The difference in how much money schools make off of college sports is jarring, and it is the biggest obstacle to paying athletes

We recently took a look at the schools that make the most money off of college athletics, with Texas A&M topping the list with $192.6 million in revenue, according to data collected from USA Today and the U.S. Department of Education.

While it is no secret that there is a lot of money being made from college sports, that money is not even close to being evenly distributed. The 231 NCAA Division I schools with data available generated a total of $9.15 billion in revenue during the 2015 fiscal year. But while there are 24 schools that make more than $100 million, most make much less.

Of the 231 schools, 76% make less than $50 million in athletics revenue. If we take it a step further, nearly half of the Division I schools (44%) make less than $20 million, or more than $160 million less than Texas A&M and the University of Texas.

Ultimately, this is the biggest obstacle to paying athletes. If schools are going to pay some athletes, they will have to pay all athletes. It is one thing to ask a school making $150 million off of sports to pay the rowing team and the volleyball team. It is something else to ask a school making a fraction of that.

Cork Gaines/Business Insider