‘On to the next one’ – the Big Ten is dominating the new era of college sports

INDIANAPOLIS — As Tony Petitti wandered around the court, shaking hands and soaking in Michigan’s national championship, he didn’t realize he still had a piece of blue confetti in his hair. Surely, he didn’t mind it. If that’s the price to pay for another national title in a premier sport, the Big Ten commissioner would happily pay it.

The Big Ten Conference has now won the football (Indiana), men’s basketball (Michigan), and women’s basketball (UCLA) national titles in the same year. It’s the first time since women’s basketball became an NCAA sport that one conference has done that with three different schools claiming the championships. “It says a lot about the coaches and the student-athletes we have — and the resources, and the fact that we have administrators and presidents that are really committed to doing this thing the right way,” Petitti said.

“What I'm really proud of, night in and night out, is how well we competed — to get five of eight in the [men’s] Elite Eight, to have two of the [Final] Four, and then have this performance [from Michigan]. “It just shows you that they were battle-tested getting through the Big Ten this year, and that's true of almost everything we play. You know, we expect to win national championships.

” Petitti was announced as the league’s commissioner on April 11, 2023, almost exactly three years ago. Since that day, he’s watched three different Big Ten football programs win national championships. And now, he’s watched Michigan win the league’s first men’s basketball national title since 2000 and UCLA win the league’s first women’s basketball national title since 1999.