The Texas Longhorns have the most valuable program in college football. That’s according to a new report from the Athletic. Of course, college football programs aren’t for sale. But as private equity firms get more involved in college football, the Athletic considered a future where programs are commodities like professional sports teams.
“We approached the hypothetical question with a methodology that was part art, part science. We used real-life pro transactions to gauge purchase prices relative to a team’s revenue over the past three available years of data. NFL and NBA sales guided our ratios in the SEC and Big Ten, while the MLB and NHL were our rough benchmarks in the ACC and Big 12. For each school in a Power 4 conference (plus Notre Dame), we factored in everything from prestige and championships to facility renovations, population trends and realignment scenarios.” – The Athletic on its methodology
NEW: Top 10 most valuable College Football programs via @TheAthletic🤑 https://t.co/JEVcijn6Lv pic.twitter.com/2APBOdC7Ki
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The formula has put Texas as the No. 1 most valuable program in the nation. 16 of the top 17 are in either the SEC or Big Ten. The lone exception is understandably Notre Dame.
“The Longhorns routinely lead the country in revenue and were the only team to top $200 million in the most recent financial reports. No program came within $25 million of Texas in either of the past two years. The Longhorns haven’t won a national title since 2005 but made the College Football Playoff semifinals each of the past two seasons and are among this preseason’s top championship contenders. Add in the SEC brand, and Texas looks like the safest investment. Our price tag makes the Longhorns comparable to the 2018 sale of the Carolina Panthers (almost $2.3 billion).” – The Athletic on why Texas has the top valuation
Texas routinely leads the nation in revenue. UT is in the SEC and has a very recognizable logo, uniforms and brands. The Horns also sit in the largest city in America without a major professional team and sits in a hot bed of high school football and recruiting.
The 40 Acres are only 100 miles away from the most valuable sports team in the world, the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys are valued by Forbes at $10.1 billion dollars. Texas is estimated at about a quarter of that valuation. The Lone Star state loves its football.
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