SEC Football: New TV Deal Will Boost Conference to Top of Profit Charts

Chalk up another National Championship for Alabama.

According to BusinessOfCollegeSports.com, Alabama tops the list of athletics departments in terms of net income. The Tide hauled in a total of $31,684,872 of net income in 2010-11.  

It's not surprising that an athletic department that is home to two of the last three crystal footballs tops this list. What is surprising is that Alabama is the only SEC team in the top 10—well, at least initially. 

But when you consider that the SEC's television deal—which was groundbreaking when it was signed in 2009—has been outdated in a hurry by television deals in other conferences, it's no wonder teams from outside the SEC litter the rest of the top 10. 

That will change soon enough. Now that Missouri and Texas A&M are on board, the SEC will look to rework its television deal with CBS and ESPN. A brand new SEC Network will likely result from those negotiations, which will mean big bucks for the 14 member institutions.  

The Pac-12's new deal is expected to produce upwards of $30 million for each institution, and since college football drives the revenue bus, one can only imagine what the networks are willing to fork over for the rights to broadcast SEC games.  

When the ink is dry on a renegotiated television deal, SEC commissioner Mike Slive might as well just start driving Brinks trucks around to SEC schools, because they will printing money in the SEC office.