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College Football Power Rankings: Top 25 Most Valuable Programs

Ryan Day - College Football Picks, Ohio State, Head Coach

Jackson reviews the list of the Athletic's top 25 college football programs. The projected price for the top CFB teams, including Ohio State, Texas, and more.

Steve Sarkisian - College Football Football, Head Coach, Texas

College Football Program Valuations

These college football valuations and prices are based on The Athletic’s hypothetical projections of how much it would cost to buy each program if it were for sale. Unlike NFL teams, college football programs cannot be purchased, but what if they could be?

These projections take revenue, program prestige, championships, conference prestige, facilities, population trends, and realignment scenarios. Let’s dive in!

Arch Manning - College Football Rankings, NCAA CFB DFS Lineup Picks, NFL Draft - icon rotoballer

1. Texas Longhorns

Projected Price: $2.3 Billion

Now a member of the SEC, the Longhorns have everything you could ask for in a high-level college football program. Texas was the only football program to earn $200 million in revenue based on the most recent financial report, and they don’t even have to leave the state to field a loaded roster of future NFL talent.

Kirby Smart - CFB NCAA Football - Head Coaches

2. Georgia Bulldogs

Projected Price: $1.92 Billion

Like Texas, Georgia is another state littered with talent, which the Bulldogs take advantage of every season. Georgia has just five losing seasons in the last 50 years, and Kirby Smart has taken the team to Tier 1 in the college football landscape.

Ryan Day - College Football Picks, Ohio State, Head Coach

3. Ohio State Buckeyes

Projected Price: $1.9 Billion

Ohio State has seen just one losing season in the last 35 campaigns, and the Buckeye brand is one of the most nationally recognizable in the country. Fresh off a College Football Playoff National Championship, Ryan Day’s program takes the No. 3 spot.

Marcus Freeman - Notre Dame Football - College Football Rankings - CFB Head Coaches

4. Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Projected Price: $1.85 Billion

Notre Dame is historically the college football version of “America’s Team.” Like the Dallas Cowboys, most fans either love them or hate them. Despite the higher academic standard, the Irish can recruit with the best of them, and Marcus Freeman could be ready to lead the program back to glory after a CFP Natty appearance. Their exclusive TV rights deal with NBC helps raise the price here.

Michigan Wolverines - NCAA College Team Logo Stock Alt

5. Michigan Wolverines

Projected Price: $1.83 Billion

Michigan has the largest stadium in the nation, and they might have the biggest fan base. While Michigan State “steals” some of the in-state fans and talent, the Spartans don’t come close to matching the value of the Wolverines’ brand.

Alabama Crimson Tide - College Team Logo Stock

6. Alabama Crimson Tide

Projected Price: $1.74 Billion

Is there any college football program that matches the history and prestige of Alabama? Probably not. However, the projected “price” of the team has dropped a bit, and the Crimson Tide program is a riskier “investment” after Nick Saban decided to step away.

Oklahoma Sooners - College Team Logo Stock

7. Oklahoma Sooners

Projected Price: $1.49 Billion

Before joining the SEC, the Sooners were one of the most consistent winners in college football. Between head coaches Bob Stoops and Lincoln Riley from 1999 to 2021, Oklahoma won at least 10 games in 18 of 23 seasons. The program can get back to elite status, but it’s looking shaky for now.

USC Trojans - NCAA College Team Logo Stock

8. USC Trojans

Projected Price: $1.4 Billion

As a member of the Pac-12, USC would not have ranked this highly. However, revenue is set to explode as a full-time member of the Big Ten, and the program currently holds the No. 1-ranked recruiting class for 2026. The investment is there.

Josh Heupel - CFB, NCAA Football, Head Coach, Tennessee

9. Tennessee Volunteers

Projected Price: $1.37 Billion

The Vols ranked fourth in total football revenue in the last fiscal year, but this is a program still on the rise after a long stretch of despair. If Josh Heupel continues to stabilize the program as a consistent winner, Tennessee could be a sleeping giant.

Brian Kelly - College Football Rankings, CFB Head Coaches, NCAA Power Rankings

10. LSU Tigers

Projected Price: $1.23 Billion

While it’s understandable if you expected LSU to be among the elites, the football program was surprisingly 13th in total revenue last year. That’s a big piece of the equation here. Either way, the Tigers should always be competing for championships.

Drew Allar - College Football Rankings, NCAA DFS Picks, NFL Draft

11. Penn State Nittany Lions

Projected Price: $1.2 Billion

James Franklin has Penn State on the rise, and the team has national title aspirations in 2025. Between that and a $700 million renovation project to Beaver Stadium, this is another program to look back on in a few years to see where it stands.

DJ Lagway - College Football Rankings, NCAA CFB DFS Lineup Picks

12. Florida Gators

Projected Price: $1.08 Billion

Florida also has everything you need to be a successful program, but it does have to compete with Florida State and Miami for recruits, and the on-field product has been inconsistent at best since Urban Meyer left town.

Auburn Tigers - College Team Logo Stock

13. Auburn Tigers

Projected Price: $1.06 Billion

It’s mostly been a tough road since Cam Newton left Auburn for the NFL following the 2010 season, and sharing a state with the Crimson Tide isn’t ideal. Despite that, Auburn is a top-notch brand and program.

Oregon Ducks - NCAA College Team Logo Stock

14. Oregon Ducks

Projected Price: $990 Million

While the Ducks are certainly a national brand and have a close relationship with Nike, the lack of championships keeps the Ducks from the Tier-1 range of programs. Dan Lanning is building something special in Eugene, though, so that might not last long.

Texas A&M Aggies - College Team Logo Stock

15. Texas A&M Aggies

Projected Price: $973 Million

Do you want an exceptional fan base and a program that will never have to worry about money and revenue? That’s Texas A&M. But for some reason, it hasn’t translated to consistent winning, especially at a high level. The potential is here, but historical trends slot the Aggies in at the No. 15 spot.

Washington Huskies - NCAA College Team Logo

16. Washington Huskies

Projected Price: $970 Million

The Huskies will only receive a half-payout from the Big Ten through 2030, but this is still a valuable program that has been led to the College Football Playoff by two different coaches. Sharing a town with the Seattle Seahawks, Seattle Mariners, and Seattle Kraken puts a ceiling on the football program and fan investment overall, but Washington has come a long way since the pre-Steve Sarkisian days.

College Football Rankings, CFB DFS Picks, NFL Draft

17. Nebraska Cornhuskers

Projected Price: $930 Million

Nebraska is another program that is never short of money, but the football program has not beaten a ranked team since 2016 or finished inside the top 25 since 2012. That’s pretty wild, and the lack of on-field success keeps the Huskers from being more valuable than the No. 17 slot.

Mike Norvell - College Football Power Rankings, CFB DFS

18. Florida State Seminoles

Projected Price: $867 Million

Florida State can rebound big time, but the two-win season and feud with the ACC bring some hesitation and risk.

Wisconsin Badgers - NCAA College Team Logo

19. Wisconsin Badgers

Projected Price: $801 Million

Wisconsin is historically a solid program with a high floor, but it lacks the upside of all the teams listed above it. Still, this would be an interesting program to buy. It feels safe.

Iowa Hawkeyes - NCAA College Team Logo Stock

20. Iowa Hawkeyes

Projected Price: $709 Million

Iowa has stability and a high floor, and they’ve even contended for a Big 12 crown every now and then. However, there’s no realistic path to a CFP National Title here. Like Wisconsin, this isn’t a risky program to gamble on, but the upside isn’t there.

Michigan State Spartans - NCAA College Team Logo Stock

21. Michigan State Spartans

Projected Price: $708 Million

It’s been a depressing few seasons for Michigan State, and we should have known it would be a challenge to replace Mark Dantonio. Now in the loaded Big Ten, it could be a tough climb back to relevance for the team that shares the state with the Wolverines. This is a basketball school, so that doesn’t help much, either.

Dabo Swinney - College Football Rankings, Clemson Football Head Coach

22. Clemson Tigers

Projected Price: $665 Million

Dabo Swinney has turned the Tigers into a Tier-1 program, but historical success isn’t there for Clemson, and the ACC continues to lose prestige. That said, Clemson could be set to join some kind of super conference in the future, and a third national title could raise the stakes.

Arkansas Razorbacks - College Team Logo Stock

23. Arkansas Razorbacks

Projected Price: $646 Million

Yet another member of the SEC, Arkansas, has a strong fan base and a treasure trove of wealthy donors. Bobby Petrino showed us you can win big with the Razorbacks, but it’s becoming more challenging in the NIL/Transfer portal era.

 

Miami Hurricanes - NCAA College Team Logo Stock

24. Miami Hurricanes

Projected Price: $604 Million

Despite Miami having a nationally recognizable brand, it lacks a home stadium and a passionate fan base. Again, the ACC isn’t what it used to be.

Lane Kiffin - CFB-NCAA-Football-Head-Coach-Ole Miss-icon

25. Ole Miss Rebels

Projected Price: $591 Million

Ole Miss has not been a great program on the field historically, but Lane Kiffin arguably has it in the glory days. The fan investment is there, so if Kiffin sticks around long-term and continues to fire off 10-win seasons, Ole Miss is a sleeper program.

LaNorris Sellers - College Football Rankings, NCAA CFB DFS Lineup Picks

Next 10 Schools

26. North Carolina
27. South Carolina
28. Minnesota
29. Utah
30. TCU
31. Virginia Tech
32. NC State
33. Texas Tech
34. Missouri
35. Northwestern

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