Ohio State Athletics Made $252M in 2022 Revenue; Texas, Alabama Among Top Schools

Ohio State set the financial standard across college athletics over the past year.

According to USA Today, the school generated $251.6 million in revenue against $225.7 million in total expenses.

Texas ($239.3 million), Alabama ($214.4 million), Michigan ($210.7 million) and Georgia ($203 million) filled out the top five. They along with OSU were the only schools to exceed $200 million in revenue.

Forty-nine managed to hit nine figures, though. Kansas State narrowly made the cut at $100.8 million.

The numbers lay bare why the superconference era feels inevitable.

Nine of the 25 highest earners come from the SEC, and the number is actually 11 when you include Texas and Oklahoma, which are joining the conference in 2024. The Big Ten, meanwhile, has eight representatives among that group.

The gulf between the SEC and Big Ten and everybody else is only going to widen once their new television contracts go into effect.

College sports have always been an arms race powered by eager donors aiming to ensure their favorite school remains ahead of its biggest rivals. The eye-watering sums of money being funneled into athletic programs are unprecedented, though.

Ten years ago, Texas led the way with $163.3 million in total revenue for the 2011-12 school year. That number would put the Longhorns 14th behind Indiana today.

Amateur athletics became big business a long time ago, and the trend isn't slowing down.