Money trailFollow the money: flow chart
Who pays whom, drawn from the research's 36 sourced money links. Years and units differ, so links are split into panels that share a basis, and every band carries its year. Hover or tap a band for the amount, year and source ID; click it to open the source. Each panel's table lists every band with its citation.
A. TV money: networks to conferences and the CFP, then CFP to conferences
Annual averages of current contracts (each has its own term; see the table). CFP-to-conference amounts for 2026+ are calculated from published shares of ~$1.3B/yr (calc) [M-S54]. Network deals [SP1]; Notre Dame-NBC is reported, not disclosed [SP3].
| From | To | Amount | Year / period | Note | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Networks (ESPN/Fox/CBS/NBC) | Big Ten | $1.15B | per yr 2023-30 (avg) | $8.05B/7 yrs avg; CONFLICT $7B | [SP1] |
| ESPN/ABC | SEC | $710M | per yr 2024-34 (avg) | SBJ $7.1B/10 yrs | [SP1] |
| ESPN | ACC | $240M | per yr (avg) | [SP1] | |
| ESPN/Fox | Big 12 | $380M | per yr 2025-31 (avg) | [SP1] | |
| ESPN | College Football Playoff | $1.3B | per yr 2026-31 | [SP1] [M-S54] | |
| NBC | Notre Dame | $50M | per yr (reported) | reported, not disclosed | [SP3] |
| College Football Playoff | SEC | $377M | 2026+ (calc 29% of $1.3B) calc | calc | [M-S54] |
| College Football Playoff | Big Ten | $377M | 2026+ (calc 29% of $1.3B) calc | calc | [M-S54] |
| College Football Playoff | ACC | $221M | 2026+ (calc 17%) calc | calc | [M-S54] |
| College Football Playoff | Big 12 | $195M | 2026+ (calc ~15%) calc | calc | [M-S54] |
| College Football Playoff | Group of 5 | $117M | 2026+ (calc 9%) calc | calc | [M-S54] |
| College Football Playoff | Notre Dame | $12M | 2026+ | [M-S54] |
CONFLICT Big Ten deal: $8.05B (BOCS/SBJ) vs. "$7 billion" (Big Ten filings via Sportico) [SP1] [SP113]. The chart uses $8.05B over 7 years.
B. Where FBS public athletic departments' money came from, FY2025
Knight-Newhouse aggregate for all FBS public schools (not only Power 4), FY2025 [M-S48].
| From | To | Amount | Year / period | Note | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Media/conference/NCAA | FBS public athletic departments | $3.55B | FY2025 | Knight-Newhouse aggregate, FBS publics | [M-S48] |
| Donors | FBS public athletic departments | $2.75B | FY2025 | Knight-Newhouse aggregate, FBS publics | [M-S48] |
| Tickets | FBS public athletic departments | $1.94B | FY2025 | Knight-Newhouse aggregate, FBS publics | [M-S48] |
| Institutional support | FBS public athletic departments | $1.89B | FY2025 | Knight-Newhouse aggregate, FBS publics | [M-S48] |
| Corporate sponsorship/licensing | FBS public athletic departments | $1B | FY2025 | Knight-Newhouse aggregate, FBS publics | [M-S48] |
| Student fees | FBS public athletic departments | $740M | FY2025 | Knight-Newhouse aggregate, FBS publics | [M-S48] |
C. Advertisers to networks: top-25 national TV spenders by industry, 2021
iSpot estimates via SBJ, 2021 regular season, the most recent full brand-level list found est. [SP87]. Only the top 25 brands are counted, so each industry total is a floor. Separately, national TV ad revenue for the top 7 networks was $859.9M for Sept 1-Nov 18, 2025 (EDO; a different method, not comparable with iSpot) [SP89].
| From | To | Amount | Year / period | Note | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Insurance advertisers (top 25) | Networks (CFB windows) | $60.75M | 2021 season | [SP87] | |
| Telecom/tech advertisers (top 25) | Networks (CFB windows) | $42.09M | 2021 season | [SP87] | |
| Auto advertisers (top 25) | Networks (CFB windows) | $32.12M | 2021 season | [SP87] | |
| QSR + beverage advertisers (top 25) | Networks (CFB windows) | $41.76M | 2021 season | [SP87] | |
| Financial advertisers (top 25) | Networks (CFB windows) | $10.11M | 2021 season | [SP87] |
All 36 money links
Includes deals into schools (units differ: per-year averages, deal totals, one-time capital), conference payouts, and payments to coaches, athletes and debt. They are not drawn together because their years and units differ.
| From | To | Amount | Year / period | Note | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Networks (ESPN/Fox/CBS/NBC) | Big Ten | $1.15B | per yr 2023-30 (avg) | $8.05B/7 yrs avg; CONFLICT $7B | [SP1] |
| ESPN/ABC | SEC | $710M | per yr 2024-34 (avg) | SBJ $7.1B/10 yrs | [SP1] |
| ESPN | ACC | $240M | per yr (avg) | [SP1] | |
| ESPN/Fox | Big 12 | $380M | per yr 2025-31 (avg) | [SP1] | |
| ESPN | College Football Playoff | $1.3B | per yr 2026-31 | [SP1] [M-S54] | |
| NBC | Notre Dame | $50M | per yr (reported) | reported, not disclosed | [SP3] |
| College Football Playoff | SEC | $377M | 2026+ (calc 29% of $1.3B) calc | calc | [M-S54] |
| College Football Playoff | Big Ten | $377M | 2026+ (calc 29% of $1.3B) calc | calc | [M-S54] |
| College Football Playoff | ACC | $221M | 2026+ (calc 17%) calc | calc | [M-S54] |
| College Football Playoff | Big 12 | $195M | 2026+ (calc ~15%) calc | calc | [M-S54] |
| College Football Playoff | Group of 5 | $117M | 2026+ (calc 9%) calc | calc | [M-S54] |
| College Football Playoff | Notre Dame | $12M | 2026+ | [M-S54] | |
| SEC | SEC schools (16) | $1.03B | FY2025 | $72.4M avg full share | [M-S53] |
| Advertisers (national TV) | Networks (CFB windows) | $859.9M | Sept 1-Nov 18, 2025 | EDO, top 7 networks | [SP89] |
| Insurance advertisers (top 25) | Networks (CFB windows) | $60.75M | 2021 season | [SP87] | |
| Telecom/tech advertisers (top 25) | Networks (CFB windows) | $42.09M | 2021 season | [SP87] | |
| Auto advertisers (top 25) | Networks (CFB windows) | $32.12M | 2021 season | [SP87] | |
| QSR + beverage advertisers (top 25) | Networks (CFB windows) | $41.76M | 2021 season | [SP87] | |
| Financial advertisers (top 25) | Networks (CFB windows) | $10.11M | 2021 season | [SP87] | |
| Playfly Sports | Texas A&M | $34M | per yr from 2026 (reported) | [SP24] [SP25] | |
| Nike | Ohio State | $16.8M | per yr avg 2018-33 | [SP58] | |
| adidas | Penn State | $30M | per yr avg 2026-36 (reported) | [SP36] | |
| Under Armour | Georgia Tech | $18.6M | per yr avg (reported) | [SP37] | |
| CommunityAmerica CU | Arkansas | $70M | deal total from 2027 | [SP63] | |
| RedBird/Weatherford | Big 12 | $12.5M | 2026 (one-time capital) | [SP11] | |
| Otro Capital + donors | Utah (Crimson Brand Partners) | $500M | 2025-26 (up to) | [SP21] [SP22] | |
| Donors (Greg & Dawn Williams) | Michigan State athletics | $290M | 2025 commitment | [SP102] | |
| Media/conference/NCAA | FBS public athletic departments | $3.55B | FY2025 | Knight-Newhouse aggregate, FBS publics | [M-S48] |
| Donors | FBS public athletic departments | $2.75B | FY2025 | Knight-Newhouse aggregate, FBS publics | [M-S48] |
| Tickets | FBS public athletic departments | $1.94B | FY2025 | Knight-Newhouse aggregate, FBS publics | [M-S48] |
| Institutional support | FBS public athletic departments | $1.89B | FY2025 | Knight-Newhouse aggregate, FBS publics | [M-S48] |
| Corporate sponsorship/licensing | FBS public athletic departments | $1B | FY2025 | Knight-Newhouse aggregate, FBS publics | [M-S48] |
| Student fees | FBS public athletic departments | $740M | FY2025 | Knight-Newhouse aggregate, FBS publics | [M-S48] |
| FBS public athletic departments (53 P4 publics) | Coaches compensation | $1.87B | FY2025 calc | sum from schools_budgets kn_* fields (calc) | [M-S48] |
| Brands/collectives (NIL Go cleared) | Athletes | $582.49M | through Aug 31, 2026 | [M-S6] | |
| Texas athletics | Facility debt/rent | $94M | FY2025 | [M-S50] |