Big 12 football programs ranked by projected value per updated report

The Colorado football program ranked among the top 50 most valuable college football programs in the country, according to The Athletic's updated 2026 report (subscription required).

Deion Sanders once again is the primary force behind CU's valuation, with The Athletic estimating his presence has added close to $40 million since 2022, the year he became head coach.

Colorado's 2026 valuation increased over the past year from $328 million to $368 million. The $40 million increase also moved the Buffs from No. 47 nationally to No. 44 and is a top-seven mark in the Big 12. So, how does the rest of the Big 12 stack up after another season?

Texas remains in the top spot with a valuation at $2.46 billion, with Ohio State, Notre Dame and Michigan the only other teams with valuations over $2 billion.

Here are the valuations of all 16 Big 12 programs, ranked lowest to highest:

1. Houston Cougars
   • Projected valuation: $100 million (No. 68 nationally)
2. Cincinnati Bearcats
   • Projected valuation: $110 million (No. 67)
3. Kansas Jayhawks
   • Projected valuation: $225 million (No. 62)
4. UCF Knights
   • Projected valuation: $234 million (No. 61)
5. Baylor Bears
   • Projected valuation: $267 million (No. 56)
6. Arizona Wildcats
   • Projected valuation: $268 million (T-No. 54)
7. Kansas State Wildcats
   • Projected valuation: $268 million (T-No. 54)
8. West Virginia Mountaineers
   • Projected valuation: $289 million (No. 53)
9. Iowa State Cyclones
   • Projected valuation: $330 million (No. 48)
10. Colorado Buffaloes
    • Projected valuation: $368 million (No. 44)
11. Arizona State Sun Devils
    • Projected valuation: $374 million (No. 43)
12. Oklahoma State Cowboys
    • Projected valuation: $389 million (No. 42)
13. TCU Horned Frogs
    • Projected valuation: $495 million (No. 37)
14. BYU Cougars
    • Projected valuation: $500 million (T-No. 34)
15. Texas Tech Red Raiders
    • Projected valuation: $525 million (No. 32)
16. Utah Utes
    • Projected valuation: $638 million (No. 26)

The biggest takeaway from the updated valuations is that the Big 12 is quite clearly playing third fiddle to the SEC and Big Ten. That is nothing new, but the dollar amounts put into perspective just how much richer those programs are than the ones in the Big 12.

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This article originally appeared on Buffaloes Wire: Big 12 football programs ranked by projected value per updated report