At last. It seems like forever since the college football season ended in January. Seven agonizing months later, the USA Today preseason coaches’ poll is out, and national champ Alabama is on top.
Alabama is also the biggest spender in the Top 10, according to data from the U.S. Department of Education’s website on spending in college athletics. The Crimson Tide spent almost $37 million on football and earned $82 million. Not bad, but not best either. The University of Texas, which didn’t make the preseason Top 10, had revenue of $103,813,684, while Michigan had $85,209,247. Notre Dame, which is ranked 11th and lost to Alabama in the 2013 national championship game, earned $68,986,659 and is a football independent.
Most bang for the buck? That would be Georgia and Florida, each with more than $3 in revenue for every $1 spent. Most likely to improve this season? That would be Texas A&M and quarterback Johnny Manziel, the newest member of the Southeastern Conference, which earned a paltry $44 million last year.
(The University of Memphis reported football expenses of $12,983,962, balancing out revenue of $12,983,962. The only Top 10 team on the schedule this year is Louisville.)
Here’s the Top 10, with expenses and revenues in parentheses. Remember, football players are student athletes and academics comes first.
1. Alabama ($36,918,963, $81,993,762)
2. Ohio State ($34,026,871, $58,112,270)
3. Oregon ($20,240,213, $51,921,731)
4. Stanford ($18,738,731, $25,564,646)
5. Georgia ($22,710,140, $74,989,418)
6. Texas A&M ($17,929,882, $44,420,762)
7. South Carolina ($22,063,216, $48,065,096)
8. Clemson ($23,652,472, $39,207,780)
9. Louisville ($18,769,539, $23,756,955)
10. Florida ($23,045,846, $74,117,435)
