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

· Yahoo Sports

Michigan’s 69-63 win over UConn in the 2025-26 national title punctuated an athletic season of dominance for the Big Ten Conference in 2025-26.

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For the second time ever, a conference has won the football, women’s basketball and men’s basketball national championships.

The SEC enjoyed a similarly fruitful athletic calendar in 2007. 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.

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. The Wolverines became the first team to score 90 points in the first five tournament games on their way to winning a defensive slugfest against UConn in the championship.

Football

Indiana completed a historic 16-0 season behind Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza, defeating Miami 27-21 in January. The Hoosiers were the third straight Big Ten team to win the CFP, with Michigan in 2024 and Ohio State in 2025.

Women’s basketball

The UCLA Bruins faced a South Carolina side that was in its third straight national championship game and ran them off the floor, winning 79-51 on Sunday in Phoenix. Senior center Lauren Betts dominated, dropping 30 total points, 22 rebounds, and 5 blocks in her two final four games on the way to winning Most Outstanding Player.

Women’s ice hockey

Wisconsin won the Women’s Ice Hockey Championship 3-2 over Ohio State. It was the seventh straight for the conference dating back to 2019 (There was none in 2020 due to COVID) and fourth in six years for the Badgers. Between 2021 and 2025, Wisconsin and Ohio State alternated championships, with the Buckeyes winning in 2022 and 2024. From 2023 to 2026, Wisconsin and Ohio State have played each other in the championship every year.

Men’s soccer

Washington took the title in men’s soccer in a 3-2 overtime victory over NC State with Harrison Bertos scoring the game-winner less than two minutes into overtime. The Huskies were the first Big Ten team to win a men’s soccer title since Maryland in 2018.

Field hockey

Northwestern repeated as field hockey champions, defeating Princeton 2-1 in overtime. The year prior, the Wildcats beat Saint Joseph’s 5-0 in the championship. The 2025 title was the program’s third since 2021.

Men’s water polo

UCLA continued its dominance in the pool, winning its second straight men’s water polo title against USC, 11-10. In 2024, the Bruins previously dropped off the Trojans again, 11-8. The Bruins made the 2023 men’s water polo championship as well, then lost to Cal 13-11.

Beach volleyball

The Bruins rank first in the current AVCA poll. While the championship left the Big Ten for the Big 12 with TCU winning in 2025, the year prior, USC held the beach volleyball championship with a 3-0 win over the now No. 1-ranked Bruins.

Baseball

As it stands, the UCLA Bruins (29-2) rank No. 1 in the country according to D1Baseball, the NCAA’s official rankings. The Bruins are led by potential No. 1 MLB draft pick junior infielder Roch Cholowsky. Cholowsky is hitting .342 with 11 home runs on the season so far.

Men’s hockey

The Big Ten also houses two, Michigan and Wisconsin, of the four teams left in the Men’s Frozen Four for men’s ice hockey. With both on opposite sides of the bracket, facing Denver and North Dakota, respectively, they could meet in an all-Big Ten championship in that sport as well.

Women’s gymnastics

To round it off, UCLA and Minnesota women’s gymnastics programs are representing the conference in the 2026 NCAA Women’s Gymnastics semifinals, both advancing out of the Corvallis Regional. If one were to win, it’d be the conference’s first since Michigan won in 2021.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

Indiana Hoosiers, Michigan Wolverines, UCLA Bruins, College Football, Men's College Basketball, Women's College Basketball

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