The 2026-27 college basketball season is underway, so this week we look at the shift in popularity in men’s basketball conferences.
Realignment, the transfer portal, and NIL have all reshaped college sports over the past decade. While the ACC held as the most popular conference for more than 20 years, the Big Ten has overtaken the ACC in recent years and widened the gap this year. Both the SEC and Big 12 have also gained fans from recent realignment, while the ACC has stagnated.
Michigan’s victory in the 2026 NCAA Tournament marked the Big Ten’s first national championship in 26 years, providing a boost for the Michigan fan base.
Other gains for the Big Ten have been driven by the acquisition of popular programs such as UCLA and Oregon. It’s a similar story for the SEC as the popularity of new members Texas and Oklahoma has provided a lift. The Big 12 has more than offset the Texas and Oklahoma defections by adding schools with strong regional fan bases such as Arizona, BYU, and Houston. Although we don’t see the same “Power 2” dynamic that we do in college football, men’s basketball has been headed in a similar direction. Fan bases for Big Ten and SEC schools have increased by 50% since 2017, while the ACC is down 13% over the same period,
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