SEC leads Power 5 conferences in operating revenue, including 5 programs in top 10

The SEC paced the Power 5 conferences in median operating revenue figures during the 2022 fiscal year gathered by USA Today at $159.1 million, just ahead of the B1G at $150.1 million.

The SEC’s 13 public schools combined for $2.17 billion in total operating revenue, including student fees and forms of institutional and government support.

In 2022, outside of student fees and government support, there was a $62.1 million difference between the median revenue generated by an SEC school and that generated by a Pac-12 school. For perspective, in 2022, only 9 public schools outside the Power 5 conferences had more than $62.1 million in total operating expenses for their entire athletics program.

Using median values for their schools’ revenues, rather than the averages, the conferences ranked in the following order:

• SEC: $159.1 million.
• Big Ten: $150.1 million.
• ACC: $134.4 million.
• Pac-12: $117 million.

This reflects the continued divide between the conferences. Mississippi State, the SEC’s lowest revenue generator, was at least $8.5 million ahead of every Pac-12 public school except Oregon and Washington.

• SEC: $159 million, with a range of $203 million for Alabama, to $110.7 million for Mississippi State.
• Big Ten: $147.1 million, with a range of $251.6 million for Ohio State, to $85.6 million for Rutgers.
• ACC: $125.2 million, with a range of $151.9 million for Clemson, to $94.8 million for Georgia Tech.
• Big 12: $106.9 million, with a range of $239.3 million for Texas, to $91.4 million for Oklahoma State.

Total revenue by SEC school (national rank):

Alabama (3) $214,365,357
Georgia (5) $203,048,566
LSU (6) $199,309,382
Texas A&M (7) $193,139,619
Florida (8) $190,417,139
Auburn (11) $174,568,442
Kentucky (16) $159,079,024
Tennessee (18) $154,566,935
Arkansas (20) $152,513,755
South Carolina (27) $142,210,807
Missouri (28) $141,157,028
Ole Miss (30) $133,557,937
Mississippi State (40) $110,653,367

Keith Farner

A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.