Texas Ranks As College Football's Most-Valuable Program, With Notre Dame Closing In

The Univ. of Texas is "still college football’s biggest cash cow," but its "lead on the rest of the field has shrunk this year," according to Chris Smith of FORBES. Texas is "now worth" $131M, down 6% from a $139M valuation last year. The school collected $34M "from ticket sales for six home games" plus another $31M in football-related contributions; those two revenue streams "comprised almost 60% of the team’s total revenue." Closing in on Texas this year is Notre Dame, "once again at No. 2" with a value of $122M, up from $117M last year. The top five is "rounded out" by Michigan ($117M), Alabama ($107M) and LSU ($103M). The SEC "has a commanding position as usual, with five of the top ten teams" (FORBES.com, 12/22).