Memphis made $12 million from American Conference in 2025. What it means
· Yahoo Sports
Memphis received $12 million from the American Conference for the 2024-25 fiscal year, but — unlike the year before — two schools received more from the conference.
East Carolina had the highest payout at $12.6 million, while South Florida received $12.4 million. The numbers came from the conference's tax documents, which were provided to The Commercial Appeal after a request. They come from the fiscal year that ended in June 2025.
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The American does not reveal exactly how it distributes money to its schools. The conference reported revenue of $127.1 million, down from $147.7 million the year before. The majority of that came from TV revenue ($65.2 million).
How the American Conference compares to the Mountain West
The Group of Six is about to undergo massive realignment mostly involving the Pac-12 and Mountain West. But these numbers provide a snapshot of the broader Group of Six landscape from a year ago, when it was still the Group of Five because the Pac-12 only had two members (Oregon State and Washington State) and thus was not a full-fledged conference.
The Mountain West reported $149.6 million in revenue for the 2025 fiscal year, according to their tax documents that were also obtained by The Commercial Appeal. But $46.9 million came from exit fee payments. Boise State, San Diego State, Fresno State, Colorado State and Utah State are moving to the Pac-12 later this year.
Boise State went to the College Football Playoff in 2024, and that led to a significant influx of money for the conference. The Broncos received $16.1 million from the MWC, a significantly higher number than any team in the American. Tulane went to the CFP in 2025, meaning the school's revenue distribution from the American will jump significantly in the 2026 fiscal year report.
The top six schools in the American, though, received more than anyone in the Mountain West beside Boise State.
How much every school received from the American Conference
- East Carolina ($12.6 million)
- USF ($12.4 million)
- Memphis ($12 million)
- Tulane ($11.7 million)
- Temple ($11.5 million)
- Tulsa ($11.2 million)
- Navy ($9 million)*
- UTSA ($7 million)
- North Texas ($6.9 million)
- Florida Atlantic ($6.5 million)
- UAB ($6.4 million)
- Charlotte ($6.3 million)
- Rice ($6.2 million)
- Army ($3.9 million)*
- Wichita State ($3.2 million)
*Football only members
Wichita State does not have a football team, which is why the Shockers receive the lowest distribution. Army joined the conference ahead of the 2025 fiscal year, which is likely why its distribution number is so low.
The 2024 fiscal year included a payout to SMU, which left for the ACC after that year. But most schools are near where they were during that year. East Carolina jumped from No. 6 to No. 1. North Texas went from No. 14 to No. 9. Rice dropped from No. 10 to No. 13.
What conference revenue means for Memphis' future
In fiscal year 2024, Memphis not only received more from the American than anyone else, but the Tigers also got more from their conference than any Group of Five school in the country. That clearly wasn't the case a year later, and there's no guarantee about what it'll look like in the future.
This money doesn't tell close to the whole story when it comes to overall revenue, of course. While athletic director Ed Scott has not revealed how much Memphis spends in revenue sharing, the understanding throughout the conference is that Memphis and South Florida are spending more on their rosters than anyone else.
The numbers — especially Boise State's — are another reminder how how important football is in the overall revenue and conference realignment picture. Memphis went to the NCAA Tournament in men's basketball during the 2025 fiscal year and won both the regular season and conference tournament championships. That doesn't have nearly the effect on the bottom line as going to the College Football Playoff.
It's also worth noting that these numbers are from the same year when Memphis, South Florida, UTSA and Tulane publicly turned down an offer from the Pac-12. Scott said at the time that Memphis did not receive extra money to reaffirm its commitment to the conference, and the fact that East Carolina received more than any of those schools suggests that the others did not receive anything extra either.
Scott has also made it clear repeatedly throughout his tenure as athletic director that his goal is to get Memphis into a power conference. Memphis tried and failed to get into the Big 12 in 2025, and it's not clear when the next round of conference realignment will take place.
It's also not clear how the Pac-12 will factor into the overall conference dynamics. They'll be a full conference again as of July, and they're positioned to compete with the American as the top conference in the Group of Six.
Reach sports writer Jonah Dylan at [email protected] or on X @thejonahdylan.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis received $12M from American Conference in 2025. See where that ranks