The Big Ten Is Giving Out $1.37 Billion To Its 18 Schools

Don't let anyone tell you that money is hard to come by in the world of college sports.

As talk grows about the increase in spending on college football and college basketball rosters, many are wondering where that money is going to come from. Well, the schools certainly have a lot of it.

According to a report from the Sports Business Journal, the Big Ten is distributing a record $1.37 billion to its 18 schools, from the conclusion of the fiscal year that ended in June of 2025. In total, that is a $490 million increase over the distribution from the prior fiscal year. It's also about $300 million more than the SEC gave out, as the Big Ten's rival league gave up $1.03 billion in February.

Life is good in the Big Ten right now.

The Big Ten, which has won the past three College Football Playoff national championships, is the richest conference in the country right now.

But there's skepticism regarding how expensive rosters are getting.

Michigan coach Kyle Whittingham speaks out

Whittingham spoke out this week, urging caution.

"What it takes to win in college football in this day and age, in this order: great resources in the NIL area and space, outstanding players – which ties right into how much NIL you have – and then, coaching staff that's competent," Whittingham said, via On3. "Again, it's in that order of importance. There's going to be several teams in this '27 recruiting cycle that are $50 million-plus rosters. You've either got to keep up and embrace that or embrace irrelevance because it's not changing, at least, right away. It's got to be completely overhauled in the not-too-distant future. You're already starting to see that with some of the things that are coming down the road."

More parameters are needed.

"The biggest thing that needs to … have some parameters and guardrails put on it is the NIL, which essentially is a salary cap. That's the direction we've got to head."

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This story was originally published May 3, 2026 at 7:00 PM.