College Football is big business. The NCAA may claim it's not about he money, but college football makes a ton of money each season and the programs are valuable. While the vast majority of schools don't make money because of expenses, their revenue totals are very high.
The Big Ten is one of the biggest conferences in college athletics, and it shouldn't be a surprise that eight schools generated at least $100 million in revenue. Based on the revenues from the 2014-15 season, as gathered by USA Today, we've put together the best money making athletic departments in the Big Ten.
But before we get started, it's important to note that revenues don't include the expenses. While each team's expenses are listed, the revenues are the first numbers you'll see next to the school name. Where applicable, there's also a section for subsidy. That's money given to the athletic department from the school to help balance the budget. With all that out of the way, here are The 6 Big Ten Programs Making The Most Money:
6. Michigan State Spartans - $108 million
We've rounded down for all revenues, and the Spartans actually pulled in $108,687,274 last season. But Michigan State didn't really make any money last year. They had roughly the same in expenses, but were bailed out by over $700,000 in a subsidy. Still, basically breaking even is worth it for MSU.
5. Minnesota Golden Gophers - $111 million
Admit it, you didn't expect to see Minnesota on here. And you'd be right because although they "made" $111 million, that's a bit of a deceptive figure. Minnesota had nearly $7 million come in from the University, to help cover the athletic departments $111 million expenses.
4. Wisconsin Badgers - $123 million
Wisconsin made nearly $124 million, with their exact figure coming in at $123,985,543. Wisconsin only had $118.7 million in expenses, meaning they made money. However, they also had $7.8 million coming via subsidy, so the Badgers aren't really as well off as they might seem at first glance.
3. Penn State Nittany Lions - $125 million
Now we get to the programs that actually make money. Penn State had $125.7 million in revenue and $122.3 in expenses. For a school with a football program that was nearly destroyed a few years ago, coming out with an extra $3 million is great.
2. Michigan Wolverines - $152 million
The Wolverines racked up $152 million, but made just over $1 million. That's because they spent $151 million last year. The Wolverines' stock is trending up, especially with Jim Harbaugh as head football coach.
1. Ohio State Buckeyes - $167 million
The Buckeyes are the class of the Big Ten in terms of making money. The Buckeyes had $167 million in revenue, and only spent $154 million. That's $13 million in profit, something Ohio State loves to see each year.
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