Big Ten Made Staggering Amount Of Money In Last Fiscal Year, Beat The SEC
The Big Ten is an outrageously wealthy conference.
The Midwest-heavy conference pulled down $880 million in the fiscal year from July 1, 2022, to June 30, 2023, according to documents obtained by Sportico. The average payouts to schools in the conference was right around $60 million.
The total earnings for the B1G beat the SEC's $853 million, but the most fascinating part is that it doesn't include one penny from the mega-TV deal that started last football season. The fiscal year ended several months prior to a single game being broadcast on Fox, CBS or NBC under the new deal.
How much will members make now that the new deal is rolling and entering its second football season? ESPN previously reported the number per school could reach as high as $100 million.
The Big Ten made $880 million in the last fiscal year. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
The Big Ten is rolling in money.
The fact the B1G made $880 million the year *PRIOR* to its historic media deal is nothing short of shocking. It's really a sign of the power of major college athletics.
It's also a great data point for why USC, UCLA, Washington and Oregon were so desperate to get out of the PAC-12 and into the B1G.
USC and UCLA will receive full member payouts as soon as they join. Oregon and Washington agreed to join for a reduced number that is still certainly higher than what they would have gotten elsewhere.
Starting this season, the Power Five is turning into the Power Four with the PAC-12 essentially dissolving. However, the P4 is hardly equal.
The Big Ten generates more money than any other conference, the SEC isn't too far behind and then there's a huge gap in resources between those two powers and the ACC and Big 12.
That financial gap is going to drive more realignment before it's said and done. I'd keep your eyes on UNC, Virginia, Miami and FSU for the next round, but there's no concrete timeline.
However, there is incentive to hurry. The financial gap between the haves and have nots will only grow now that the B1G is playing under its record media deal.
The Big Ten is rolling in money. (Credit: Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK)
As a Wisconsin man, I'm definitely not losing sleep knowing the Badgers are rolling in cash. Something tells me other B1G men feel the same way. Let me know your thoughts at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.