And in Nebraska's case, our athletic department generates so much revenue they actually offer some non-athletic scholarships to kids who aren't on a Husker team of some kind. That's an absolute statistical anomaly, though, as almost every major college runs their athletic programs at a deficit. They're supported by tax money, funds from the academic side of the university and boosters.
If I recall, there are only about 10-15 athletic departments who run their programs in the black. It's the usual suspects like Texas, Ohio State, USC, Nebraska, Alabama, Oklahoma and a few others. Once you get to a certain point, football pays for everything. The problem is that the other ~110 FBS schools pay through the nose to keep fielding their athletic teams. They realize it's a necessary evil because college athletics is big time branding, marketing and a draw for future non-schollie student athletes who will pay their university's exorbitant tuition and keep the turd afloat.
It's the old adage of spending money to make money. Except that in this case, nearly every university is under the break-even line and their athletics are just hemorrhaging cash. We should feel lucky that despite our recent on-field failures, NU is not only raking in the dough, but actually turning a profit. That financial freedom definitely gives Moos and Frost more leeway with what resources they can use.
