Recent reporting has shown that the Southeastern Conference and the Big Ten rank among the highest earners in college football.
The Richest Conference in College Football Is Redefining Power
According to recent reports, college football is a booming business for two of its major conferences: the Southeastern Conference and the Big Ten. The latter is the richest conference, but not by all that much.
The findings come from a January article by The Wall Street Journal, which laid out its top ten well-off college football programs. The University of Oklahoma is beginning the list, valued at $881 million despite some rocky seasons under head coach Brent Venables.
Next on the list is the Texas A&M Aggies, who are valued at $1.001 billion. The University of Tennessee, which saw its valuation rise to $1.017 billion after two successful seasons under head coach Josh Heupel, including a trip to its first College Football Playoff tournament, follows.
Penn State made the list at number six, valued at $1.027 billion, closely followed by the Tigers of Louisiana State University at $1.060 billion despite the program not yet qualifying for the College Football Playoff under head coach Brian Kelly even with his teams having a 3-0 bowl record during his current tenure there.
Kelly’s former team, the University of Notre Dame, is fifth with $1.293 billion, ranking as the only independent program. That distinction also means they keep the $20 million earned from their College Football Playoff run to themselves.
The SEC and the Big Ten occupy the top four slots on the list, with the University of Georgia at number four with a valuation of $1.348 billion. The University of Michigan comes in third, valued at $1.655 billion, buoyed by a recent National Championship and the statistic of being the first college football program to win over 1,000 games in its history.
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The final two are the University of Texas Longhorns and the Ohio State Buckeyes, which are ranked number one. Valued at $1.897 billion and $1.957 billion, these two historic programs have captivated college football fans for centuries.
However, Ohio State’s recent National Football Championship, plus their high chances to repeat thanks to a couple of top-notch commitments on the offensive and defensive end, could push the Big Ten school past the two billion mark.
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