You guys want to get your calculators out? This information is for 2004-05 so it is is kind of random, but I think should be a better analysis of where CU may have matched up in the past.
Here is the ranking of expenditure subtotals:
http://www2.indystar.com/NCAA_financial_reports/revenue_stat/show_field_rank
CU ranks number 20. Not bad.
and CU's specific breakdown:
http://www2.indystar.com/NCAA_financial_reports/revenue_stat/show?school_id=20
Now, here is an incredibly interesting article that graphs expenditures versus revenue by average from 2003-2009:
http://matlabgeeks.com/sports-analy...-div-i-college-football-expenses-and-revenue/
Based on my incredible 100% accurate method of measuring the difference of CU's profit by marking a piece of paper with a pen to show the length and then compare the length of other schools' profits. CU came up 24th (perhaps tied with Illinois)
I didn't mean to butt into this argument, but it does appear that CU in just the 21st century is up there in overall profits and revenue. We are at down years, but I think overall the state of the football program would hold up no matter what happens with super conferences or one big time conference (which is what I think led to this discussion.)