It’s got to be tough being Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby these days.
The Big 12’s CEO oversaw a jump of $40 million from 2014 to 2015 -- a boost of nearly 20 percent -- and still his league languishes behind the SEC. One can assume Oklahoma president David Boren has made his colleagues aware of those figures.
The Big 12 reported a record $268 million incoming during the 2014-15 fiscal year, according to tax filings obtained by USA Today. That $40 million jump came in large part due to a large spike in bowl revenue created by the College Football Playoff -- $32 million, to be exact -- and an $8 million jump in television revenue.
Those figures, $26.8 million per school (before expenses and the league office’s cut), do not include third-tier television rights such as the Texas’ deal for the Longhorn Network.
The SEC, meanwhile, reported $527 million in total revenue -- an average of more than $37 million per school.
For his efforts, Bowlsby’s take home portion of that pie totaled $2.6 million, a 100 grand increase from 2013-14.