Global Information1968 Big Ten Conference football season information
| 1968 Big Ten Conference football season | |
|---|---|
| Sport | American football |
| Number of teams | 10 |
| Top draft pick | Leroy Keyes |
| Champion | Ohio State |
| Season MVP | Ron Johnson |
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 1 Ohio State $ | 7 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 10 | – | 0 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 12 Michigan | 6 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 10 Purdue | 5 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minnesota | 5 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indiana | 4 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Iowa | 4 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Michigan State | 2 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Illinois | 1 | – | 6 | – | 0 | 1 | – | 9 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northwestern | 1 | – | 6 | – | 0 | 1 | – | 9 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wisconsin | 0 | – | 7 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 10 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1968 Big Ten Conference football season was the 73rd season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1968 NCAA University Division football season.
The 1968 Ohio State Buckeyes football team, under head coach Woody Hayes, compiled a perfect 10–0 record, won the Big Ten championship, defeated USC in the 1969 Rose Bowl, and was recognized as the consensus national champion. Offensive end Dave Foley was a consensus first-team All-American, and offensive tackle Rufus Mayes was also recognized as a first-team All-American by two selectors. Running back Jim Otis led the team with 985 rushing yards and 102 points scored, and Rex Kern led the team with 1,506 yards of total offense. Linebacker Jack Tatum was a first-team All-Big Ten player.
The 1968 Michigan Wolverines football team, under head coach Bump Elliott, finished in second place with an 8–2 record and was ranked No. 12 in the final AP Poll. Michigan was ranked No. 4 before losing to Ohio State, 50–14, in the final game of the season. In a victory over Wisconsin, Ron Johnson set an NCAA record with 347 rushing yards. Johnson led the Big Ten with 1,391 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns and won the Chicago Tribune Silver Football trophy as the conference's most valuable player. Quarterback Dennis Brown led the conference with 1,562 passing yards and 1,777 yards of total offense. Defensive back Tom Curtis set a new Big Ten single season record with 10 interceptions.
The 1968 Purdue Boilermakers football team, under head coach Jack Mollenkopf, was ranked No. 1 in the AP poll before losing to Ohio State in week four. The Boilermakers finished in third place and were ranked No. 10 in the final AP poll. Leroy Keyes rushed for 1,003 yards (second to Ron Johnson) and finished second in the 1968 Heisman Trophy voting (behind O. J. Simpson). Keyes was the first Big Ten player selected in the 1969 NFL/AFL Draft with the third overall pick. Keyes and middle guard Chuck Kyle were both selected as first-team consensus All-Americans. Quarterback Mike Phipps totaled 1,096 passing yards.