Michigan’s national title is the latest chapter in a year of Big Ten dominance

That year Florida won in both football and men’s basketball while Tennessee took it home in women’s basketball. But this year the Big Ten’s dominance stretches far beyond just these major sports. It should be noted that in many sports, including most recently women’s basketball on Sunday, UCLA stands as the Big Ten’s championship representative.

The Bruins officially joined the Big Ten in 2023 after the PAC-12’s collapse. Joining alongside USC, Oregon, and Washington, the additions brought considerable athletic prowess to the conference, which has manifested itself in its dominance this year. The Big Ten’s considerable financial strength has also helped it win multiple national championships across sports.

For example, as reported by The Athletic ’s Lindsay Schnell and Matt Baker, Big Ten schools (Illinois, Michigan, Michigan State) took up three of the top seven spots in terms of spending among schools in this Sweet 16 in men’s basketball. Here are all the sports in which the conference won championships during the 2025-26 athletic calendar and where the conference might continue. Big 10 really runs college sports Football champs (back-to-back-to back) Women's Basketball Champs Women's hockey champs (back-to-back for Badgers, 7th straight for Big 10 teams) Men's soccer champs Field hockey champs Men's water polo champs #1 Beach Volleyball team #1 baseball… pic.

twitter. com/3MQV7qlGli — CFB Home (@CFBHome) April 6, 2026 Men’s basketball Michigan ended UConn’s bid for three championships in four years on Monday. Along with Illinois, the Big Ten accounted for half of the Final Four.