The Nebraska Cornhuskers revenue from the 2022 season shows them finishing just outside the Top 25 in college sports, but they also spent less than the top teams in the country.
If you’ve ever wondered what kind of money the Nebraska Cornhuskers athletic department was taking in and then turning around and spending, then you have come to the right place.
The fine folks at USA Today have put in some serious work to come up with those numbers, not just from the Nebraska Cornhuskers but 232 public university athletic programs across the country. Not only did this list show that the Huskers are among the most revenue-generating in the country, but the Big Ten has quite a few in those top rankings.
When all was said and done for 2022, the Nebraska Cornhuskers made $143,423,944 in revenue. That put them at 26th in the country, just behind the Washington Huskies. Among the conference rivals that saw higher revenue were Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan State, Penn State, Michigan, and Ohio State. The Buckeyes were the top revenue generators in the entire country.
It might be a bit disappointing to finish 9th in the 14-team Big Ten in revenue, but its worth pointing out that the Huskers are the only school of those nine that didn’t see a postseason berth in all of men’s basketball, football, or baseball.
Considering just how bad the Huskers have been in the big revenue-generating sports over the last few years, it’s pretty impressive they still managed to finish 26th in the country. If you add in UCLA (47th), then the Huskers are 9th out of the 15 schools USA Today got data from.
Nebraska Cornhuskers looking good in terms of expenses
Those who might be a bit unimpressed by being 26th in the country in revenues might be a little more excited by the fact that the Huskers were also outside the Top 25 in expenses. Nebraska, under Trev Alberts and company, was 28th in that department.
NU spent less than Indiana, Rutgers, Wisconsin, Iowa, Michigan State, Penn State, Michigan, and Ohio State. The Buckeyes also led the country in expenditures.
It’s hard to know what any of these numbers mean in the grand scheme of things. Certainly, spending doesn’t always equal success, though clearly it plays a part. Same with revenue. Perhaps the most interesting numbers will be where the Nebraska Cornhuskers sit if Hoiberg and Rhule and Bolt can turn the programs around.