We cannot have a playoff because it will interfere with studies, but:
Forbes' Most Valuable College Football Teams
Ten college football programs last year brought in at least $45M in revenues, compared to none five years ago, according to Peter Schwartz of FORBES. The Univ. of Notre Dame at $101M is the "most valuable team in college football." The school's athletic department operates "under the umbrella of the university and is not run as its own distinct entity," and as a result a "much higher share of profits are retained by the school for academic use." The Univ. of Texas was the "most profitable team last season, earning $46.2[M], of which $4.7[M] went to academics." Premium and club seating at Texas' Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium generates $12M per year. Of the 20 most-valuable teams, 16 have undergone "major stadium expansions and renovations" over the past ten years, and three others have renovation plans "in the works." Meanwhile, TV arrangements will "only further drive up" team values. Big 12 Conference schools will see a "$16[M] boost in TV revenue" next year from existing deal with FSN and ESPN, with "some schools projected to make as much as $10[M] in 2008, based on thier number of TV appearances and scheduling" (FORBES.com, 11/20)
RK SCHOOL VALUE PROFIT NOTES
1 Notre Dame $101M $45.8M Contributed $21.1M to academic programs last season, more than any other team; $9M from NBC each year
2 Texas $92M $46.2M Earns $12M annually from premium seating, which will rise with 44 new luxury suites and 2,000 club seats in their stadium before kick-off next season.
3 Georgia $90M $43.5M $60.3M in football revenue last season highest in SEC.
4 Michigan $85M $36.2M Will add 83 luxury suites and 3,200 club seats to "The Big House" next year at a cost of $226M.
5 Florida $84M $38.2M Football revenue increased by $11M, to $58.9M, during their national-title season last year.
6 LSU $76M $31.7M Addition of an eighth home game helped LSU's value increase 11% in one year.
7 Tennessee $74M $17.3M* Four Neyland Stadium renovation projects in ten years added more than 10,000 seats and 78 suites.
8 Auburn $73M $33.9M Each season, Tigers home games result in an estimated $50M of incremental spending in Lee County, Ala.
9 Alabama $72M $31.8M Coach Nick Saban's $4M average annual salary is highest in college football history.
10 Ohio State $71M $26.6M At $59.1M, led the Big Ten in revenue last season, but also led all of college football in expenses. Also spent $32.5M on football, 71% of that on game days.
11 Oklahoma $70M $18.5M '04 renovation to stadium, which added 27 suites and 2,500 club seats, leading to increased revenue
12 South Carolina $69M $28.9M South Carolina's value increased 22% over the course of the last year, more than any other team in the top 20.
13 Penn State $69M $29.4M Sells out each game with nation's second-largest stadium
14 USC $53M $13.0M Most-valuable program in the Pac-10 has seen a 7% increase in team value over the past year.
15 Arkansas $53M $19.3M Each home game results in $7.3M of incremental spending throughout the county.
16 Texas A&M $50M $20.5M Projects $9.5M in broadcast revenue next season.
17 Washington $50M $19.9M AD is lobbying for support of expansion to stadium, as well as the creation of a new "Huskies Athletic Village."
18 Nebraska $49M $12.4M Tom Osborne just named new interim AD
19 Michigan State $44M $18.3M Plans to increase contributions to academics as a result of revenue from the Big Ten Network.
20 Wisconsin $43M $14.3M Fell five spots in the rankings owing to a $7.6M drop in football profit since last year.
NOTES: * = Football program was directly responsible for $16.2M in donations to the Volunteer Athletic & Scholarship fund via ticket reservation fees.
METHODOLOGY: Rankings are based on what the football programs contribute to four important beneficiaries: their university (the value of contributions from football to the institution for academic purposes, including scholarship payments for football players); athletic department (the net profit generated by the football program ultimately retained by the department); conference (the distribution of bowl game revenue); and local communities with a vested interest in the team (incremental spending in the county during home-game weekends). The Forbes system weighs those four elements in declining order.
