UNC could be attractive to both the Big Ten and the SEC in the future. It's not because of football success ... or Bill Belichick.
www.nytimes.com
This article provides details on when Rutgers and Maryland will receive a full revenue share from the B1G. I think it is the first time I have seen a date in print...........
However, neither Maryland and Rutgers (which became Big Ten members in 2014) nor Oregon and Washington (which joined alongside USC and UCLA in 2024) saw day-one vested membership. For six years, Maryland and Rutgers collected media rights stipends commensurate with what they would have received from their previous conferences.
The Big Ten allowed both schools to borrow against future earnings, and they finally will receive whole shares starting in 2027. Maryland, which took in more than $125 million from the Big Ten in grants and loans from 2014 to 2020, was financially strapped after leaving the ACC and still struggles to catch up with its Big Ten brethren. Maryland reported the lowest revenue among the holdover Big Ten public schools in 2024.
“Most people didn’t know the dire financial straits of the program,” former Maryland president Wallace Loh told
The Athletic last year. Loh described the Big Ten’s financial package as “one of the largest contracts ever, to have Maryland join the Big Ten.”
Rutgers, which borrowed $48 million against future earnings, did not receive the same financial assistance.
The Big Ten brought in USC and UCLA as fully vested members, which led to both earning valuations beyond their current financial profile. In the 2024 fiscal year, which coincided with its final season as a Pac-12 member, UCLA reported $19.93 million in media rights revenue, according to figures obtained by
The Athletic through an open-records request. With a $75 million Big Ten payment in fiscal 2025, UCLA’s $55 million increase in media rights could help erase a $51 million shortfall the athletic department reported as a Pac-12 member. USC, which is a private university, is not subject to open-records laws but would earn the same revenue.
Oregon and Washington earn media half-shares before becoming vested members in 2030, which aligns with a new Big Ten media rights deal. However, those schools were in strong revenue situations preceding their Big Ten acceptance, which is why their valuations soar beyond most Big Ten colleagues. Oregon enjoys one of college sports’ greatest brands, and its close financial relationship with Nike keeps the department fiscally vibrant.
Washington will borrow from the Big Ten against future earnings, but in fiscal 2024 it generated $190 million before it left the Pac-12.