When the Big Ten expanded the conference for the 2011 season, it ushered in an expanded slate of awards for the conference and renamed them all to align more with the culture and great players and coaches from the past. Since then, it has dished out awards annually for things like the Hayes-Shembechler Coach of the Year, Ameeche-Dayne Running Back of the Year, Griese-Brees Quarterback of the Year, and more.
It’s the last one we are going to focus on today. All told, there have been eleven of the Griese-Brees Awards handed out, and as you’ll see, there is a significant Ohio State flavor to it. No longer is the Buckeye program that relies on “three yards and a cloud of dust,” but rather, a game centered around a dynamic quarterback that can often get yards through the air and on the ground.
There have been some great ones in the Big Ten, and will likely continue to be. Here’s a look at all of the Griese-Brees Quarterbacks of the Year in chronological order with scarlet and gray plastered all over the place.