The Big Ten is killing it on the field right now, winning the last three national championships in football and ending quarter-century long droughts with men's and women's basketball titles last month. Relatedly, the Big Ten is also dominating its peers financially.
That's according to tax documents of the Power 4 conferences (plus the two-team Pac-12) obtained by USA Today. The tax filings, the most recent of which were released Friday, cover the fiscal year 2025 and the 2024 football season -- the first of the new world order of a 16-team SEC, an 18-team Big Ten, a Pacific Coast wing of the Atlantic Coast Conference, and a 16-team Big 12.
The clearest way to put things is this: in 2024-25, the Big Ten made more money than the ACC and the Big 12 combined, and its raise from starting its new TV contracts and adding four former Pac-12 members was nearly double the SEC's raise for its all-in deal with ABC/ESPN and adding Texas and Oklahoma. It's anything but a surprise the Big Ten out-earned its peers after inking an $8 billion TV contract back in 2022, but the conference earned all that money while getting hammered by the SEC in the ratings.
The Big Ten collected $1.47 billion, distributing a minimum of $76 million to each of its fully vested members (USC and UCLA joined as full members, while Oregon and Washington are taking half shares). The SEC took in $1.11 billion, sending out $70.3 million to its 14 full-share members. Meanwhile, the ACC generated $826.5 million ($42.8 million per) and the Big 12 $610.9 million ($37.9 million). The Pac-12 distributed $29 million apiece to Oregon State and Washington State.
Ohio State, the football national champion, won the financial national championship as well in depositing a $91.6 million check from the Big Ten. Georgia was the SEC's highest-paid member at $74.5 million, Clemson won the ACC at $55.1 million, and Arizona State won the Big 12 at $43 million. Each of those schools won their respective football conference championships. Oregon and Washington, as half-share members of the Big Ten, each made more from their new league than Arizona State did as the highest-paid Big 12 member.
And in a fitting touch, who retired as the Big Ten commissioner on Jan. 1, 2020, earned $5.8 million in total compensation, out-earning every current conference commissioner. Technically, former Pac-12 boss George Kliavkoff was the highest-paid commissioner, but his $6.1 million in pay includes a $5 million severance check. Nice work if you can get it.