Minnesota quarterback Chris Streveler (5)) during an NCAA football game against San Jose State on Saturday, Sept. 20, 2014 in Minneapolis.(AP Photo/Andy Clayton-King)

In 2011, just 22 college athletic departments turned a profit. Back in 2009, it was just 14, according to the NCAA.

But during the 2013-14 school year, that number had risen to 40 in the Power 5 conferences alone. Fourteen more claimed they broke even while just 10 schools in those conferences claimed they were in the red.