Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark recently joined FOX Sports college football analyst Joel Klatt on his podcast, “The Joel Klatt Show: Big Noon Conversations,” to discuss the current state of college athletics and how he sees the Big 12 evolving in the near future.
Deep into their conversation, Yormark spoke of his desire to make the Big 12 a national conference, saying that basketball could be a catalyst for expanding the league’s influence.
Brett Yormark’s vision to grow the Big 12 conference worldwide
“I will tell you from a Gen Z perspective, that demo we’re going after, the younger demo, they love basketball for a multitude of reasons,” said Yormark, who cited conversations he has had with NBA commissioner Adam Silver as a reason he’s pursuing innovative basketball ideas. “[Silver] and I spent a lot of time talking about it, and he’s given me a lot of guidance. He believes I should double down on basketball, no different than I do, for all the right reasons.
“Now, that doesn’t mean we compromise football. We understand the value of football. But if I can grow football and grow basketball, I’ll be in a much better place long-term.”
While there are certain schools that have had great success on both the hardwood and gridiron over time, one would have to rewind back to 2006 to find the last time a school won a national title in football and basketball in the same year. That year, the Florida Gators were crowned BCS champions, while the Gators men’s basketball team defeated UCLA to take home the national title.
According to FOX Sports research, only six schools can claim championships in both sports, while Florida and Michigan State are the only two schools to have multiple championships in each sport.
But which schools have had the most success on both the gridiron and hardwood as of late?
In order to answer that question, it’s important to take a number of key factors into consideration, including combined win percentage, conference championships, CFP and Final Four appearances, and national titles.
Here is a look at which schools are the best in both football and basketball over the past 10 years, counting down from 10-to-1.
*NOTE: Combined conference championships include college football conference titles, college basketball regular-season titles and college basketball conference tournament titles.
Combined win percentage: .700
Combined conference championships: 8
Combined CFP/Final Four appearances: 1
Combined national championships: 0
The Bearcats take the 10th spot here in what was a close call between several other schools, including Baylor, Notre Dame, North Carolina and LSU. The determining factor? Cincinnati’s appearance in the 2021 College Football Playoff. And to be clear, that season wasn’t a one-off for the Bearcats. The football program has recorded nine-or-more wins on seven separate occasions over the past decade, including three double-digit win campaigns (2021, 2019, 2018). With Luke Fickell now off to Wisconsin, Scott Satterfield will lead the program into a new chapter as the Bearcats join the Big 12.
On the hardwood, Cincinnati has been a model of consistency over the past decade, winning 20-plus games every season except for 2021-22 and the COVID-shortened 2020-21 campaign. The Bearcats appeared in the NCAA Tournament every year from 2013-19, which included a trio of AAC regular-season championships in 2014, 2018 and 2020. One would have to go back to 2007-08 to find the last time the Bearcats’ hoops team had a losing season.
Combined win percentage: .693
Combined conference championships: 8
Combined CFP/Final Four appearances: 2
Combined national championships: 0
Kentucky is known as a college basketball blue blood, but the Wildcats football program has made tremendous strides under head coach Mark Stoops. Since arriving in 2013, Stoops has led Kentucky to six winning seasons, including 10-win campaigns in 2021 and 2018. While the Wildcats have not won an SEC title under Stoops, the program has been to a bowl game every year since 2016.
As for basketball, Kentucky has been among the best in the country over the past decade. John Calipari has led the Wildcats to eight 25-plus win seasons since 2013, including a record-setting 38-1 mark during the 2014-15 campaign. Kentucky made back-to-back Final Four appearances in 2014 and 2015 and made it to the Elite Eight in both the 2017 and 2019 seasons. With a dominant basketball program and a football program on the rise, it shouldn’t be a surprise to see Kentucky land on this list.
Combined win percentage: .648
Combined conference championships: 6
Combined CFP/Final Four appearances: 5
Combined national championships: 0
While the Sooners have a lower combined win percentage than both Cincinnati and Kentucky, the Sooners are slotted above both the Bearcats and Wildcats because they are one of only four teams on this list to play in a Final Four and a College Football Playoff over the past decade. In fact, the football program has made four CFP appearances since the CFP launched in 2014, trailing only Alabama, Clemson and Ohio State. Oklahoma has been wildly successful on the gridiron over the past 10 years, notching seven double-digit win seasons and six Big 12 titles. The Sooners have also produced a pair of Heisman winners during that period, Baker Mayfield in 2017, and Kyler Murray in 2018.
While Oklahoma is clearly thought of as a football school, it’s hard to overlook the basketball program’s recent success. The Sooners have made six NCAA Tournament appearances since 2013, including a memorable run to the Final Four in 2016. That team was led by All-American Buddy Hield, who won the Wooden Award that season and went on to be the No. 6 overall selection in the 2016 NBA Draft by the New Orleans Pelicans.
Oklahoma coach Brent Venables, WR Drake Stoops, and QB Dillon Gabriel
Combined win percentage: .693
Combined conference championships: 4
Combined CFP/Final Four appearances: 2
Combined national championships: 0
Wisconsin is among the most consistent programs in the country in both football and basketball. On the gridiron, the program has posted a combined 92-36 (.719) record since 2013, which includes five double-digit win seasons and four Big Ten West titles. In fact, one would have to go all the way back to 2011 to find the last time Wisconsin had a losing season. The Badgers have also been successful in the postseason, winning eight of the program’s last nine bowl appearances. Paul Chryst helped guide the Badgers to a 72-29 mark since taking over in 2015 and now gives way to Luke Fickell, who is set to embark on his first season as head coach of the program.
It’s been the same story on the hardwood, as the Badgers have totaled nine winning seasons over the past 10 years, including seven NCAA Tournament appearances, three Big Ten regular-season titles, and one Big Ten Tournament championship. Under Bo Ryan’s guidance, Wisconsin made back-to-back Final Four appearances in 2014 and 2015. The 2014-15 Wisconsin team, led by Wooden Award winner Frank Kaminsky, finished the season with an impressive 30-4 record and a spot in the national title game, where it fell to national champion Duke.
Combined win percentage: .731
Combined conference championships: 11
Combined CFP/Final Four appearances: 1
Combined national championships: 0
No school has a better combined win percentage on the gridiron and hardwood over the past decade than San Diego State. The reason the Aztecs don’t sit atop this list is they only have one combined CFP/Final Four appearance, which came this past spring when the basketball team made a surprising run to the national championship game. Under the guidance of Steve Fischer and Brian Dutcher, the hoops program has been among the most consistent in the country since 2013, totaling a 256-85 record in that time span, which includes nine 20-plus win seasons and six NCAA Tournament appearances. The 2022-23 team entered the Big Dance as a No. 5 seed and went on to upset No. 1 seed Alabama on its way to the program’s first-ever national championship appearance.
The Aztecs have also been impressive on the football field, posting five double-digit win seasons over the past decade, including a 12-2 mark in 2021, which ended with a win over UTSA in the Frisco Bowl. San Diego State has appeared in nine bowl games since 2013, with the lone exception being the COVID-shortened 2020 season. The football team won back-to-back Mountain West championships in 2015 and 2016 under former head coach Rocky Long. Playing in a non-Power 5 conference does knock the Aztecs down a few notches as the strength of schedule is lower than the five teams higher on this list, but there is no denying how impressive both of these programs have been over the past decade.
Combined win percentage: .680
Combined conference championships: 6
Combined CFP/Final Four appearances: 4
Combined national championships: 0
Michigan is one of four programs to appear in both the College Football Playoff and Final Four over the past decade, and the only program to appear in each twice. After a challenging period from 2008-14, Jim Harbaugh has led the football program back to national relevance, with five double-digit win seasons, two Big Ten titles and back-to-back appearances in the College Football Playoff. That success should continue this season as the Wolverines are expected to be a top-five team in 2023.
Michigan basketball had a resurgence when John Beilein took over as head coach in 2007. The Wolverines have made seven NCAA Tournament appearances over the past decade, which includes Big Ten regular-season championships in 2014 and 2021, and Big Ten Tournament titles in 2017 and 2018. The most successful season in the past 10 years came in 2017-18 when the Wolverines won four games in four days to take home the Big Ten tourney title, and then went on to win the West Regional and advance to the national championship game, where they fell to Villanova.
Combined win percentage: .694
Combined conference championships: 8
Combined CFP/Final Four appearances: 3
Combined national championships: 0
Michigan State is one of four schools to make both the College Football Playoff and the Final Four over the past decade. Both the football and basketball programs have enjoyed great success since 2013, combining for a 329-145 (.694) record over that span. On the gridiron, the Spartans have posted five double-digit win seasons over the past decade, with a Rose Bowl victory (2013), a Cotton Bowl victory (2014) and a spot in the College Football Playoff (2015). Following a successful 13-year run under Mark Dantonio, Mel Tucker was named the head coach at MSU ahead of the 2020 season, producing mixed results in his first three years at the helm. Tucker did help guide the Spartans to an impressive 11-2 mark in 2021, which concluded with a win over Pitt in the Peach Bowl.
On the hardwood, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more consistent program in the country than Michigan State. Tom Izzo is one of the best to ever do it, guiding the Spartans to 25 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances (the 2020 tournament was canceled due to COVID-19). That’s the third-longest streak in college basketball history and the second-longest active streak, behind Kansas. The Spartans have appeared in five Sweet 16s, three Elite Eights and two Final Fours over the past decade, while also winning three Big Ten regular-season titles and three Big Ten Tournament titles.
Combined win percentage: .681
Combined conference championships: 10
Combined CFP/Final Four appearances: 7
Combined national championships: 3
When it comes to college football, Alabama is the standard of excellence. No program has enjoyed as much success on the gridiron over the past decade, and the school’s seven CFP appearances and three national championships are evidence of that. Nick Saban’s program has recorded double-digit wins every season since 2008, including six conference championships since 2013. Alabama has also had three Heisman winners during that time span — Bryce Young (2021), DeVonta Smith (2020) and Derrick Henry (2015) — as well as a jaw-dropping 33 first-round NFL Draft selections.
Alabama has also enjoyed success on the hardwood, especially as of late. The Crimson Tide are coming off an impressive 31-6 season, which included both SEC regular-season and tournament championships, as well as earning the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Crimson Tide have posted a combined 92-42 record (.689) since Nate Oats took over as head coach in 2019, making the NCAA Tournament in each of the past three years. The reason Alabama isn’t on top of this list, despite all the success the football program has enjoyed, is the fact that the basketball program has not advanced past the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament since 2004.
Nick Saban explains what college football is doing right
2. Oregon Ducks
Combined win percentage: .705
Combined conference championships: 10
Combined CFP/Final Four appearances: 2
Combined national championships: 0
In addition to their flashy uniforms, the Oregon Ducks play some pretty good ball as well. In fact, Oregon is the only Power 5 school in the country where the football and basketball program have a combined win percentage above .700 since 2013. The Ducks are also one of four programs to make an appearance in both the CFP and Final Four over the past decade, joining Michigan State, Michigan and Oklahoma. Oregon’s football program has been exceptional during that span, posting five double-digit win seasons, two Rose Bowl wins, and a spot in the 2014 national championship game. The Ducks have won three conference championships over the past 10 years (2014, 2019, 2020) and are coming off back-to-back 10-win seasons.
When it comes to basketball, Oregon has quietly been one of the most consistent programs in the sport over the past decade. The Ducks have won 20-plus games every season since 2013 and have made six NCAA Tournament appearances during that span. What is even more impressive is Oregon’s success on college basketball’s biggest stage. The Ducks have been to five Sweet 16s, two Elite Eights and a Final Four since 2013. While the Ducks have not won a national title over the past decade, the school’s combined .705-win percentage and 10 conference championships have them at the No. 2 spot.
Combined win percentage: .700
Combined conference Championships: 6
Combined CFP/Final Four appearances: 5
Combined national championships: 1
The Buckeyes are the top choice on this list, as no school has had as much consistent success on both the football field and basketball court. When it comes to football, OSU is among the most dominant programs over the past decade … and beyond. One would have to go back to 2011 to find the last time Ohio State didn’t win at least 85% of its games. In fact, outside the shortened 2020 season, the Buckeyes have won at least 11 games every year since 2011, including five Big Ten titles, five College Football Playoff appearances, two national title game appearances, and one national championship. Perhaps even more impressive is the fact that Ohio State has finished every season ranked in the top-seven of the final CFP rankings since the CFP was introduced back in 2014. Ohio State has also totaled 27 All-American selections and had 23 players selected in the first round of the NFL Draft since 2013.
On the hardwood, the Buckeyes have enjoyed plenty of success over the past decade, including eight 20-plus win seasons, six NCAA Tournament appearances and a Big Ten Tournament title. The determining factor that separates OSU from the likes of Oregon and Alabama on this list is the postseason success. In addition to the football program’s dominance over the past decade-plus, the basketball program has won at least one game in the Big Dance in five of its six appearances since 2013, including a run to the Elite Eight in 2013. Ohio State is one of only two Power 5 programs with a combined win percentage of .700 or greater, one of only three programs to combine for at least five CFP/Final Four appearances, and the only team on this list to accomplish both of those feats, while also making an Elite Eight in hoops. That is why Ohio State ranks No. 1 on this list.
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