Texas A&M Passes Texas To Become Biggest Athletic Department In Country
Maybe everything really is bigger in Texas.
Fresh off their new stadium addition and their joining of the SEC, Texas A&M boasts the largest athletic department in the country for the 2014-15 year according to data published by USA Today this afternoon. I'm no accounting major so if you want to quibble with the revenue figures you can read some of the details here, but the general trend is unmistakable, ever since joining the SEC the Aggies have been making it rain.
Here are your top 20 largest athletic programs in the country for 2014-15.
1. Texas A&M $192.6 million SEC
2. Texas $183.5 million Big 12
3. Ohio State $167.2 million Big Ten
4. Michigan $152.5 million Big Ten
5. Alabama $148.9 million SEC
6. Florida $147.1 million SEC
7. LSU $138.6 million SEC
8. Oklahoma $134.3 million Big 12
9. Tennessee $126.6 million SEC
10. Penn State $125.7 million Big Ten
11. Auburn $124.7 million SEC
12. Wisconsin $123.8 million Big Ten
13. Florida State $120.8 million ACC
14. Kentucky $116.5 million SEC
15. Georgia $116.2 million SEC
16. Arkansas $114.2 million SEC
17. South Carolina $113.2 million SEC
18. Minnesota $111.2 million Big Ten
19. Michigan State $108.7 million Big Ten
20. Iowa $106 million Big Ten
You can see the full list from USA Today here.
One thing that rapidly jumps out at you -- the Big 12, the ACC, and the Pac 12 have just three teams combined in the top 20 largest athletic departments. And the Pac 12 has no schools at all.
That's because the Big Five is rapidly becoming the Big Two thanks to the blockbuster success of the SEC Network and the Big Ten Network. The SEC has 10 of the top 17 largest athletic departments in the country and the Big Ten has 7 of the top 20.
Look for these numbers to continue to grow for the SEC and the Big Ten, creating even further revenue gaps between them and the rest of the country.
