Football is a major money loser for the Nevada and UNLV athletic departments, but the Wolf Pack and Rebels don’t spend the same money on that sport. We’ve reported on the fiscal year 2025 financial reports for Nevada and UNLV, noting both schools lost a lot in football, the most important sport in college athletics. Nevada had a football deficit of $3.758 million FY25, which covers the 2024 football season. Meanwhile, UNLV football lost $7.196 million. Overall, UNLV had a $74,767,676 athletic budget in FY25 to Nevada’s $57,753,809, with both being school records. But how did those schools spend that money? Below is a sport-by-sport budget comparison of the Silver State’s two Division I athletic departments. We did not include Nevada men’s cross country, Nevada skiing, UNLV men’s soccer or UNLV men’s swimming and diving since both schools do not sponsor those sports.

Football

Nevada’s budget: $14,787,520

UNLV’s budget: $21,767,260

In short: UNLV has invested more and more into football with the on-field results showing with the Rebels reaching three straight MW title games, losing all three to Boise State (Nevada football has yet to play in a MW title game). For the 2021 season, UNLV spent $12.3 million on football. For the 2024 season, that has increased to $21.8 million. Nevada has invested more money into the football, but not at that rate, with the Wolf Pack 10-39 in the sport over the last four seasons.

Men’s basketball

Nevada’s budget: $5,620,042

UNLV’s budget: $5,338,081

In short: This used to be UNLV’s marquee program, but Nevada has been better this century with nine NCAA Tournament berths to UNLV’s seven and 12 conference titles to UNLV’s four. The Wolf Pack is also spending more on the sport than the Rebels, who have had six head coaches in the last 11 seasons. Both of these programs turned a profit for their department. For Nevada, that was $1.713 million. For UNLV, it was $561,205.

Women’s basketball

Nevada’s budget: $2,813,780

UNLV’s budget: $2,863,323

In short: This is a case of two programs spending the same amount of money with one having far better results. UNLV has won four straight MW regular-season titles and three of the last four conference tournaments. Nevada is on pace for its third 20-loss season in the last four years with its last winning record in 2021-22. In FY22, Nevada had a nearly $600,000 edge in budget over UNLV in women’s basketball. In FY23, that was cut to $122,794. UNLV pushed ahead in FY25 by $49,543.

Baseball

Nevada’s budget: $2,552,853

UNLV’s budget: $1,548,460

In short: Nevada baseball crossed the $2 million budget mark for the first time in FY23 and has continued to invest in the program. The Wolf Pack spent $1 million more than UNLV in baseball last season and has won four regular-season championships since joining the MW in 2012. This might help explain why UNLV baseball has fallen on hard times with no NCAA Regional berths since 2014 after winning six MW titles from 2003-14 with four NCAA Regionals during that time.

Women’s track and field/cross country

Nevada’s budget: $1,992,905

UNLV’s budget: $1,665,409

In short: Nevada and UNLV have had similar results in this sport, at least on the track and field side. Wolf Pack cross country has been better than UNLV cross country over the years, but there’s not much separation in terms of overall results between the programs despite Nevada’s $327,496 gap in spending over the Rebels. Both are mid-level to slightly below MW programs.

Women’s swimming and diving

Nevada’s budget: $1,406,627

UNLV’s budget: $1,069,268

In short: Wolf Pack swimming and diving has been one of Nevada’s best sports over the last three decades. Since moving to the MW in 2012, it has finished top three in the conference in nine of 14 seasons. Comparatively, UNLV has not spent at a high level in this sport but has passed Nevada in swim and dive with five straight top-three finishes at the MW Championships, including a 2021 title and three straight second-place finishes from 2023-25 (Nevada was fourth, fourth and fifth those years).

Softball

Nevada’s budget: $1,331,223

UNLV’s budget: $1,301,929

In short: Nevada spent less money in softball in FY25 than in FY24 while UNLV has bolstered this sport with a $350,000 increase over the last two seasons. Coming off a MW regular-season title in 2025 with a new high-level coach on board (Victoria Hayward), this is a sport I would be pouring more money into to see if I could push it into Top 25 territory on an annual basis. There’s some momentum and a big opportunity here Nevada shouldn’t let go by.

Women’s soccer

Nevada’s budget: $1,175,328

UNLV’s budget: $1,131,948

In short: Nevada’s least successful program over the last two decades has been women’s soccer, which has just two winning seasons since forming in 2001. The team’s last above-.500 record came in 2006. Part of the issue is the lack of a standalone soccer facility with a grass pitch, but the Wolf Pack can’t be thrilled with the results given it has spent more than UNLV in this sport with lesser results.

Volleyball

Nevada’s budget: $1,144,457

UNLV’s budget: $1,542,081

In short: Of the nine sports both Nevada and UNLV spent at least $1 million on, Nevada has the budget edge in six of those. The exceptions are football, women’s basketball (barely) and volleyball. Over the last eight seasons, UNLV volleyball is 156-80 (although it’s 28-29 the last two seasons). Nevada volleyball has been woeful in recent seasons despite some facility improvements and budget increases (roughly 12 percent increases in each of the last two fiscal years).

Women’s tennis

Nevada’s budget: $693,394

UNLV’s budget: $629,008

In short: UNLV has long had superior tennis programs to Nevada, which makes sense given the warm-weather climate in Southern Nevada, although the Wolf Pack seems on the up-and-up after finishing second in the MW while setting a program record for wins last season.

Men’s tennis

Nevada’s budget: $597,609

UNLV’s budget: $542,583

In short: In men’s tennis, Nevada’s budget leaped over UNLV in FY23 and has remained ahead of the Rebels. Wolf Pack tennis has stabilized as an above-average MW operation with regular-season and tournament titles in 2023.

Women’s golf

Nevada’s budget: $637,760

UNLV’s budget: $863,551

In short: UNLV has typically been ahead of Nevada in golf, with the Rebels women coming off a MW title last season and finishing ahead of the Wolf Pack at the conference championship in three of the last four years after Nevada had the edge the two seasons before that. This has been a good program for Nevada, although UNLV has had the competitive and budget edge.

Men’s golf

Nevada’s budget: $676,160

UNLV’s budget: $1,129,067

In short: The gap between UNLV and Nevada is much larger in men’s golf with the Rebels having a $452,907 budget edge, which has shrunk in recent years. UNLV played in its 23rd NCAA Championship last season, so the investment has paid off. Nevada has seen its level in men’s golf dip after losing coach Jacob Wilner to Coastal Carolina in 2022.

Total budgets

Nevada’s sport budgets: $37,649,222

UNLV’s sport budgets: $43,606,430

In short: Of the 13 programs listed above, Nevada outspent UNLV in eight of them. However, UNLV spent nearly $6 million more on its programs ($5,957,208 to be exact) thanks to its massive $6,979,740 edge in football budget. That means Nevada has spent more on its non-football sports than UNLV, although the Rebels still boast the better overall athletic department having won 10 of the 13 Silver State Series all-sport competitions against Nevada, including last year’s 27-21 victory.

Columnist Chris Murray provides insight on Northern Nevada sports. Contact him at crmurray@sbgtv.com or follow him on Twitter @ByChrisMurray.