The 1948 Big Nine Conference football season was the 53rd season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Nine Conference (also known as the Western Conference and the Big Ten Conference) and was a part of the 1948 college football season.
The 1948 Big Nine champion was Michigan. The Wolverines compiled a 9–0 record, shut out five of nine opponents, led the conference in both scoring offense (28.0 points per game) and scoring defense (4.9 points allowed per game), and were ranked No. 1 in the final AP Poll. The 1948 season was Michigan's second straight undefeated, untied season. The Wolverines entered the 1948 season with a 14-game winning streak dating back to October 1946 and extended the streak to 23 games. End Dick Rifenburg and tackle Alvin Wistert were consensus first-team All-Americans. Guard Dominic Tomasi was selected as the team's most valuable player.
Northwestern finished in second place with an 8–2 record and was ranked No. 7 in the final AP Poll. Under conference rules preventing the same team from returning to the Rose Bowl in consecutive seasons, Northwestern received the conference's bid to play in the 1949 Rose Bowl where the Wildcats defeated the California Golden Bears, 20–14. Northwestern fullback Art Murakowski won the Chicago Tribune Silver Football trophy as the conference's most valuable player.
Minnesota finished in third place with a 7–2 and was ranked No. 16 in the final AP Poll. Minnesota was led by Bernie Bierman in his 14th year as head coach and by tackle Leo Nomellini who was a consensus first-team All-American.
Season overview
Results and team statistics
Key
AP final = Team's rank in the final AP Poll of the 1948 season
AP high = Team's highest rank in the AP Poll throughout the 1948 season
PPG = Average of points scored per game
PAG = Average of points allowed per game
Source: SR/College Football
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
Pre-season
Prior to the start of the 1948 season, two of the Big Nine teams changed their head coaches: On February 19, 1948, Indiana's head football coach Bo McMillin resigned to become general manager and head coach of the Detroit Lions. McMillin had been Indiana's head coach for 14 years. Clyde B. Smith, who had been the head coach at the LaCrosse State Teachers College since 1938, was announced as the team's new head coach on March 16, 1948. On March 15, 1948, Fritz Crisler "surprised the football world" when he announced his resignation as Michigan's head football coach after leading the 1947 team to an undefeated season. Crisler, who remained as athletic director, named backfield coach Bennie Oosterbaan as the Wolverines' new head football coach.
Regular season
September 25
On September 25, 1948, all nine conference teams opened their schedules. Seven of the teams played non-conference opponents, compiling a 6–1 record in those games.
Indiana 35, Wisconsin 7. In the only conference game of the day, Indiana defeated Wisconsin, 35–7, before a crowd of 40,000 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin. The game was the first for Clyde B. Smith as Indiana's head coach. Indiana halfback George Taliaferro scored three touchdowns and played 51 minutes.
Michigan 13, Michigan State 7. Michigan defeated Michigan State, 13–7, in East Lansing. The game was also the first to be played at Michigan State's new Macklin Stadium. Early in the opening quarter, fullback Don Peterson threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to Dick Rifenburg. Peterson kicked the extra point, and Michigan's 7–0 lead held through halftime. Michigan State tied the game in the third quarter on a disputed play in which a pass from Lynn Chandnois was caught by both Hank Minarik and Wally Teninga. The official ruled that possession went to the offensive player as a touchdown. Peterson scored the winning touchdown for Michigan on a five-yard run in the fourth quarter, but failed to convert the extra point attempt. Late in the fourth quarter, Michigan State drove the ball to Michigan's two-yard line. With time running out, Teninga intercepted a Michigan State pass. Michigan's offense was held to 106 rushing yards and 117 passing yards in the game. The Spartans, under second-year head coach "Biggie" Munn, finished the season ranked No. 14 in the final AP Poll.
Northwestern 19, UCLA 0. Northwestern defeated UCLA, 19–0, before a crowd of 55,156 in Los Angeles. Northwestern scored three touchdown and, on defense, held UCLA scoreless with only two first downs.