Forbes magazine rated Notre Dame as the second most valuable college football program in the country in a survey published Dec. 22.
Using a set of standardized revenue and expense streams for each university surveyed, Forbes placed the team value of Fighting Irish football at $108 million. The University of Texas was rated first with a value of $119 million.
Forbes also listed the “dividends” generated by each football program by analyzing how much money was contributed back to the university as a whole and to other athletics programs after subtracting the cost of running the football operation. The magazine also factored into the dividend equation money generated by a football program through bowl game revenue and for its surrounding community.
Notre Dame’s overall dividend was placed at $38 million, and the magazine reported that St. Joseph County was the “only county in the nation in which incremental spending topped $10 million on home football weekends this season.”
Forbes pointed out that, unlike its peers, Notre Dame does not maximize its revenue generating potential through in-stadium advertising (on large video screens or signage) or the sale of luxury suites.
Following Texas and Notre Dame in the top 10 were Penn State, Nebraska, Alabama, Florida, LSU, Ohio State, Georgia and Oklahoma. In two previous Forbes surveys on the value of college football programs, Notre Dame was ranked first followed by Texas.