"I know Missouri's not an outlier here," says Mike Alden, Mizzou's athletics director since 1998. The upward spending habits of Florida, Texas and other powerhouse programs are well-chronicled. What's notable, USA TODAY finds in its analysis of financial filings with the NCAA in the four years from 2004-05 to 2007-08, is the pull they exert on down the athletics' food chain.

Cincinnati hired an up-and-coming coach in Mark Dantonio, lost him to Michigan State, hit on another in Brian Kelly and has evolved into a Big East power that's unbeaten and ranked among the nation's top five this season. En route, its head coach's salary ballooned 144% from 2004 to 2007. Its football assistants' collective salaries rose 20% in that time. And total spending on athletics went up 44%, far outpacing a 3% rise in overall spending by the university.

Boise State's ascent to national prominence came amid a 52% rise in athletics spending in that same four-year period, close to tripling a 19% increase in total institutional expenditures. Ball State more than doubled the salary of football coach Brady Hoke and fattened its athletics budget by 36% almost double the rate of increase in spending by the school and still saw Hoke bolt for San Diego State after a 12-win breakthrough last season. He is making more, at a guaranteed $676,800 this season, and also cited better pay for his assistants in making the move.

Oregon State's athletics budget grew 29% while its institutional budget shrank 9%, the financial filings show.