple rolling playfully onto the AstroTurf. Oklahoma's onside kick bounced off an Ohio State player and was recovered for the Sooners by Mike Babb. Uwe von Schamann, a former soccer player from West Berlin, practiced transcendental meditation, smiled, and calmly participated in an Ohio State cheer as Woody Hayes called timeout in an attempt to ice the kicker. Von Schamman then kicked a 41-yard, game-winning field goal as the game's final three seconds ticked off the clock. Michigan 14, Navy 7. Michigan defeated Navy, 14-7, before a crowd of 101,800 at Michigan Stadium. Michigan's points were all scored in the second quarter on runs of 13 and 34 yards by running back Harlan Huckleby. Huckleby rushed for 147 yards, and Russell Davis added 93 more, but Navy out-gained Michigan by 301 total yards to 277 total yards. Michigan had defeated Navy by 56 points in 1976, and the seven-point victory in 1977 was considered a disappointment. After the game, Michigan dropped from No. 1 to No. 3 in the AP and Coaches' Polls. Michigan State 34, Wyoming 16. Michigan State defeated Wyoming, 34–16, before a crowd of 56,214 at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Michigan. Miami (OH) 21, Indiana 20. Indiana lost to Miami (OH), 21–20, at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Indiana. Minnesota 27, UCLA 13. Minnesota defeated UCLA, 27-13, before a crowd of 41,076 at Memorial Stadium in Minneapolis. 3 Notre Dame 34, Purdue 21. In the annual battle for the Shillelagh Trophy, Purdue lost to Notre Dame, 31–24, before a crowd of 68,966 at Ross–Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Indiana. Wisconsin 22, Oregon 10. Wisconsin defeated Oregon, 22–10, before a crowd of 30,755 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon. Stanford 37, Illinois 24. Arizona 41, Iowa 7. Iowa lost to Arizona, 41–7, before a crowd of 53,110 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City. North Carolina 41, Northwestern 7.
October 1 On October 1, 1977, the Big Ten teams played one conference game and eight non-conference games. The non-conference games resulted in four wins and four losses, giving the Big Ten a 16–12 record to that point in the season.
Wisconsin 19, Northwestern 7. In the week's only conference game, Wisconsin defeated Northwestern, 19-7, before a crowd of 68,709 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin. Michigan 41, Texas A&M 3. Michigan (ranked No. 3 in the AP Poll) defeated Texas A&M (ranked No. 5), 41-3, in front of 104,802 spectators at Michigan Stadium. Russell Davis rushed for 110 yards and two touchdowns, and Harlan Huckleby added 73 yards and a touchdown. Rick Leach also threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to Curt Stephenson. On defense, Ron Simpkins had 14 tackles, recovered a fumble, and blocked a punt that Jim Pickens recovered in the end zone for a touchdown. Mike Jolly also returned an interception 50 yards for a touchdown. After "skimpy victories" over Duke and Navy, the trouncing of the highly rated Aggies was considered "one of [Michigan's] most stunning performances in recent years. Columnist Joe Falls wrote: "It may have been Bo Schembechler's finest coaching job in his nine years at Michigan." Texas A&M coach Emory Bellard said, "Michigan came out in the second half and beat us every way you can beat a football team. . . . Michigan is an outstanding team." Ohio State 35, SMU 7. In a Saturday night game, Ohio State (ranked No. 6 in the AP Poll) defeated SMU, 35-7, before a crowd of 51,970 (SMU's biggest home crowd in 12 years) at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. Ohio State intercepted seven SMU passes and led, 35-0, before SMU scored its touchdown in the fourth quarter. Notre Dame 16, Michigan State 6. Michigan State lost to Notre Dame, 16–6, before a crowd of 59,075 at Notre Dame Stadium. Nebraska 31, Indiana 13. Indiana lost to Nebraska (ranked No. 11 in the AP Poll), 31–13, before a crowd of 76,034 at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska. Minnesota 19, Washington 7. Minnesota defeated Washington, 19-17, before a crowd of 31,895 at Memorial Stadium in Minneapolis. Purdue 26, Wake Forest 17. Purdue defeated Wake Forest, 26–17, before a crowd of 54,060 at Ross–Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Indiana.