USA Today released its annual rankings of public college athletic departments by revenue, showing the exact dollar amounts that separate the NCAA’s haves and have-nots.
Nike’s Phil Knight pushed Oregon past Texas in college sports money rankings
USA Today’s annual report shows the Ducks temporarily overtaking the longtime No. 1 Longhorns thanks to a very rich friend.
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Here are some takeaways from the data, which comes from the 2013-14 fiscal year. Remember these are public schools only, since private schools don’t have to share their numbers, so there’s no Notre Dame or USC, for example.
1. Yep, Oregon and Phil Knight are super rich.
The Ducks come out as the big winner, leading the nation by bringing in $196 million and blowing past the $161 million brought in by Texas, USA Today’s otherwise perennial No. 1. That’s an $80 million increase over the previous year.
The main factor was the donation of Oregon’s $95 million athletics complex by Nike founder and UO alumnus Phil Knight. Oregon’s athletics contributions add up to $124 million, an increase from $46 million in the previous fiscal year.
Since that donation won’t be duplicated any time soon, expect Texas to reclaim its spot next year.
How Oregon built a power
2. Here’s the revenue ranking by conference.
Those looming Pac-12 financial worries? There’s a clear gap forming between the top few and the next tier.
Elsewhere, the ACC, which doesn’t have its own 24-hour network, lags behind four powers that do (well, the Big 12 sort of does). Meanwhile, the Sun Belt is so far behind its FBS neighbors that it would rank behind two non-FBS conferences, the A-10 and CAA.
3. And here’s the top 25.
| School | Conference | Revenue | Expenses |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oregon | Pac-12 | $196,030,398 | $110,378,432 |
| Texas | Big 12 | $161,035,187 | $154,128,877 |
| Michigan | Big Ten | $157,899,820 | $142,551,994 |
| Alabama | SEC | $153,234,273 | $120,184,128 |
| Ohio State | Big Ten | $145,232,681 | $113,937,001 |
| LSU | SEC | $133,679,256 | $122,945,710 |
| Oklahoma | Big 12 | $129,226,692 | $113,366,698 |
| Wisconsin | Big Ten | $127,910,918 | $125,096,235 |
| Florida | SEC | $124,611,305 | $109,690,016 |
| Texas A&M | SEC | $119,475,872 | $95,663,483 |
| Oklahoma State | Big 12 | $117,803,302 | $109,648,000 |
| Penn State | Big Ten | $117,590,990 | $117,440,639 |
| Auburn | SEC | $113,716,004 | $126,470,602 |
| Tennessee | SEC | $107,499,732 | $106,153,854 |
| Minnesota | Big Ten | $106,176,156 | $106,176,156 |
| Iowa | Big Ten | $105,958,954 | $102,278,847 |
| Florida State | ACC | $104,774,474 | $98,866,182 |
| Michigan State | Big Ten | $104,677,456 | $107,422,832 |
| Georgia | SEC | $103,495,587 | $92,560,956 |
| Washington | Pac-12 | $100,275,187 | $86,097,137 |
| Arizona | Pac-12 | $99,911,034 | $95,524,260 |
| South Carolina | SEC | $98,619,479 | $95,762,786 |
| Kansas | Big 12 | $97,681,066 | $90,056,511 |
| Arkansas | SEC | $96,793,972 | $94,640,408 |
| Kentucky | SEC | $96,685,489 | $94,612,431 |
Athletic programs from the five powers take 52 of the top 54 spots.
The only non-power schools to break into that top group are AAC basketball powers UConn (44th; $71 million in revenue) and Cincinnati (52nd; $59 million). The lowest power-conference revenue stream belongs to Washington State, which ranked 54th at $54 million.
So, yep, the poorest power school brings in about as much money as the second-richest non-power.
4. Revenue soars, and so does spending.
In an era when some college athletes and advocates are fighting for more money, and many schools say they can’t afford it, the dollar signs are eye-popping. Twenty schools brought in more than $100 million in 2013-14, and 16 spent more than $100 million.
The biggest spender was Texas -- they do everything bigger there, right? -- which unloaded $154 million.
5. Money is a good indicator of success.
While athletic departments are much more than just football and men’s basketball, the average college sports fan is mostly worried about the big two. The eight public schools that have seen the most success in both all spent at least $86 million last year, and they all brought in at least $86 million, too.
Among the eight public schools in the top 10 of the final 2014 college football rankings, six rank in the top 20 in revenue. In the final 2015 USA Today Coaches Poll for men’s basketball, the six public schools in the top 10 all rank in the top 33 in revenue.
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