Cowherd Buys Into NIL, Transfer Portal Impact After Michigan's National Title Win

The No. 1-seeded Michigan Wolverines took home their first national title since 1989 after defeating the No. 2-seeded UConn Huskies 69-63. What made this Wolverines team merely unstoppable was their strategic use of the transfer portal and NIL.

In Dusty May's second year leading the program, his starting lineup, composed entirely of first-year transfers, scored 90 points in five consecutive games leading up to the title game. In a world where NIL and the transfer portal may seem cruel to the future of college sports, May and the Wolverines showcased the power of utilizing both in their dominant win, while also pushing the standard for Big Ten dominance across various sports.

"The other advantage Michigan had is the Big Ten. Illinois was outstanding, Iowa beat Florida, Purdue is always exceptional. Michigan State and Tom Izzo. I mean for years and years, the SEC always had an advantage because they played harder schedules," FOX Sports' Colin Cowherd said on Tuesday's edition of "The Herd."

The Big Ten took home national titles in three different sports this year—Indiana in football, Michigan in men's basketball, and UCLA in women's basketball. The trio of titles makes the Big Ten the first Division I conference ever to win national championships in three sports in the same year.

The conference dominance is rapidly growing, with Indiana becoming the first undefeated team to win a national championship, as well as a quarterback Heisman Trophy winner since LSU in 2019. UCLA women's basketball won its first national championship in just two seasons as a part of the conference, and Michigan took a men's basketball title for the program's first time since 1989, and the conference's first since 2002.

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