SEC and Big Ten lead Power Five conferences in athletic department revenue
The saying goes that you need to spend money to make money, but in the realm of college athletics, it can work vice-versa just as easily.
When putting the landscape of college sports under a lens, the term “Power Five” gets thrown around a lot, and rightfully so. The SEC, Big Ten, ACC, Pac-12, and Big 12 conferences are home to some of the most competitive Division I programs in the country, and the revenue gap between them and other conferences is unparalleled.
But when pitting each of them against each other, just how big of a stark contrast is there when it comes to which conferences, and more granularly which schools, generate more athletic operating revenue than others?
USA TODAY Sports sought to put that answer to the test with an in-depth analysis of the Power Five’s athletic department’s revenue for the 2022 fiscal year.
As explained in the original piece, the data originates from financial reports the schools provide annually to the NCAA, which USA TODAY Sports obtained in partnership with the Knight-Newhouse Data project at Syracuse University.
The findings shed light on some distinct disparities between each of the Power Five conferences, with one’s lowest revenue-generating school nearly matching that of another conference’s average program.
The breakdown is included below, which was compiled using median values for their schools’ revenues, rather than the averages. Each conference is ranked in the order of highest to lowest:
SEC: $159.1 million
Highest: Alabama ($203 million)
Lowest: Mississippi State ($110.7 million)
As the cream of the crop, the SEC’s 13 public schools combined for $2.17 billion in total operating revenue in 2022, according to USA Today’s analysis. That figure is inclusive of money from student fees and forms of institutional and government support.
When looking at total revenue by each school in the SEC, Texas A&M ranked fourth ($193.1 million) in the conference behind Alabama, Georgia, and LSU, per USA Today’s database.
Big Ten: $150.1 million
Highest: Ohio State ($251.6 million)
Lowest: Rutgers ($85.6 million)
The Big Ten’s 13 public schools combined for $2.04 billion, with the Buckeyes sitting atop not only their conference but among all respective Power Five schools in USA Today’s analysis. Michigan wasn’t far behind at $210.6 million, which is second in the Big Ten and fourth overall among Power Five schools.
ACC: $134.4 million
Highest: Clemson ($151.9 million)
Lowest: Georgia Tech ($94.8 million)
The ACC has six private schools among its 14 full members, with Notre Dame competing as an independent, which in reality isn’t the best proxy for comparing itself against other Power Five foes. Interestingly enough, the ACC’s lowest revenue generator in the Yellow Jackets boasts a higher median revenue figure than a handful of Pac-12 schools.
Pac-12: $117 million
Highest: Oregon ($153 million)
Lowest: Washington State ($69.7 million)
With the Ducks atop the Pac-12 of revenue generators, the conference is in for a big shake-up come 2024 once USC and UCLA depart for the Big Ten. As highlighted in USA Today’s original piece, Mississippi State, the SEC’s lowest revenue generator, was at least $8.5 million ahead of every Pac-12 public school except Oregon and Washington.
Big 12: $110.7 million
Highest: Texas ($239.3 million)
Lowest: Oklahoma State ($91.4 million)
The Longhorns are the conference’s top revenue generator by a mile (Oklahoma comes in second at $177.3 million), but the Big 12 will be in for a seismic change next year when both of these schools depart for the SEC. It will be key to observe how their departures are offset by the incoming additions of BYU, UCF, Cincinnati, and Houston.
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