Everything's bigger in Texas, including the amount of revenue made from college athletics.
The University of Texas and Texas A&M both earned more than $200 million in athletics revenue, marking the first time two public universities accomplished the feat during the same fiscal year, according to USA Today.
Texas' recent financial documents showed that the university's athletic program earned nearly $215 million in operating revenue in 2017, while A&M's reported nearly $212 million.
According to A&M's report, almost $93 million of the revenue was categorized as contributions received and spent by the department during the fiscal year. The university has reported annual athletics revenue of more than $190 during the past two years.
However, no school had ever reported more than $120 million in athletic revenue prior to 2015, which excludes adjusting for inflation.
While both universities typically generate high revenue through their college football programs, the record reports come in the wake of what would be considered "disappointing" seasons for both respectively.
The hiring of Tom Herman likely provided an early spike for Texas, but the Longhorns finished with sixth in the Big 12 with a 7-6 (5-4) overall record, falling short of preseason expectations.
A&M fired head coach Kevin Sumlin after failing to improve his record from the previous season for the fifth consecutive year. The Aggies finished fifth in the SEC West with a 7-6 (4-4) overall record.
A&M's spending also went into hiring former Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher in December, who signed a 10-year, $75 million contract, which is the second-largest contract in college football behind Alabama's Nick Saban ($11.2 million per year).
The Aggies will also owe Sumlin $10.4 million in 2018, which added to his $2 million salary at Arizona makes him the highest-paid coach in college football history for a single year.
