Justin Fields was the offensive star award winner in the B1G but his leadership off the field greatly helped the league overturn its disastrous decision to cancel the season. Fields became the spokesperson for the players in fighting to play. He started an online petition that got 250,000 signatures in a day. Before long it sank in on the rest of the key league leaders that without a season the B1G might suffer harm that would takes years to overcome. The idea that the SEC, ACC(with Notre Dame) and the Big12 would be seen on TV while the B1G would not gave coaches and their recruiting staffs nightmares.
Especially Ryan Day at tOSU, the only BIgTen school to match Nick Saban in attracting top talent from all corners of the country.*
Finally the season was saved and a decision retired Commissioner Jim Delaney would never even have considered was overturned. It even convinced the moribund PAC 12 to play as well.
The BigTen wound up in the B1G game and kept its recruiting power on a par with Alabama.
* Their Uniforms Say Ohio State and Alabama. The Players Are From Everywhere.
Wall Street Journal, January 10, 2020