2016 Big Ten Conference Leaders First Downs - Games vs. FBS Teams With Non-Winning Record Only through 01/09/2017
| Name | G | Rush | Pass | Penalty | Total | Total/G | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ohio State | 5 | 85 | 45 | 9 | 139 | 27.8 |
| 2 | Northwestern | 5 | 52 | 62 | 10 | 124 | 24.8 |
| 3 | Michigan | 7 | 93 | 65 | 13 | 171 | 24.4 |
| 4 | Indiana | 6 | 66 | 67 | 9 | 142 | 23.7 |
| 5 | Wisconsin | 5 | 58 | 55 | 5 | 118 | 23.6 |
| 6 | Purdue | 5 | 40 | 65 | 10 | 115 | 23.0 |
| 7 | Nebraska | 6 | 66 | 58 | 12 | 136 | 22.7 |
| 8 | Michigan State | 5 | 56 | 54 | 3 | 113 | 22.6 |
| 9 | Penn State | 6 | 66 | 57 | 9 | 132 | 22.0 |
| 10 | Maryland | 6 | 75 | 46 | 8 | 129 | 21.5 |
| 11 | Iowa | 5 | 60 | 36 | 5 | 101 | 20.2 |
| 12 | Minnesota | 5 | 55 | 29 | 5 | 89 | 17.8 |
| 13 | Rutgers | 4 | 31 | 32 | 3 | 66 | 16.5 |
| 14 | Illinois | 3 | 26 | 17 | 5 | 48 | 16.0 |