AP/Doug Benc

Last Monday, we ranked the Big Ten's football programs during the 2015-16 fiscal year based on gross revenue figures obtained from the U.S. Department of Education. Today we rank the 25 richest in the nation based on that same data. Figures were obtained from the schools' mandatory gender-equity filings and pertain to the fiscal year 07/01/15 to 06/30/16. So, they reflect the 2015 football season. They may include all or only part of broadcasting rights revenue, especially separate conference cable television payouts, depending on bookkeeping procedures at the individual schools. The data was made available in late 2016 or early 2017.

Here they are, then, starting with No. 25 and ascending to the most affluent football programs with notes about profit margins, trends and some miscellaneous data mentioned throughout. As you might guess, two conferences dominate the list, especially that one down south. But one or two programs near the very top -- especially considering their recent records on the field -- might surprise you.

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USC quarterback Sam Darnold (14) looks to throw against Colorado.

AP/Jae C. Hong

25. Southern California: $51.2 million

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USC made a $20.1M profit in 2015-16, a season in which they went only 8-6 in Clay Helton's rookie year as head coach and finished the year unranked after beginning in the top 10. The gross revenue figure on $51.2M is still a massive jump from 2009-10 when USC collected only $29.1M. And, of course, as Penn State found out in the Rose Bowl, even brighter days lay ahead.

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TCU Horned Frogs take the field before a game in Fort Worth.

AP/L.M. Otero

24. Texas Christian: $52.0 million

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TCU's admittance into the Big 12 was a major accomplishment after skipping from conference to conference (WAC, C-USA, MWC) throughout the late 1990s and 2000s upon the dissolution of the old Southwest Conference. Though the Big 12 is in the most tenuous position of the Power Five conferences, for now, it's meant a big bump in revenue for TCU whose football program didn't even register in the top 40 of profit producers six years ago when it was still in the Mountain West.

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Florida State quarterback Deondre Francois (12) runs past Mississippi defense for yardage during closing moments of 45-34 FSU win on Sept. 6 in Orlando.

AP/John Raoux

23. Florida State: $55.7 million

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Florida State has been a heavy hitter in football revenue for decades, beginning its climb when Bobby Bowden brought the program to national prominence in the late 1980s and catalyzed its official move to the ACC a quarter-century ago this fall (1992). It's been a steady ascent in the meantime. Notable is that FSU football listed a whopping $42.5M in expenses in 2015-16, a higher total than any program other than Alabama.

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Penn State safety Marcus Allen tackles Iowa running back LeShun Daniels Jr. during second quarter at Beaver Stadium on Nov. 5.

PennLive/Joe Hermitt

22. Iowa: $56.6 million

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Slow and steady growth has marked the lengthy tenure of Kirk Ferentz. Though Iowa football isn't quite of the revenue stature it was six years ago when it listed $45.9M in gross take and ranked 14th in profit, it still fits securely in the national top 25 in both columns.

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Mississippi wide receiver Laquon Treadwell (1) celebrates his touchdown reception with teammates in post-2015 Sugar Bowl against Oklahoma State in New Orleans.

AP/Bill Feig

21. Mississippi: $56.8 million

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Though it only recently began competing with the Southeastern Conference big boys in the standings again, finally revisiting the glory days of the 1960s and early '70s (when Archie Manning played), Mississippi football has a long and steady tradition of fan support. It's been said that "Ole Miss might lose the game but it never loses the party." This is the first SEC school on our list but, rest assured, it won't be the last. Ole Miss is the lowest-ranked of 10 SEC members in the revenue top 25

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South Carolina quarterback Brandon McIlwain (11) runs for touchdown against East Carolina on Sept. 17 in Columbia, S.C.

AP/Sean Rayford

20. South Carolina: $59.6 million

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Much like Mississippi, though South Carolina has enjoyed only spotty success on the field, its fan involvement and attendance at 80,250-seat Williams-Brice Stadium has rarely wavered. Though intrastate rival Clemson has often been superior between the goalposts, USC has more than held its own on the profit ledger. (As you can see, Clemson, which appeared in the 2015 national title game, does not appear in the revenue top 25.) The Gamecocks have made do with two coaching legends on the back sides of their careers throughout most of the 1990s and 2000s in Lou Holtz and Steve Spurrier and now are attempting to rebuild under Will Muschamp. But this revenue total was compiled during a disastrous 3-9 campaign in 2015 when Spurrier quit mid-season.

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Michigan State running back L.J. Scott takes handoff at Notre Dame.

AP/Charles Rex Arbogast

19. Michigan State: $64.7 million

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Traditionally, Michigan State has been a sort of an upper-case South Carolina of the Big Ten in that it doesn't seem to matter what chaos transpires -- coaches coming and going, instability being the general rule -- the fans support the program and the money rolls in. Until Mark Dantonio, MSU had been a rollercoaster program the last half-century on the field, enjoying spikes here and there under Duffy Daugherty, Denny Stolz, George Perles and Nick Saban. Still, alumni support and a massive student body (over 40K enrollment for the last quarter-century and now over 50K) have routinely filled ancient 75,000-seat Spartan Stadium. The relative stability of the last decade under Dantonio's regime and creative revenue generation under AD Mark Hollis have made MSU a B1G cash cow.

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Nebraska quarterback Tommy Armstrong (4) throws against Brigham Young in 2015.

AP/Nati Harnik

18. Nebraska: $65.0 million

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By program standards been a rocky stretch for the Cornhuskers on the field the last two decades since the retirement of the legendary Tom Osborne following the 1997 season. As is not atypical in the wake of such iconic coaches, it's been a tough act to follow. Osborne's faithful right-hand man Frank Solich was competent but boring, Bill Callahan was not cut out for the job and the program plummeted, Bo Pelini had some success but carried himself like a bantam rooster looking for a fight, and now it's West Coast vet Mike Riley, an odd fit, trying to restore the shimmer to a once-proud program. Through it all, U-of-N fans have been the gold standard for support at 86,000-seat Memorial Stadium and a home sellout streak of 55 years is still alive.

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OregonLive photo

17. Oregon: $66.6 million

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This is a monster built by Nike founder and UO grad Phil Knight; that can't be overstated. When Rich Brooks coaxed the 1994 Ducks into their first Rose Bowl in 37 seasons against Penn State, Oregon's Autzen Stadium had a 41,000-seat capacity and rarely needed all of those. Fast forward to today and UO leads the nation in seating capacity filled, jamming another 6% of standing-room patrons into now-54,000-seat Autzen. But that's but a smidgen of the story. Oregon's brand and merchandise have become a hot seller in the Pac-12 on the order of UCLA through Nike's force-feeding of trend-setting uniforms. Combined with an ascendant winning program built by Brooks, Mike Bellotti and Chip Kelly, UO has risen to second in the conference in revenue behind only its neighbor to the north.

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Arkansas quarterback (8) releases pass against Alcorn State on Oct. 1 in Little Rock.

AP photo

16. Arkansas: $68.9 million

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Though it's shuffled through some sketchy head coaching characters in Houston Nutt, Bobby Petrino and John L. Smith and now has settled on frat-bro Bret Bielema, and though it has not won so much as a division title in over a decade, Arkansas' fan support has remained strong. The recent highlight was the 2011 Razorbacks who finished #5 in the nation and won the Cotton Bowl -- three months after which Petrino crashed his motorcycle with a women's volleyball player on the back and was fired. Bielema has so far not been the answer but the fans keep coming to Razorback Stadium.

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Washington Huskies defensive lineman Danny Shelton (55) in action against Eastern Washington.

AP/Elaine Thompson

15. Washington: $69.1 million

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Though USC gets more headlines and has built many more high-profile teams through the decades, this is and has been Pac-12 football's preeminent revenue producer for decades back through the Don James era. In the near-term, Husky football produced more profit than any athletic program in the conference six years ago and still did as of the 2015-16 fiscal year -- $37.3M.

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Wisconsin's Darius Hillary (5) and Sojourn Shelton (8) celebrate during 2015 Holiday Bowl win over Southern California in San Diego.

AP photo

14. Wisconsin: $71.2 million

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Badger football enjoyed the biggest revenue leap of any Big Ten program, both year-to-year and over a 5-year period. UW pulled in $43.3M in gross receipts in fiscal 2010-11 to rank #20 but made a huge leap from 2014-15 to 2015-16, jumping Iowa, Michigan State and Nebraska in the B1G rankings to make the national top 15. This all has happened through two coaching changes from Bielema to Gary Andersen (2013) and now Paul Chryst who arrived for that 2015 season.

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Texas A&M quarterback Trevor Knight (8) fakes handoff.

AP/Sam Craft

13. Texas A&M: $73.7 million

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A&M football has been seemingly impervious to any instability it's endured either on the field or in the head coach's office, thanks mainly to the faithful following of an uncommonly communal fan base. Now, with SEC membership begun in 2012 and a massive $485M renovation and expansion of venerable Kyle Field completed in 2015 (now 102,577 capacity, fourth-largest in the nation), A&M has a durable revenue infrastructure built. It need only keep filling the pipeline.

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Trace McSorley (9) scrambles against Georgia in TaxSlayer Bowl.

PennLive/Joe Hermitt

12. Penn State: $75.5 million

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Irrespective of the latest massive Big Ten cable rights payouts (which do not take effect until this fall and are not included in these figures), Penn State football's gross revenue has virtually flat-lined over the past several years. Whereas it ranked #5 nationally as recently as 2010-11 with $72.7M gross receipts (and #2 in football profit at $53.2M), it had tumbled from the top 10 in both columns as of fiscal 2015-16. Still, a $39.3M football profit puts PSU solidly among the elite.

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Florida quarterback Treon Harris (3) and wide receiver Antonio Callaway (81) walk off field on Oct. 31, 2015, in Jacksonville after win over Georgia.

AP/Stephen B. Morton

11. Florida: $83.8 million

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Like Penn State, Florida football revenue has consistently logged in the top 10 nationally over the years, so this marks a bit of a similar dip in national profile but, likewise, not a worrisome trend. Gross and net revenue are actually both up about $11M and $5M respectively since fiscal 2010-11. And third-year man Jim McElwain seems to have stabilized a wobbly coaching situation since Urban Meyer's departure after the 2010 season.

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10. Louisiana State: $85.7 million

LSU running back Leonard Fournette (7) is congratulated after touchdown.

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LSU football is possibly loaded with more expectation, more fervid following than any other in the nation. The 102,321-seat Tiger Stadium, also known as "Death Valley," is as intimidating a venue for visiting teams as they come. This is a fan and alumni base that demands performance. Witness, the dismissal of 12-year LSU coach Les Miles last December with a 114-34 overall record, 62-28 in the SEC, three West division titles while going up against Alabama and a 2007 national championship. They expect a lot in Baton Rouge.

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Ohio State players celebrate national championship win over Oregon in January 2015.

AP photo

9. Ohio State: $86.6 million

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Not only has on-field performance ramped up during the 5-year tenure of Urban Meyer, so has revenue stream. While gross football revenue in fiscal 2010-11 during Jim Tressel's last season was a hefty $60.8M, that figure was jumped 42% by 2015-16. This represents a $49.3M profit, actually off a smidge from the national championship year of 2014-15 but still one of the elite in the nation.

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Georgia Bulldog mascot "Uga" during TaxSlayer Bowl win over Penn State on Jan. 2, 2016 in Jacksonville.

PennLive/Joe Hermitt

8. Georgia: $87.6 million

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As recently as 2009-10, Georgia made a larger profit on its football program than all but one school in the nation; UGa's $52.5M take came during the salad days of the Mark Richt era, in the midst of a disappointing 8-5 season but after a 21-5 record the previous two years. Sanford Stadium, 10th-largest in the country at 92,746 seats, is still filled to capacity every home Saturday. But Richt had outworn his welcome by the 2015-16 fiscal year with some underwhelming performances by his Bulldogs in big games and some grumbling preceded his evacuation to Miami. It remains to be seen how Kirby Smart fills the void. But Georgia fans remain resolute in showing up.

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Auburun running back Javon Robinson (29) during 2015 Birmingham Bowl against Memphis.

AL.com photo

7. Auburn: $92.5 million

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Maybe no program in the nation has been so schizoid in a relatively short span of time as this one. Name another program that has had five losing years but also three unbeaten seasons all within the last quarter-century. Auburn has gone from a multiple SEC champion under Pat Dye with the Bo Jackson and Reggie Slack teams to an also-ran to a brief renaissance under Terry Bowden followed by an 8-14 stretch, then another rebirth under Tommy Tuberville, followed by a 5-7, a national championship under Gene Chizik with Cam Newton, then a 3-9 season two years after, and finally a national title game appearance under Gus Malzahn followed by a call for his head now. Through it all, AU fans remain devoted and keep showing up in sellout throngs to 87,451-seat Jordan-Hare Stadium.

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Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) passes in second quarter of game against West Virginia in Norman, Okla., on Oct. 3, 2015.

AP/Sue Ogrocki

6. Oklahoma: $94.1 million

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It's hard to remember now, but two decades ago Oklahoma was searching for an answer a full 10 years after the departure of Barry Switzer. The program had fallen into some disrepair under a succession of three replacements until a young defensive coordinator named Bob Stoops was plucked off of Steve Spurrier's staff at Florida in December 1998. The rest has been pretty much a nonstop gravy train. Oklahoma football's $58.4M in profits in fiscal 2015-16 ranked #4 in the nation.

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Michigan's Willie Henry (69) sacks Christian Hackenberg in 2015.

PennLive/Joe Hermitt

5. Michigan: $97.1 million

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Michigan has been routing the Big Ten in revenue for years now thanks to former athletic director Dave Brandon (departed in 2014) locating every possible stream. Now, with Jim Harbaugh entrenched and with college athletics' most lucrative merchandising deal ever (an average $10.5M annually through 2027 from Nike) having kicked in only last August, these numbers will only get gaudier.

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Notre Dame quarterback Malik Zaire (8) hands off against Texas in 2015.

AP photo

4. Notre Dame: $98.5 million

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Though the school has only seriously competed for a national championship once in the last two decades (2012) and was routed 42-14 by Alabama, UND remains be regarded in many quarters as the singular symbol of college football tradition. That's why it has been able to negotiate its own broadcast rights deal with NBC since the network began telecasting all home games in 1991. It is the only program with truly national appeal and fans from all corners of the United States and even other countries flock to 80,000-seat Notre Dame Stadium in the shadow of the Golden Dome. A $400 million stadium addition and renovation project is nearing completion. It will add 750,000 square feet of classroom, research, hotel and retail space in new buildings around the stadium and purports to create a hub that will spur revenue around the athletic complex. Interestingly, football is the only revenue sport at UND. Men's basketball runs a -$3.5M deficit.

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Alabama players celebrate score in 30-16 win over LSU in 2015.

AP/John Bazemore

3. Alabama: $103.9 million

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Here we break through to the 9-figure strata with the closest thing to a dynasty college football has. By the way, who remembers Mike Shula? It only seems like Nick Saban has been around Bama forever but he replaced Shula after a 6-7 season a mere 10 years ago. It's also mostly forgotten that Saban's first team in 2007 struggled, lost all four November games and only managed a winning record by edging Colorado in the Independence Bowl. Since then, no college program can touch Alabama's four national titles and appearances in all three years of the College Football Playoff. And Alabama is reinvesting; not only was Saban just re-upped with an 8-year, $65.2M extension, his football program listed a whopping $56.3 in expenses in fiscal 2015-16, easily the national high.

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Tennessee quarterback Joshua Dobbs in 2015.

AL.com photo

2. Tennessee: $107.1 million

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This one might surprise you. But I suppose it shows one reason Bob Shoop left Penn State in January 2016 for Tennessee and a 7-figure contract for a coordinator: UT can afford it. Tennessee has had a revenue hog in its stadium and fan base for a long time. Neyland Stadium was massive before the recent spate of expansions on other venues around the country. Built in 1921, it underwent its first major expansions way back in 1948. By 1976, it had already grown to over 80,000 seats, one of a small handful so large during that time. And a 1996 expansion tipped capacity over 100,000. In addition, the distinctive light-orange Volunteers merchandise is routinely among the top sellers nationally.

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Texas coach Charlie Strong (right) stands with his players during a timeout in fourth quarter of game against TCU at Royal-Memorial Stadium in Austin.

AP photo

1. Texas: $127.5 million

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While fiscal 2015-16 was the first foray into 9-figure gross revenue territory for Tennessee and Alabama, it's old news for Texas football. This program booked over $121 million last year and the latest fiscal period was the fifth time UT has topped $100M. Unique among college football fan bases is the breadth and wealth of Texas' rooters. They can spend more on luxury boxes at 100,119-seat Royal-Memorial Stadium, more on amenities, more on high-end concessions, more on licensed merchandise. And they represent the only fan base other than Notre Dame that a cable entity has deemed worthy of its own dedicated channel -- The Longhorn Network, begun in a joint venture with ESPN in 2011. So, it really doesn't matter if the Longhorns win or not, as the Charlie Strong era illustrated. Next in Texas' crosshairs: A $100M annual profit; they almost made it in 2015-16 with a staggering $97.2M, largest in the nation by miles.

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DAVID JONES: djones@pennlive.com

Follow @djoneshoop