Very interesting numbers, indeed.
Also pretty confusing, apparently the lower the spending number is the more you invest in your program. Bama is below Auburn in football spending, and I read where Bama's football staff's salary is $50,000,000------and they still cleared $60,000,000 while the rest of their athletic programs lost $20,000,000------big business indeed.
Here is the list of the spending ranking for the SEC schools from the report:
Auburn: 2.5 (not sure 2.5 what, but the lower the number the more you spent)
Alabama: 5.9
Florida: 11.3
Arkansas: 12.8
LSU: 13.2
Georgia: 16.8
S Carolina 20.7
Tennessee 25.7
A&M 30.6
Vandy 36.7
Missouri 49.6
Kentucky 51.5
Ole Miss 55.1
MSU 64.1
Some exceptions of course, but in general you get what you pay for------and a lot of these numbers are misleading, to say the least. While we are so proud of our recent renovations (the former "recruiting room" was an insult to every UK football fan AND we reduced capacity to fall just above Vandy in capacity------and soon behind city college) which cost about $120M Arkansas just spent $400M on athletic improvements (in place when BP off TWO BCS bowl wins only had a couple of 5.8 four star commits) and A&M spent $400M on their stadium. while TU recently spent $80M on their 100,000 plus stadium. Even MSU, at the bottom of the totem pole (by a lot) just passed us in stadium capacity, AND, while both Misses are behind us in spending Mississippi has LOADS more football talent in state than us (Joker tried very hard for four star Bumphus, that killed us when we played them). When everyone was complaining about MSU "upsetting" us in 09 they had over 20 four star commits the previous four years, ALL OF THEM from in state. We might have had above our normal at the time, one in state that didn't live up to expectations and two JC transfers from California.
So, while we are MUCH higher than before because of the recent "huge" investment in football (always at the very top in basketball) I would love to see where mitch's investment in football was before the strike, I can't believe we were anything but a solid LAST at that time. You should know some of the miserable numbers, I won't bore you by posting them again.
It was truly unbelievable to me considering how much money the "money cow" was bringing in with bare minimum investment, and the FACT that football was OBVIOUSLY emerging as the money sport. The other SEC football teams kept our athletics afloat.
Now we are still giving away a HUGE advantage to our biggest rivals, Transfer U and Thug U, with giving HALF the COA stipend LEGALLY that they do, instead of doubling ours like Bama did in a New York minute when Auburn (surprise, Auburn, TU, and City College among the highest in the nation) came up with twice their allotment.
The next BIG step UK has to take to be competitive with our Rivals, and you never read anything about it on here any more. Penny wise and pound foolish-----AGAIN. Bama football cleared SIXTY MILLION last year.
No wonder mitch got away with murder for a full decade------and he did come very close to murdering our football program before the strike.