UCLA athletic department reportedly dealing with massive debts prior to joining B1G

It is really no secret that the ongoing conference realignment – including UCLA and USC’s move to the B1G – is largely driven by finances. In particular, the revenue programs can generate through media rights agreements with their particular conferences.

For the Bruins and Trojans, it has been reported that those two programs could earn up to $100 million annually from the B1G when the conference reaches its next media rights agreement. A Tuesday report also shed some light on how important those funds are to the UCLA athletic department.

According to a report by Ben Bolch with The LA Times, the Bruin athletic department had generated over $100 million in debt with an even worse trajectory. Now – instead of cutting sports during the downturn – UCLA athletics could be in the positive in short order just by joining the B1G.

Over the last three fiscal years, UCLA’s athletic department had run up a $102.8-million deficit that figured only to worsen given the school’s sagging football attendance and paltry Pac-12 payouts that lagged behind its major conference counterparts. Now it’s conceivable that the Bruins could receive $100 million from the Big Ten per year if the expanded conference can snag the projected $1-billion media rights deal that’s set to begin in 2024.

That report certainly casts things in a different light compared to some concerns raised by critics of the realignment. Popular broadcaster Dick Vitale was among those to voice concerns, particularly for the athletes in non-revenue sports.

Paul Harvey

Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.