QuickTake:

The Ducks’ move to a new conference came with bigger travel bills, rising coaching costs and a growing arms race, but Year 1 also brought a revenue jump fueled by media rights, ticket sales and football’s growing pull.

Financial figures from fiscal year 2025 show Oregon’s first season in the Big Ten came with a familiar truth: You have to spend money to make money.

In the athletic department’s first financial report tied to the jump to the new conference, Oregon reported $185.42 million in operating revenue from July 2024 through June 2025, a $16.21 million jump from FY2024.

The increase was driven in large part by a surge in media-rights revenue — from $28.23 million to $49.12 million — and $34.92 million in ticket sales. At the same time, Oregon’s reliance on University of Oregon Foundation support dropped sharply, falling from $56.90 million to $33.04 million.

UO isn’t putting that money away, though. Oregon’s operating expenses increased from $167.26 million to $183.03 million, leaving the department with a $2.39 million operating surplus — up slightly from FY2024’s $1.95 million.

Exchanging convenient Pac-12 road trips for cross-country flights pushed team travel expenses up 25.9%. Coaching costs increased by 9.3% and support staff and administrative costs climbed by 13.8% — numbers that reflect the growing arms race in college athletics.

Oregon spent $41.55 million on coaching salaries, benefits and bonuses in 2025, with $23.83 million of that going to the football staff alone. For comparison’s sake, Oregon’s football coaching compensation in 2015 — the fiscal year in which the Ducks reached the national championship game — was just over $3.05 million.

But the financial report also shows why football remains the straw that stirs the drink. The sport produced $119.58 million in revenue against $60.85 million in expenses. Every other Oregon sport operated at a loss — including men’s basketball, which posted a $2.03 million surplus in 2024 and a $2.43 million deficit in 2025.

You can read the full 2025 report here.

And the 2024 report here.

Keep in mind: FY2025 does not include the 2025 football season. It also predates the new revenue-sharing model with players. 

Tyson Alger covered the Ducks for The Oregonian and The Athletic before branching out on his own to create and run The I-5 Corridor. He brings more than a decade of experience on the University of Oregon sports beat. He has covered everything from Marcus Mariota’s Heisman Trophy-winning season to the Ducks’ first year in the Big 10.