FILE PHOTO: Sep 8, 2018; College Station, TX, USA; The Texas A&M Aggies take the field to face the Clemson Tigers at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
September 12, 2018
Alabama has played in three consecutive College Football Playoff championship games — winning two of them — but the Crimson Tide aren’t the most valuable college football team in America, according to a Forbes report Tuesday.
That distinction belongs to Texas A&M, followed by Texas and Michigan.
From 2014-2016. the Aggies’ program brought in $148 million in revenue, with $107 million of it profit.
The Longhorns had $133 million in revenue and $87 million in profit, with the Wolverines recording $127 million revenue and $75 million profit.
The Texas A&M surge to the top spot was due, in part, to donations taken in by the athletic department. From 2014 through the 2016-17 seasons, the department received contributions of $260 million, which was the most in the nation, according to Forbes.
In the area of donations, Florida’s athletic department received $138 million, followed by Texas at $123 million. Texas A&M put $119 million of its haul into the football program’s account, and it also came in third in the nation in ticket revenue and sixth in licensing and royalties.
Rounding out the top 10 were Alabama ($127 million revenue, $59 million profit), Ohio State ($120 million/$69 million), Oklahoma ($118 million/$72 million), Notre Dame ($112 million/$72 million), Auburn ($112 million/$61 million), LSU ($112 million/$56 million) and Florida ($111 million/$67 million).
Money hasn’t translated into wins, though. Texas A&M, Texas and Michigan haven’t appeared in the College Football Playoff since it debuted in 2015. The most recent conference championship for any of those programs came in 2009, when the Longhorns won the Big 12 title.
In December, Texas A&M lured coach Jimbo Fisher from Florida State with a 10-year, $75 million fully guaranteed contract.
–Field Level Media
