The college football financial arms race is being paced by the Big Ten Conference.
The league, led by commissioner Tony Petitti and his proposal for a 24-team College Football Playoff, reported $1.47 billion in revenue for fiscal year 2025, according to IRS filings obtained by USA Today. As a result of the record-breaking revenues for the Big Ten, 16 of the 18 schools in the conference received at least a $76 million distribution. Oregon and Washington, the league’s two newest members, received between $46 and $48 million each, in accordance with their respective agreements to join the Big Ten from the Pac-12 as new entrants. Ohio State led the way with $91.6 million distributed to the school thanks to winning the national championship in football during the 2025 fiscal year.
