Notre Dame #1, Texas #2

by NYCHorn on Nov 20, 2007 5:26 PM CST

Forbes has a story on the most valuable (read: lucrative) college football programs in the country. Notre Dame, worth an estimated $101 million, "is the most valuable team in college football," Forbes says. Oh the irony of that, this year.

Texas is a close second:

The University of Texas Longhorns, worth $92 million, was football's most profitable team last season, earning $46.2 million, of which $4.7 million went to academics. When the Longhorns play at home, Travis County sees an estimated $9.4 million of incremental spending associated with the game, a virtual tie with South Bend County during Notre Dame home games.
University of Texas merchandise royalties doubled to $8 million after the Longhorns won the national championship in 2006. Premium and club seating at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium generates $12 million a year. The athletic department even added an exclusive space, dubbed the Centennial Room, which is reserved for boosters who contribute the most money to the program.

Judging from the number of Horns I see on caps and shirts all the way up here in the Northeast, it's clear the merchandising team has done its job. I daresay the Texas brand is near-ubiquitous, and it's always a pleasure to see.

Here's the full report on the Top Twenty.

For the record, here's where some of our friends rank:

Oklahoma

Nebraska

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friends?

how do you consider OU, A&M, USC, and Nebraska friends?

by acho81 on Nov 20, 2007 10:08 PM CST reply actions

I don't

I meant that line to be laced with sarcasm, but couldn't find the right emoticon.

by NYCHorn on Nov 21, 2007 7:48 AM CST up reply actions

You're welcome Dallas

With 9.4M spent at each home game we donate that to Dallas every other year with the OU game. Add to that the decrease in spending in Austin every year when 40K of us go up there to the game.
Wake up Austin. We support UT - We deserve that game.

by Longhorn Person on Nov 20, 2007 11:42 PM CST reply actions

are your loyalties with UT or the city of Austin?

because i don't know any UT or OU fans that actually want the game to go to a home and home. there's too much history tied up in the fairgrounds to move it. who cares about how much revenue the city of austin loses out on?

but hey, maybe you're the comptroller of the city of austin, in which case.....congrats on that, i guess.

by billyzane on Nov 20, 2007 11:52 PM CST up reply actions

after this comment

I really want to be your friend, I think I love you now.

by anonyMoose on Nov 21, 2007 1:26 AM CST up reply actions

Bravo

I don't want to see Texas-o.u. anywhere but the State Fair in my lifetime. Besides, any revenue that Austin would retrieve from Dallas, Norman would receive as well, and we can't have that.

by NYCHorn on Nov 21, 2007 7:50 AM CST up reply actions

your athletic department will never let the game

move from Dallas

It will cost them too much lost revenue in lost donations to the longhorn foundation.

Right now, the OU game is not on your season ticket package, so they can require you to buy season tickets, and make a donation to the lhf to get tickets to the OU game. If the OU game went home-and-home, it would be part of the season ticket package, which means no more incrementally increasing donations to the lhf.

As far as OU goes, I believe they have a similar setup for increased donations = tickets to the game. However, if the game went home-and-home, they would just get with A&M to move their game to Jerryworld, to continue their exposure in Dallas for recruiting every year.
OU doesn't need the texas game for recruiting exposure, b/c they would have a game in Dallas, regardless. Bill Byrne wants A&M to have a game in Dallas every year, so he'd jump at the chance to move the OU game. Unlike the Tech game, I don't think many Ags would be against moving that game.

So, to review = OU game in Dallas good for texas. OU game in Austin bad for texas.

by Beergut on Nov 21, 2007 2:56 PM CST up reply actions

Well

I guess I don't need to mention the fans who can't get tickets in Dallas that would get to see the game in person every other year - Or the obvious recruitng advantage Oklahoma gets (why else would they agree to play their most important game of the year in Texas).

by Longhorn Person on Nov 21, 2007 12:01 PM CST reply actions

You know I just don't buy that

"recruiting advantage" argument. It's not like Stoops & Co. can't cross the river any time they want to recruit Texas athletes and offer them free cars. It's not like Oklahoma athletics would be unheard of in Texas if not for the presence of a single game in Dallas.

As for tickets being tough to get, well, that's what happens with a great event like this. It's a price worth paying to have that stadium exactly one-half burnt orange / one-half crimson every year.

by NYCHorn on Nov 21, 2007 12:12 PM CST up reply actions