PISCATAWAY — As Rutgers was preparing for its move to the Big Ten, university President Robert Barchi said the athletics program would not be spending what its conference rivals spent.
"We're not going to be spending what Ohio State spends. We're not going to be spending what Michigan spends,'' Barchi said during a May 2013 meeting with The Star-Ledger editorial board. "But I think we can be competitive in the Big Ten with the business plan we've put together.''
Nearly three years after that statement, Barchi is right: Rutgers isn't spending close to what its Big Ten peers are paying in athletics expenditures.