Big Ten Daily: Big Ten Led All Conferences in 2020 Revenue

The Big Ten's total revenue dropped in 2020, but it was still about $40 million higher than the SEC. The conference lowered payouts to its 12 longest-standing members by about $1.3 million per school to $54.3 million.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Last year, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, many collegiate athletic departments suffered financially due to shortened schedules and capacity limitations inside stadiums.

Even with all the chaos, the Big Ten Conference led the nation in generated revenue according to a recent report from USA Today's Steve Berkowitz. The league was followed by the SEC, PAC-12, ACC and Big 12.

The Big Ten benefited from television deals with the Big Ten Network, FOX and ESPN, leading the conference to higher total revenue and school payouts in recent years.

According to Berkowitz, the Big Ten's total revenue was a drop from 2019, but it was still about $40 million higher than the SEC. The conference lowered payouts to its 12 longest-standing members by about $1.3 million per school to $54.3 million.

The Power 5 conference's combined revenue increased by less than $11 million after seeing a rise in annual increases of nearly $252 million over the previous six years. 

Here are the numbers from the 2020 fiscal year: 

Total Revenue

• Big Ten: $768.9 million
• SEC: $728.9 million
• Pac-12: $533.8 million
• ACC: $496.7 million
• Big 12: $409.2 million

School Payouts

• Big Ten: $54.3 million
• SEC: $45.5 million
• Big 12: $37 to $40.5 million
• Pac-12: $33.6 million
• ACC: $30.9 to $37 million

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