It costs the University of Tennessee $26,580 to put a football player on the field.

If that sounds like a lot, consider it costs $65,981 to get Candace Parker or any of her Lady Vols teammates on the court.

And if that sounds expensive, you'd better sit down to hear the price tag for the average Kentucky basketball player on Tubby Smith's roster -- $183,803.

Numbers don't lie, so the saying goes.

Maybe not, but they can tell wildly differing stories, depending on how they're arranged.

The above numbers came from a U.S. Department of Education report that universities and colleges are required to file annually.

The same report, covering the 2004-05 school year, revealed Georgia was the most profitable school in the nation, showing a surplus of $23.9 million.

That's exactly $23.9 million more than Tennessee reported.

The Vols checked in with revenue of $71,540,457, expenses of $71,540,457 and zero profit.

But as it turns out, it's all about how you count the beans.

The accounting process, whether it be profit margin or the cost to suit up a soccer player, is far from uniform.

"It's a bad way to try to compare,'' said Mike Hamilton, UT men's athletic director.

"Ours would show an $8 million profit if we reported it like Georgia does.''

Bill Myers, chief financial officer of the athletic department, compiled UT's report.

"Getting apples and apples can be difficult,'' Myers said. "We all manage differently.''

According to the study, Georgia was a runaway winner in the dollars race.

Michigan ranked No. 2 in profit at $17.1 million. Wisconsin and Texas topped the $15 million level.

Alabama ranked second in the SEC and fifth overall at $12.5 million. LSU was third in the league at $5 million and Florida fourth at $3.8 million.

UT was one of four SEC schools reporting no profit.

Hamilton said reporting variances account for part of the discrepancy between the bottom lines at Georgia and UT. But he acknowledged the Bulldogs have several legitimate budgetary advantages.

"They pay 7 percent tax, we play 14.25 percent,'' he said. "We give $1.4 million to academic scholarships, they give $50,000.

"We pay our top three coaches a million to a million and a half more than they do.''

Georgia's biggest edge is at Sanford Stadium.

"They have 63,000 football tickets tied to annual giving,'' said Myers. "Because of the grandfathered tickets, we've got 27,000.

"We did $14.5 million, they did $22 million.''

The focus of the study was actually to gauge how schools are doing in terms of gender-equity compliance.

Still, the financial revelations are interesting -- even if their significance is undermined by the reporting variables.

Numbers that go in one column at School A might go in another column at School B.

"If we say this expense is attributable to football,'' said Myers, "Alabama may not.''

How did UT arrive at $26,580 per football player?

Myers included the cost of all operational expenses - weight room, video, travel, equipment, etc. -- with the exception of coach's salaries.

Alabama reported an SEC-high $41,156 per player, barely topping 2004 national champion USC's $40,993 per player.

A UT men's basketball player costs $69,377 for a year, fourth highest in the conference and around 15th nationally.

Kentucky's staggering basketball figure topped the nation. But it's not because the rims are made of 14-karat gold or the players commute to class on Kentucky Derby winners.

"There's two main areas where we're different,'' said Kentucky financial officer Rob Mullins.

"One, we play in a municipal arena, so we have rent and bond fees. It costs us a significant amount to play in Rupp Arena.

"The other is that all of the coach's salary is paid 100 percent through a basketball account. Nike pays the University of Kentucky and we pay our coach. Those are the two biggest areas.''

Interestingly, Duke is second in men's basketball expense, averaging $141,000 per player. North Carolina, the 2005 NCAA champion, checked in at a modest $47,672 per player.

The Lady Vols rank fourth nationally in hoops cost-per-player, behind Connecticut ($119,000), Texas and Kentucky.

Texas reported the most expensive average in baseball at $21,967 per player, but got its money's worth by winning the College World Series.

One figure in the study Hamilton said is legitimate is that UT has the SEC's highest recruiting expense at $1,518,999.

"That,'' said Hamilton, "is reflected in that 92 percent of the Lady Vols and 77 percent of the men are from out of state.''