The Big Ten has officially sealed its status as our new overlord. Not only has the league bumped the SEC off its longtime perch on top of college football. The league this week became the first to see three different members win national championships in football (Indiana), men\u2019s basketball (Michigan) and women\u2019s basketball (yes, UCLA counts) in the same school year.<\/p>\n
Indiana and UCLA had never done so in their sports. Michigan hadn\u2019t in 37 years.<\/p>\n
As if that\u2019s not enough, Big Ten members have also won titles this year in women\u2019s hockey (Wisconsin), men\u2019s soccer (Washington), field hockey (Northwestern), wrestling (Penn State) and men\u2019s water polo (UCLA) and have two schools (Michigan and Wisconsin) in this week\u2019s men\u2019s Frozen Four.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s no coincidence the league\u2019s ascendance began around the same time NIL and the transfer portal completely transformed the way championship rosters are constructed. The obvious question is, why?<\/p>\n
It can\u2019t just be that the Big Ten has more money than everyone else, because the Big Ten has always had more money than everyone else. The dollar figures have just grown bigger. And its schools are limited to the same $20.5 million rev share cap as everyone else. Far more of those TV billions go toward paying the coaches than the players.<\/p>\n
Also, if money were the only reason schools have success, then Texas Tech would be your reigning champ in football and Kentucky in men\u2019s basketball.<\/p>\n
And stop with, \u201cNow the SEC isn\u2019t the only one buying its players.\u201d If you honestly believe everybody in the other conference was squeaky clean pre-NIL, then please don\u2019t respond to texts from random numbers inviting you to dinner.<\/p>\n
The explanation may be as simple as this: Big Ten schools hired Curt Cignetti and Dusty May, and the rest of you did not.<\/p>\n
College sports have changed dramatically since 2021, but one thing remains as true today as it ever has: You\u2019ve got to hire a great coach. Arguably, now more than ever, because constructing a championship roster is so much more complicated.<\/p>\n
While Cignetti and May are not the only elite coaches in their sports, they serve as the walking embodiment of the new-age coach. They embraced the new model with full rigor. Cignetti jump-started the Hoosiers\u2019 turnaround two years ago by identifying overlooked G5 transfers (including several who came with him from James Madison) and prioritizing production over potential. May literally built a national championship roster overnight, trotting out an all-transfer starting lineup against UConn.<\/p>\n
At a press conference the day before the championship game, May likened criticism of his roster approach to knocking the Oklahoma City Thunder because they landed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in a trade.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhatever the rules are, we\u2019re going to go at it,\u201d May said at the Final Four. \u201cOur job is to put a competitive roster\/team on the floor that represents Michigan the way we think they deserve to be represented.\u201d<\/p>\n
UCLA\u2019s Cori Close has been on the job for a decade longer than those two but jumped on NIL nearly as soon as it became a thing. Cornerstone recruit Kiki Rice landed a Jordan Brand deal as soon as she arrived at UCLA (a Nike school) in 2022, and the Bruins made waves when they landed former No. 1 recruit Lauren Betts from Stanford in the portal the following year. Close\u2019s program reached new heights shortly thereafter.<\/p>\n
While many coaches around the country have wasted time complaining about the new world order, the Big Ten has attracted a lot of early adopters.<\/p>\n