I am not the guy to attempt this, I’m sure a numbers guy could get all of the variables correct.
I am not the guy to attempt this, I’m sure a numbers guy could get all of the variables correct.
more rah-rah than we are.
Forbes Magazine published a 2019 ranking of the most valuable football programs that was based on 3 years (2015-2017) of data reported to the NCAA and the Department of Education, with adjustments to line items like contributions and royalties to correct for differences in accounting practices. Texas A&M was ranked #1, with average annual revenues over the 3-year period of $147 million and average profit of $94 million. ND is 8th on Forbes' list, with average annual revenues of $120 million and average annual profits of $76 million. A link to the Forbes ranking is provided below.
It's hard to imagine that A&M is ranked #1 by Forbes for the 3 football seasons preceding 2018 and yet fails to make Football Scoop's Top 15 list for the 2018 football season. I'm not aware of any financial crisis at A&M for the 2018 season that would explain such a dramatic drop-off to go from averaging $147 million/year to less than $84 million for the 2018 season. One difference may be that the Forbes ranking specifically indicates it takes into consideration contributions and royalties, whereas the Football Scoop ranking methodology is silent on these factors. However, the 2018 gross revenues of $116 million for ND is only $4 million less than the Forbes 3-year average of $120 million for the Irish. If I had to pick between the two lists as to which offers the more accurate picture of the financial success of college football programs, I would go with Forbes' rankings.