Pac-10 Expansion Round 3: C.R.E.A.M.

(For previous installments on Pac-10 Expansion, visit here and here.)

Round three of Pac-10 expansion talk has us looking at some financial information about the current membership of the conference and the contenders.

The information looked at in this exercise is taken from reports that the colleges and universities across this land submitted to the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Postsecondary Education. The site "Equity in Athletics Data Analysis" has all of the nasty bits about how much schools spend on athletics.

Time to make some more sausage.

The factors we are examining today for the schools are:
1) Number of players on the football team
2) Operating expenses per player
3)  Expenses by the football program
4) Revenue brought in by the football program
5) Profit/loss by the football program
6) Athletic department revenue
7) Athletic department expenses
8) Profit/loss by the athletic department

The numbers are from the last fiscal year for higher education (July 1, 2008-June 30, 2009). Before we go any further, let me post the cautionary note from the OPE:

"Please note that valid comparisons of athletics data are possible only with study and analysis of the conditions affecting each institution"

Everyone got that? Okay?

Great. Here we go:

Pac-10 Financial Analysis 

Once again, it appears that the best fit for the Pac-10 if it were to expand would include some combination of Colorado, BYU and Utah. While their spending habits (especially for BYU and Utah) are more in line fiscally with Washington State than with, say, USC, they are definitely ahead of Fresno State or Boise State with regards to the funds available and funds expended.