An interesting look at Big Ten recruiting expenses

The Big Ten wrapped up singing day with two programs in the top 10 (according to Rivals.com). To put that in perspective, six SEC programs made the top ten cut.

Scott Dochterman of The Gazette took a look at what Big Ten teams are spending on recruiting, and the numbers may surprise you.

Take a look at the chart below and take note of the increases in spending from 2011 and total recruiting expenses from each program.

As you can see, most Big Ten schools spent significantly more in 2012 than they had the previous year, presumably in an effort to close the gap and pry the national championship from the firm grip of the SEC.

Iowa, who won just four games last year, increased their spending by over $95,000, and according to The Gazette, that's nearly double what they spend on recruiting for the football program in 2010. Nebraska is another school that saw some monumental increases in spending, increasing their recruiting expenses by nearly $275,000 from their 2011 total.

Michigan and Purdue were the only schools that saw their recruiting expenses shrink.

As you can see, Nebraska spent the most of any Big Ten school (by far) and Wisconsin was the only school to keep their recruiting costs under $333,000, which was an increase of just over $7,000 from last season.

The original article has some interesting insight, including why Nebraska's costs are so much higher (they travel over 1,100 miles for the average recruit).

With the new recruiting rules coming into effect, look for these numbers to rise significantly for most, if not all, programs next season.