Here Football Revenue is looked at WITHOUT media payments from ESPN, etc. It's the cleanest way to look at Donor/Ticket support.
By David Jones | djones@pennlive.com
On Wednesday, we posted the Big Ten football revenue figures. Today, we present all 65 of the Power 5 schools, ranked from the most modest to most extravagant, for the 2019-20 fiscal year (generally 07/01/19 to 06/30/20).
These are annual university athletic department figures mandated by the U.S. Department of Education and its Equity in Athletics Data Analysis (EADA) arm. The headings represent the revenue derived from each university’s football operation before expenses, as listed by athletic directors of each school in their annual reports. These figures do not include the massive annual payouts from conferences’ broadcast contracts. (They ranged widely between $28 million outlays for lower-tier ACC schools to $56 million per Big Ten institution.)
In each brief capsule, I’ve detailed expenses and net profit for football, plus some occasional various factoids, sometimes on other sports.
To emphasize: these are revenue figures relating to the 2019 football season and the 2019-20 basketball season, not last season. So, they do not reflect the broad fiscal distress of the COVID-wracked and, in some cases, stunted 2020 football season, but do include decrease in funds from the lack of a 2020 NCAA men’s basketball tournament.
Because some irregularities in the reporting by various athletic directors is inevitable, the reports may include caveats and discrepancies between one school and another. We can’t control that. All we can do is pass on the parallel figures as they are posted in the EADA report.
Here, then are all 65, bottom to top, with number of ranking spots risen (+), fallen (-) or maintained the same (=) from the 2018-19 fiscal year, in parentheses.
#65 West Virginia $19 million (=)
Neal Brown’s rookie season as head coach was the first losing one in six years for the Mountaineers (5-7); they went winless in the Big 12 at home. Exactly what WVU does with its bookkeeping is a riddle, but it seems an anomaly considering home crowds at Mountaineer Field that hover between 50-60K. Both the football and men’s basketball programs recorded a deficit in the EADA report ($3.2M and $2.1M, respectively).
#64 Wake Forest $24.7 million (-1)
No mystery here as announced crowds at Truist Field, even for a competitive 8-5 team, commonly ranged around 25-30K; that’s barely Conference USA level. Wake was also one of only three Power 5 schools to fabricate a balanced ledger – identical figures of $24,698,755 for revenue and expenses – indicating a true deficit compensated with general funds.
#63 Georgia Tech $28.2 million (-15)
A similar sad story here as native Georgian Geoff Collins came from Temple to relieve longtime triple-option proponent Paul Johnson and the Jackets sank into a 3-9 morass. Football eeked out a $1M profit and tumbled farther in one year than any program in the rankings. Men’s hoops ran a deficit of slightly over $1M.
#62 Boston College $31.8 million (-1)
Seeing an ACC pattern here? This was the dreary 6-7 season that got Steve Addazio fired after seven years in Chestnut Hill. After an encouraging start, the tone was set in week 3 with a stunning rout home loss to 20-point underdog Kansas. BC football managed a $5.1M profit. Men’s hoops barely broke even (+$128K).
#61 Rutgers $32.9 million (+3)
Like Wake Forest, RU cooked its books to represent a balanced budget when it’s clear the football program is running at a deficit. Football revenue and expenses are listed as identical totals – $32,874,357; men’s basketball, the same – $8,249,544.
#60 Vanderbilt $33.4 million (+2)
The only private school in the SEC routinely brings up the rear in the nation’s most competitive football conference. The Commodores went 3-9 in since-fired Derek Mason’s sixth year and managed a $4.2M profit. Men’s basketball apparently ran a deficit, reporting identical expense and revenue figures of $14,072,415.
#59 Missouri $34.7 million (-4)
This was the final year of Barry Odom’s 4-year tenure, as an encouraging start dissolved in mid-season. It’s never been easy at Mizzou even though Gary Pinkel worked minor miracles for a while. Tiger football cleared a $6.1M profit while men’s basketball made $1.7M.
#58 Oregon State $35.6 million (=)
It’s become more apparent in the past seven years just what a perfect fit Mike Riley was here. Since he left for his incongruous mission to Nebraska, the Beavers have returned to their familiar spot in the Pac-12 basement. Actually, Jonathan Smith did an admirable job with 5-7 (4-5 P12) in 2019 and OSU managed a decent $13.7M clearance. Wayne Tinkle’s hoops program barely broke even ($212K profit).
#57 California $36.1 million (+3)
Justin Wilcox’s defensive-minded Bears weren’t always enthralling to watch, but they tenaciously hung in games and finished 8-5 (4-5 P12) including four road wins at Washington, Mississippi, Stanford and UCLA. Cal football cleared $4.9M; men’s basketball made $2M.
#56 UCLA $37.5 million (-6)
The Chip Kelly hire began looking like a serious misstep as the Bruins stumbled to 4-8, though they did play perhaps the toughest non-con schedule in the nation. UCLA football managed a $5.2M profit while the once-proud Bruin hoops program foundered with a $474K deficit.
#55 Pittsburgh $37.9 million (-2)
Heinz Field is exponentially nicer than old gray Pitt Stadium, but it’s not easy luring a university community down the hill from Oakland to watch a just-OK team play opponents from Tobacco Road. Pat Narducci has done all he can. Panther football lured consistent announced crowds of 40-45K and cleared $5.4M. Meanwhile, the struggling basketball program, blessed with a gorgeous campus venue and much more attractive conference opponents, managed just an $800K clearance.
#54 Arizona $39 million (-7)
This is a lost program trying to survive at a basketball school and was enduring the throes of Kevin Sumlin’s imminent demise. At least Wildcat football spent less than almost any Power 5 program ($21.7M) and so cleared a $17.3M profit. Men’s basketball made $6.5M.
#53 Duke $39.7 million (-2)
Rivaling Kentucky, Indiana and Kansas, this is the arguably most severe example of basketball overshadowing football. And so, it provides a window into just how much more important football is fiscally to college athletics. David Cutcliffe’s Devils went 5-7 (3-6 ACC) and yet the football program still cleared more profit ($14.5M) than Mike Krzyzewski’s basketball behemoth ($13.4M) which grossed among the most of all college hoops programs in the nation ($33.4M!)
#52 Mississippi State $40 million (+5)
This was the second and final abortive season for Joe Moorhead in ill-fitting Starkville. With crowds at Davis Wade Stadium consistently in the mid-50K range, interest was there, but the wins weren’t. Football cleared $9.5M while men’s basketball ran a deficit indicated by identical cooked expense/revenue figures of $7,373,585.
#51 Kansas $40.6 million (+5)
The ill-fated Les Miles experiment never got airborne with a 3-9 (1-8 B12) inaugural record, succeeding only in helping to get Steve Addazio fired at BC with a surprising early road upset. Jayhawk football managed to clear $18.6M while Bill Self’s much more celebrated hoop program profited only $5.5M.
CONTINUED
Where does your school rank among richest and poorest Power 5 college football programs? New revenue figures for all 65
By David Jones | djones@pennlive.com
On Wednesday, we posted the Big Ten football revenue figures. Today, we present all 65 of the Power 5 schools, ranked from the most modest to most extravagant, for the 2019-20 fiscal year (generally 07/01/19 to 06/30/20).
These are annual university athletic department figures mandated by the U.S. Department of Education and its Equity in Athletics Data Analysis (EADA) arm. The headings represent the revenue derived from each university’s football operation before expenses, as listed by athletic directors of each school in their annual reports. These figures do not include the massive annual payouts from conferences’ broadcast contracts. (They ranged widely between $28 million outlays for lower-tier ACC schools to $56 million per Big Ten institution.)
In each brief capsule, I’ve detailed expenses and net profit for football, plus some occasional various factoids, sometimes on other sports.
To emphasize: these are revenue figures relating to the 2019 football season and the 2019-20 basketball season, not last season. So, they do not reflect the broad fiscal distress of the COVID-wracked and, in some cases, stunted 2020 football season, but do include decrease in funds from the lack of a 2020 NCAA men’s basketball tournament.
Because some irregularities in the reporting by various athletic directors is inevitable, the reports may include caveats and discrepancies between one school and another. We can’t control that. All we can do is pass on the parallel figures as they are posted in the EADA report.
Here, then are all 65, bottom to top, with number of ranking spots risen (+), fallen (-) or maintained the same (=) from the 2018-19 fiscal year, in parentheses.
#65 West Virginia $19 million (=)
Neal Brown’s rookie season as head coach was the first losing one in six years for the Mountaineers (5-7); they went winless in the Big 12 at home. Exactly what WVU does with its bookkeeping is a riddle, but it seems an anomaly considering home crowds at Mountaineer Field that hover between 50-60K. Both the football and men’s basketball programs recorded a deficit in the EADA report ($3.2M and $2.1M, respectively).
#64 Wake Forest $24.7 million (-1)
No mystery here as announced crowds at Truist Field, even for a competitive 8-5 team, commonly ranged around 25-30K; that’s barely Conference USA level. Wake was also one of only three Power 5 schools to fabricate a balanced ledger – identical figures of $24,698,755 for revenue and expenses – indicating a true deficit compensated with general funds.
#63 Georgia Tech $28.2 million (-15)
A similar sad story here as native Georgian Geoff Collins came from Temple to relieve longtime triple-option proponent Paul Johnson and the Jackets sank into a 3-9 morass. Football eeked out a $1M profit and tumbled farther in one year than any program in the rankings. Men’s hoops ran a deficit of slightly over $1M.
#62 Boston College $31.8 million (-1)
Seeing an ACC pattern here? This was the dreary 6-7 season that got Steve Addazio fired after seven years in Chestnut Hill. After an encouraging start, the tone was set in week 3 with a stunning rout home loss to 20-point underdog Kansas. BC football managed a $5.1M profit. Men’s hoops barely broke even (+$128K).
#61 Rutgers $32.9 million (+3)
Like Wake Forest, RU cooked its books to represent a balanced budget when it’s clear the football program is running at a deficit. Football revenue and expenses are listed as identical totals – $32,874,357; men’s basketball, the same – $8,249,544.
#60 Vanderbilt $33.4 million (+2)
The only private school in the SEC routinely brings up the rear in the nation’s most competitive football conference. The Commodores went 3-9 in since-fired Derek Mason’s sixth year and managed a $4.2M profit. Men’s basketball apparently ran a deficit, reporting identical expense and revenue figures of $14,072,415.
#59 Missouri $34.7 million (-4)
This was the final year of Barry Odom’s 4-year tenure, as an encouraging start dissolved in mid-season. It’s never been easy at Mizzou even though Gary Pinkel worked minor miracles for a while. Tiger football cleared a $6.1M profit while men’s basketball made $1.7M.
#58 Oregon State $35.6 million (=)
It’s become more apparent in the past seven years just what a perfect fit Mike Riley was here. Since he left for his incongruous mission to Nebraska, the Beavers have returned to their familiar spot in the Pac-12 basement. Actually, Jonathan Smith did an admirable job with 5-7 (4-5 P12) in 2019 and OSU managed a decent $13.7M clearance. Wayne Tinkle’s hoops program barely broke even ($212K profit).
#57 California $36.1 million (+3)
Justin Wilcox’s defensive-minded Bears weren’t always enthralling to watch, but they tenaciously hung in games and finished 8-5 (4-5 P12) including four road wins at Washington, Mississippi, Stanford and UCLA. Cal football cleared $4.9M; men’s basketball made $2M.
#56 UCLA $37.5 million (-6)
The Chip Kelly hire began looking like a serious misstep as the Bruins stumbled to 4-8, though they did play perhaps the toughest non-con schedule in the nation. UCLA football managed a $5.2M profit while the once-proud Bruin hoops program foundered with a $474K deficit.
#55 Pittsburgh $37.9 million (-2)
Heinz Field is exponentially nicer than old gray Pitt Stadium, but it’s not easy luring a university community down the hill from Oakland to watch a just-OK team play opponents from Tobacco Road. Pat Narducci has done all he can. Panther football lured consistent announced crowds of 40-45K and cleared $5.4M. Meanwhile, the struggling basketball program, blessed with a gorgeous campus venue and much more attractive conference opponents, managed just an $800K clearance.
#54 Arizona $39 million (-7)
This is a lost program trying to survive at a basketball school and was enduring the throes of Kevin Sumlin’s imminent demise. At least Wildcat football spent less than almost any Power 5 program ($21.7M) and so cleared a $17.3M profit. Men’s basketball made $6.5M.
#53 Duke $39.7 million (-2)
Rivaling Kentucky, Indiana and Kansas, this is the arguably most severe example of basketball overshadowing football. And so, it provides a window into just how much more important football is fiscally to college athletics. David Cutcliffe’s Devils went 5-7 (3-6 ACC) and yet the football program still cleared more profit ($14.5M) than Mike Krzyzewski’s basketball behemoth ($13.4M) which grossed among the most of all college hoops programs in the nation ($33.4M!)
#52 Mississippi State $40 million (+5)
This was the second and final abortive season for Joe Moorhead in ill-fitting Starkville. With crowds at Davis Wade Stadium consistently in the mid-50K range, interest was there, but the wins weren’t. Football cleared $9.5M while men’s basketball ran a deficit indicated by identical cooked expense/revenue figures of $7,373,585.
#51 Kansas $40.6 million (+5)
The ill-fated Les Miles experiment never got airborne with a 3-9 (1-8 B12) inaugural record, succeeding only in helping to get Steve Addazio fired at BC with a surprising early road upset. Jayhawk football managed to clear $18.6M while Bill Self’s much more celebrated hoop program profited only $5.5M.
CONTINUED
