The Big Ten has always been one of the top conferences in college football.
Having now 18 teams and the past two national champions the conference is as competitive as ever. In recent years the Big Ten has produced some of the most memorable moments in the sport. With several programs in the top tier of college football, many of these moments are easy to recall, while for other teams it may require more digging.
Without further ado here are the best moments for each Big Ten football team in the past decade (2015-2024).
Illinois Fighting Illini - Hiring Bret Bielema (2020)
Since Bielema was brought to Champaign the program has gotten better and better each season. He led them to their best year since 2001 last season and into relevancy in the Big Ten. While they do not have a memorable signature win during his time, the Citrus Bowl victory over South Carolina feels like a starting point for what could be a special 2025 season.
Indiana Hoosiers - 2024 Win vs Michigan
Last year was a magical season in Bloomington with the first year of the Curt Cignetti era. Although Michigan had a down year, they were still the defending champions and this was the Hoosiers first win against the Wolverines since 2020 and third since 1967. It also made 2024 the first 10 win season in program history and all but secured their spot in the College Football Playoff. Note: 2020 season opener OT win vs No. 8 Penn State with the Penix stretch is a close second.
Iowa Hawkeyes - 2016 Win vs No. 3 Michigan
Michigan entered this game 9-0 and as three touchdown favorites. To the surprise of many we got some incredible late night Kinnick magic with a game winning field goal to pull off the massive upset. It also came in textbook Iowa football fashion as QB C.J. Beathard threw for just 66 yards, the defense forced two turnovers, and special teams had a massive impact on the game.
Maryland Terrapins - 2021 Pinstripe Bowl Victory
Maryland made their first bowl game appearance since 2016 and got their first bowl win since 2010 in this one. Not only did they win, but they stomped Virginia Tech by a score of 54-10 led by QB Taulia Tagovailoa who accounted for 307 yards. Since joining the Big Ten in 2014 the Terps have come close a couple times to pulling off a memorable upset that would easily make this list. Most notably in 2023 with a one possession loss to the eventual national champions Michigan and a loss in overtime against a top 10 Ohio State team in 2018.
Michigan State Spartans - 2015 Win at No. 12 Michigan
“He has trouble with the snap” are words that will gladly live in Michigan State football history forever. This is not just a great moment for MSU, but one of the most memorable moments in college football history. Not only were the Spartans able to defeat their in-state rivals in the most heartbreaking fashion, but it was also a win over Jim Harbaugh in his first season. With this win Michigan State moved to 7-0 keeping them alive for the College Football Playoff, which they would make, and help them go on to secure a Big Ten Championship.
Michigan Wolverines - 2023 National Championship
The win over Washington capped off the perfect season for Jim Harbaugh and the Michigan Wolverines and secured their first national title since 1997. Finally overcoming Ohio State in 2021 or one of the other wins against the Buckeyes could have easily made this spot, but I see all of it symbolized in this championship. After constantly failing to get over the hump of OSU and then the hump of a CFP win, it all came together with a championship in 2023 when the entire world of college football was rooting against them.
Minnesota Golden Gophers - 2019 Win vs No. 4 Penn State
This win solidified that PJ Fleck was the right guy at Minnesota and that they were legit contenders in 2019. The Gophers moved to 9-0 and got their first victory over a top-5 ranked team since 1999. Tanner Morgan had almost a perfect day going 18/20 for 339 yards and three touchdowns. Rashod Bateman caught seven passes for 203 yards and a TD while Antoine Winfield Jr. led the defense with nine tackles and two interceptions, including one on the third play of the game.
Nebraska Cornhuskers - Firing Scott Frost (2022)
There really has been nothing but hype the past 10 years for Nebraska. Since 2015 they are 2-29 against top-25 opponents which includes several close losses during the Scott Frost era. Finally getting over the idea that Frost could be the savior that returned home and firing him was a big step and led them to Matt Rhule who has the program going in a much better direction.
Northwestern Wildcats - 2018 Win at No. 21 Iowa
This win clinched the Wildcats first ever Big Ten West title and was an impressive victory at Kinnick Stadium. This is really as good as it gets for a program like Northwestern. Although the game was low scoring it included a memorable offensive moment when Clayton Thorson connected with Ben Skowronek late in the 4th quarter for a diving catch in the end zone to give the Wildcats the lead for good.
Ohio State Buckeyes - 2024 National Championship
With a dominant run through the first 12-team College Football Playoff, Ohio State captured their ninth national title. Despite a loss to Michigan in the final week of the season, the Buckeyes regrouped to achieve the ultimate goal in college football. This is less about just the win in the title game, but more the path they took to get there. The championship against Notre Dame will be remembered as the Quinshon Judkins game as he accounted for 121 yards and three touchdowns. The 2014 championship falls outside of this past decade window, but I am interested in how Buckeye fans view it in terms of best moments compared to the 2024 title.
Oregon Ducks - 2024 Win vs No. 2 Ohio State
In the biggest game of the regular season Oregon came out on top and solidified themselves as the best team in the nation at the time. This win showed that they could compete with the big dogs of the Big Ten. It was also one of the biggest games at Autzen Stadium in recent memory and lived up to the hype. Dillon Gabriel played his way into the Heisman conversation with a phenomenal performance as the Ducks put up 32 points and 496 yards against one of the best defenses in the country.
Penn State Nittany Lions - 2016 Win vs No. 2 Ohio State
Penn State had a great season in 2024 making the CPF seminfinal, but I believe what Nittany Lions fans really want is to get over the hump in the Big Ten and defeat a top Ohio State or Michigan team. This was the last time that happened as they took down Ohio State in a white out in Happy Valley. Not only was it a huge win, but it was also an awesome game. Penn State trailed by 14 points before scoring 17 unanswered in the 4th quarter which included the blocked field goal by Marcus Allen that was returned for a touchdown and gave them the lead for good.
Purdue Boilermakers - 2018 Win vs No. 2 Ohio State
It was a magical night in West Lafayette as Purdue took care of a stacked Ohio State team with ease. This one birthed the name "Spoilermakers" for Jeff Brohm's Purdue as they took the Buckeyes out of playoff contention. The 49-20 victory marked Purdue’s first win over Ohio State since 2011, and what made it even better was the dominant fashion in which they did it. They did not trail for the entire game and led by two possessions for over half of it which forced the Buckeyes to throw the ball 73 times. David Blough threw for 378 yards and three touchdowns while D.J. Knox added three more scores on the ground. This one will always be remembered as the Rondale Moore game though as the receiver hauled in 12 catches for 170 yards and 2 TDs.
Rutgers Scarlet Knights - 2023 Pinstripe Bowl Victory
Since Rutgers joined the Big Ten in 2014 things have not been great. Greg Schiano’s return has the program going in a better direction though and this win was their first bowl game appearance (did make one in 2021 but were 5-7 and received alternate bid) and victory since 2014. It made it even better that it came against a big name college football program in Miami. Despite only having seven completed passes the Scarlet Knights scored 31 points thanks to a dominant performance in the run game led by Kyle Monangai.
UCLA Bruins - 2022 Win vs No. 11 Utah
The Dorian Thompson-Robinson era was easily the best time in the past decade for UCLA football. This was the biggest win during that time and had many thinking the Bruins were legit contenders as they moved to 6-0 with two top 15 wins. DTR and Zach Charbonnet accounted for just about all of the Bruins offense this night with 505 total yards and six touchdowns.
USC Trojans - 2022 Win vs No. 15 Notre Dame
The Trojans have had a solid past decade as they climbed back to relevancy in college football. This rivalry win was the epilogue of the Caleb Williams Heisman season as he solidified himself as the deserving winner. Williams had 267 total yards and four TDs along with several Heisman moments. The win also moved the Trojans up to four in the CFP rankings as they looked to make their first ever appearance in the playoff. This moment does lose some lore though due to the fact that USC would go on to lose to Utah the following week in the Pac-12 Championship and miss the playoff.
Washington Huskies - 2023 Pac-12 Championship
Despite being undefeated and beating Oregon earlier in the season, no one gave Washington a chance in this game. The Huskies seemingly took that personally and won their first Pac-12 Championship since 2018 in a game they had control of for almost all 60 minutes. Rome Odunze and Jalen McMillan combined for 233 receiving yards to take the Huskies out on top in the swan song of the Pac-12 Conference.
Wisconsin Badgers - Finishing the Perfect Regular Season 2017 vs Minnesota
The past ten years for Wisconsin football have been good, not great. This win was a big one though as it capped off the perfect 12-0 regular season and was done in dominant fashion. They shut out rival Minnesota 31-0 to retain Paul Bunyan’s Axe for the 14th year in a row. The Badgers defense held Minnesota to 133 total yards including giving up just three completions for 40 yards. True freshman Jonathan Taylor rushed for 149 yards and a touchdown while Alex Hornibrook used his arm to add three more scores.