He noted that the university still has not finalized its five-year plan for the athletic budget because there is so much uncertainty about future revenues and future expenses. Currently, Big Ten member schools get an average of $24 million in conference distributions, Killingsworth said. But, he said, joining the Big Ten also means leaving the Big East Conference and losing its distributions, which came to $9.8 million last year.
"So even if Rutgers could join the Big Ten immediately, avoid additional expenses, and get the full Big Ten payout, it would get a net increase in conference distributions of about $14 million," he said.
While he called that impressive, with a $28 million deficit, "the athletic program would still be a long way from self-sufficiency."