Conference realignment is never too far from the conversation when it comes to college athletics, and this week news only further entrenches the canyon that exists between the haves and have nots. More specifically, it’s the gap between the Big Ten and SEC and everyone else.
Revenue numbers are starting to be released for each conference and the SEC reported a large increase in the 2023 fiscal year. The conference totaled $853 million in revenue, a 6% increase over 2022. This means that the conference was able to distribute an insane $51.3 million for each one of its member institutions. To put this number in perspective, the payout was $43.7 million for each school five years ago. And in the 2013 fiscal year, payouts were a paltry $20.7 million per school.
Via USA Today:
After a one-year downturn in revenue, the Southeastern Conference returned to its usual path of increasing income during its 2023 fiscal year, the conference’s new federal tax records show.
The document – provided by the conference on Thursday in response to a request from USA TODAY Sports ‒ shows the SEC with total revenue of nearly $853 million for a year ending Aug. 31, 2023, about $50 million more (6%) than its total for 2022.
That resulted in an average of about $51.3 million being distributed to each of its 14 member schools.
The conference reported just over $802 million in revenue for its 2022 fiscal year, and average distributions of about $49.9 million per school.
Of course, while that sounds very impressive (and it is), the SEC still lags behind the Big Ten when it comes to revenue distribution for each school. Full members of the Big Ten received $58.8 million, which means that if that conference follows the trajectory of the SEC, it could cross $60 million per school when its numbers are released. Most significantly for the realignment picture, the gap to third place is a whopping $185 million from the SEC to the ACC.
The SEC is the first of the Power Five conferences to release its tax records for fiscal 2023. Its total revenue likely will be surpassed by the Big Ten’s. In 2022, the Big Ten’s revenue total was nearly $846 million; its per-school distribution was about $58.8 million for each school other than relative newcomers Nebraska, Maryland and Rutgers, which still were not yet receiving full shares.
While the SEC was second to the Big Ten in 2022, it was $185 million ahead of the third-highest total by a Power Five conference — the Atlantic Coast’s $617 million.
This report shows why Florida State is so desperate to leave the ACC and theoretically link up with either the Big Ten or SEC in college athletics. With the SEC and Big Ten partnering together on early discussions, it’s an ominous reality that is present for the rest of the collegiate sports universe, especially in football.
This revenue gap that exists between the Big Ten/SEC and everybody else is only going to grow beginning next year when the rich get much, much richer. The SEC will welcome Oklahoma and Texas to the league while the Big Ten will get the best of what once was the Pac 12 in USC, UCLA, Oregon, and Washington. The ACC and Big 12 made their own additions in an effort to try to stay relevant, but will only likely fall further behind the true Power 2.
