There is a firewall. Athletic departments are separate legal entities with separate budgets. They often report to the same board that the academic institution

There is a firewall. Athletic departments are separate legal entities with separate budgets. They often report to the same board that the academic institution report to. And as a percentage of income, TV revenue is a huge part of the revenue for non-capital expenses. SEC and Big 10 schools get on the low end of $40 million/year on TV revenue along. ACC will get close to that, but not sure because their network just launched. Pac12 could get that much, but that whole conference is mismanaged.