Michigan’s 69-63 win over UConn in the national championship punctuated an athletic season of dominance for the Big Ten. 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; 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.
In many sports, including most recently women’s basketball on Sunday, UCLA stands as the Big Ten’s championship representative. The Bruins joined the Big Ten in 2024 after the Pac-12’s collapse.
The Big Ten’s considerable financial strength has also helped it win multiple national championships across sports. As reported by The Athletic, 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 ChampsWomen’s hockey champs (back-to-back for Badgers, 7th straight for Big 10 teams)Men’s soccer champsField hockey champsMen’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. The Big Ten accounted for half of the Final Four; Illinois lost to UConn in the semifinals. The Wolverines became the first team to score 90 points in the first five tournament games on their way to winning a defensive slugfest.
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 College Football Playoff, with Michigan in 2024 and Ohio State in 2025.
Women’s basketball
UCLA 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.
Men’s wrestling
Penn State extended its wrestling dynasty with a fifth straight national title this season. Penn State crowned four national champions and set an NCAA wrestling tournament points record.
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 in a matchup against USC.
Beach volleyball
The Bruins rank first in the current AVCA poll.
Baseball
The UCLA Bruins (29-2) currently 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 of the four teams left in the Men’s Frozen Four for men’s ice hockey: Michigan and Wisconsin. With both on opposite sides of the bracket, they could meet in an all-Big Ten championship.
Women’s gymnastics
UCLA and Minnesota women’s gymnastics programs are representing the conference in the 2026 women’s gymnastics championships. If one were to win, it’d be the conference’s first since Michigan in 2021.
