This is directly related to football revenue.
Top 10 schools in football revenue for 2008
1. Texas $87.6 million
2. Ohio State $68.1 million
3. Florida $66.15 million
4. Georgia $65.2 million
5. Alabama $64.6 million
6. LSU $61.9 million
7. Penn State $61.7 million
8. Auburn $58.6 million
9. South Carolina $57.1 million
10. Notre Dame $56.9 million
Nebraska is #2 in the Big 12 at $55.2 million. Oklahoma is at $42.6 million.
Texas is so far ahead of everyone else it is ridiculous.
Yes, the salaries are insane but unlike the NFL they are not handing out multi-million dollar contracts to players so this is where the arms race lies in college football. Until people stop buying tickets, they will price them as high as they can. It sucks but fans don't seem to be speaking with their pocketbooks so this is the result.
I wonder how much of that salary increase is going to the refs for getting him in the BCS Championship. That utterly ridiculous for a college coach to make that kind of $$$