There is no doubt that college athletics involves big money. But which schools are really generating that money and what do they end up with at the end of the day?  According to the most recent filings with the Department of Education, college athletics — men and women, all sports, combined totals — generated $12.6 billion in revenue in 2011.

These institutions generated the greatest dollar amount of revenues from all athletics:

The University of Tennessee	$102,495,204
Auburn University	103,982,441
University of Oklahoma Norman Campus	104,338,843
Louisiana State University	106,421,671
Pennsylvania State University	116,118,026
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor	122,486,490
University of Florida	123,008,257
The University of Alabama	123,910,432
Ohio State University-Main Campus	131,815,819
The University of Texas at Austin	150,295,932

 

About one half of all college athletic revenue was generated by the top 100 of the 2,068 reporting institutions. 90 of the top 100 athletic revenue schools are NCAA Division I-A. There are eight Division 1-AA schools in the top 100 athletic revenue schools: New Hampshire, Old Dominion, Villanova, Penn, James Madison, Georgetown, Delaware and Yale.  Two of the top 100 athletic revenue schools are 1-AAA; St. Johns and Boston University.

The 2,068 colleges and universities that reported their data also spent over $12 billion in expenses to generate that $12.6 billion in revenue.

The following schools reported the highest expenses for athletics:

The University of Alabama	$92,225,560
University of Wisconsin-Madison	92,939,345
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor	95,836,991
Louisiana State University	96,019,689
University of Oklahoma Norman Campus	96,274,366
Auburn University	100,497,784
The University of Tennessee	102,480,757
University of Florida	112,951,656
Ohio State University-Main Campus	113,184,855
The University of Texas at Austin	125,978,117

 

The average revenue for each of the reporting schools was about $6 million, with related expenses exceeding $5.8 million. Within that limited margin of return, many schools lost money on athletics and even some of the leading revenue generating schools broke even.  The following schools collectively generated about $700 million in revenue, all of which was eaten up by expenses: TCU, WVU, Baylor, BC, UCLA, Kansas, USC, Minnesota, Stanford and Florida State.

Looking at the top revenue generating schools, the highest revenue over expenses levels were the following, collectively pocketing about $200 million:

	Revenue	Expense	Difference
Michigan State University	$80,963,182	$67,450,913	$13,512,269
Oklahoma State University	70,123,206	55,757,830	14,365,376
University of Oregon	85,740,068	69,306,426	16,433,642
Ohio State University-Main Campus	131,815,819	113,184,855	18,630,964
University of Notre Dame	94,507,919	75,360,209	19,147,710
Kansas State University	68,875,266	45,479,858	23,395,408
The University of Texas at Austin	150,295,932	125,978,117	24,317,815
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor	122,486,490	95,836,991	26,649,499
Pennsylvania State University	116,118,026	84,498,339	31,619,687
The University of Alabama	123,910,432	92,225,560	31,684,872

Tennessee generated top ten level revenue of more than $102 million, but almost equal expenses, reporting a net of a mere $15,000.  On the other hand, KSU managed to end up with more than $23 million on 2011 revenue of only $68 million.

To consider the athletic achievement that came from the revenue and expenses, the Capital One Cup honors NCAA Division I athletics programs for their cumulative on-field performance across multiple men’s and women’s sports. From the top revenue generating and expenses generating schools: Florida ranked first in the Capital One Cup men’s division and fourth in the women’s, Auburn ranked third in the men’s division, and Ohio State ranked 10^th in the men. From the highest expense group, Auburn ranked third in the men’s division. From the highest revenue over expenses group, Notre Dame, Penn State and Texas ranked 5th, 8^th and 10^th in the women’s and Ohio State ranked 10^th in the men’s.