2016 Big Ten Conference Leaders First Downs - Games vs. Conference Teams Only through 01/09/2017
| Name | G | Rush | Pass | Penalty | Total | Total/G | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ohio State | 9 | 122 | 84 | 14 | 220 | 24.4 |
| 2 | Northwestern | 9 | 76 | 112 | 13 | 201 | 22.3 |
| 3 | Michigan | 9 | 105 | 77 | 16 | 198 | 22.0 |
| 4 | Michigan State | 9 | 86 | 97 | 9 | 192 | 21.3 |
| 5 | Indiana | 9 | 66 | 105 | 16 | 187 | 20.8 |
| 6 | Penn State | 10 | 91 | 93 | 18 | 202 | 20.2 |
| 7 | Nebraska | 9 | 75 | 89 | 13 | 177 | 19.7 |
| 8 | Purdue | 9 | 51 | 103 | 21 | 175 | 19.4 |
| 9 | Wisconsin | 10 | 102 | 79 | 7 | 188 | 18.8 |
| 10 | Minnesota | 9 | 83 | 65 | 12 | 160 | 17.8 |
| 11 | Maryland | 9 | 75 | 68 | 9 | 152 | 16.9 |
| 12 | Iowa | 9 | 81 | 58 | 10 | 149 | 16.6 |
| 13 | Illinois | 9 | 54 | 63 | 12 | 129 | 14.3 |
| 14 | Rutgers | 9 | 63 | 57 | 5 | 125 | 13.9 |