SEC Generated $527.4 Million in Total Revenue in 2015: Latest Details, Reaction

Tax return documents for the fiscal year ending in August 2015 show the Southeastern Conference earned $527.4 million in revenue over the course of the last calendar year.  

The documents were obtained by Steve Berkowitz of USA Today, whose report indicated the SEC is in the midst of a financial bonanza boosted by the College Football Playoff. The conference also saw a major boost thanks to the SEC Network, which launched Aug. 14, 2014. Overall, the revenue represents a 60 percent increase from the previous year and showcases the overall power of the SEC.

A report from Brett McMurphy of ESPN.com in May 2015 indicated each member school would receive $31.2 million. As a matter of contrast, McMurphy's report indicated the Big 12 had revenue "north of $250 million" while the Big Ten's tax filings in 2013-14 reported $338.9 million to be distributed.

The SEC Network is already generating a profit of around $5 million per school, according South Carolina athletic director Ray Tanner (via John Taylor of NBC Sports). That came as a bit of a surprise to many, who did not view the network as a profit-generating entity in its first year.

“You could sit and listen to proposals and programming going forward and understand the dollars associated with it from different cable outlets, subscriptions and the footprint of the SEC," Tanner said, per John Whittle of 247Sports.com. "As they said, it could be Year 3 before we realized any financial gain. As we launched, distributors started to get on board. Then we said it may be two years. Before you know it, it was profit in Year 1."

Thirteen of the 14 SEC teams are state-funded institutions, meaning their individual revenues must be part of the public record. Vanderbilt, a private institution, is the lone exception. Seven of the programs report a total revenue of more than $100 million, highlighted by Alabama's $153.23 million, per USA Today. South Carolina, Arkansas and Kentucky are each closing in on the $100 million mark as well. 

The massive revenue increase also carried over to former conference commissioner Mike Slive, who earned $3.66 million in compensation. Slive retired in July as the SEC commissioner and has been replaced by Greg Sankey. Given the fervent increase in revenue across the conference, it appears Sankey is stepping into the commissionership at the perfect time. Slive's compensation in 2014-15 could put him ahead of Pac-12 boss Larry Scott, whose compensation has not been made public for the most recent calendar year.

Either way, when it comes to revenue and football, the SEC remains king.

Follow Tyler Conway (@jtylerconway) on Twitter