BCS a Burden?

With the 2012 BCS title game netting, according to Bleacher Report, each team $18 million each (CFB 2012-13 Bowls: Updated Broadcast Information, Payouts and Favorites, 2012), the Benjamins ($100 bills with Ben Franklin on the bill, hence the name) are deservedly well sought after.  But are schools putting their financial priorities in the right places? The SEC has undoubtedly been the juggernaut of college football in the last decade, but at what cost to its non athlete students and academics?

The article below details the median expenditures that big conferences and subdivisions spend on athletes versus non athletes at their schools.  The SEC is alarmingly outspending for their athletes, over twelve times as much, as compared to their non revenue generating students.  Most of the conferences primary revenue sources come from TV contracts, bowl games and donations.  Schools are not self sustaining and ultimately the non athletic students are the ones paying to allow the athletic programs to continually spend so much.  As noted in October 2013 class discussions, less than one out of every five big division one programs make money ( 23/228) and typically the exposure of national title and bowl games increases applications to the school, but not necessarily the quality of student.  You be the judge, but proceed with caution, the numbers are startling:

How big of a business?

I believe this is ridiculous that such ratios can keep going up without anyone saying anything like, "why are we continuously winning trophies and putting up banners, but barely breaking even financially?"  Much like our society today, sports are reflecting the focus on the wrong things, which is why our country is in so much trouble financially and moving forward in the wrong direction for the foreseeable future.