The University of Texas athletic department has been ranked the most valuable in college sports for 2025, according to a CNBC valuation released this week. Texas’s program is estimated at $1.48 billion, a 16% increase from the prior year and enough to vault the Longhorns past leader Ohio State.
Ohio State which held the top spot in last year’s ranking, slipped to second despite a 2% valuation increase, landing at approximately $1.35 billion.
CNBC’s reporter Michael Ozanian values the 75 most valuable college athletic programs at a combined $51.2 billion, up 13% from 2024. The surge reflects escalating revenue streams, including media rights, sponsorships and the expanding impact of name, image and likeness (NIL) deals for student-athletes.
Texas A&M retains the No. 3 spot at roughly $1.32 billion, while Georgia and Michigan round out the top five, each valued at about $1.16 billion. Notre Dame is sixth at $1.13 billion, followed by Tennessee at $1.12 billion and USC at $1.10 billion. Alabama and Nebraska are also among the top 10, all topping the $1 billion threshold.
Of the top 25 athletic departments, 12 programs hail from the Southeastern Conference, with multiple SEC schools valued above $1.3 billion. Oregon sit just below the billion-dollar mark, despite a lucrative tie to Nike.
The widening valuations demonstrate how the business of college sports continues to grow, fueled largely by football revenues and lucrative conference television deals. The rise of NIL compensation packages has further broadened the financial abilities of elite programs, with some universities leveraging star athletes to enhance revenue and marketability.
The annual valuation shows a shifting landscape in collegiate athletics, where financial muscle increasingly figures into competitive balance and strategic planning across the four major conferences.
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