It’s been nearly two decades since the Big Ten last had a team win a national championship. The most recent being, of course, Tom Izzo’s Michigan State Spartans back in 2000. No, Maryland’s 2002 championship does not count. Don’t let the Big Ten Network’s airing of those games tell you otherwise.
Since then, six Big Ten programs have lost in the National Title game: Indiana (2002), Illinois (2005), Ohio State (2007), Michigan State (2009), Michigan (2013 & 2018), and Wisconsin (2015). So is this the season the Big Ten finally stands at the altar as the bride and not off to the side as the bridesmaid?