Can't Wait For Saturday Report shows disparity in spending among CFP schools

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Dec. 17—***

What is the price of admission for College Football Playoff teams? According to a terrific report from our friends at The Athletic, "A lot" is a good starting point.

The site analyzed how much CFP teams spent on football in the latest available year: 2023-24. While it isn't an exact measure of the reality for the current season, it is certainly within the vicinity.

No surprise, at all, the biggest spender was Alabama at $112 million. That was $30 million more than the No. 2 spending program, Texas A&M.

Ohio State ($78.6 million) and Miami ($78.1 million) were next. They were followed by a pair of SEC schools, Georgia ($68.9 million) and Oklahoma ($68.5 million).

Big Ten schools Indiana and Oregon checked in at $61.3 million and $53.9 million, respectively.

What schools were at the bottom of the spending chart? Logically. Group of Five entries James Madison ($15.9 million) and Tulane ($13 million). I would surmise they got the best ROI (return on investment). The value of the Playoff, even with both schools losing their coaches to other programs, was off the charts.

The Athletic's splendid effort reminds us that college football in 2025 is uber-big business. Imagine telling Bear Bryant or Woody Hayes that their schools just spent the GDP of a small country on one season of football. Smiles? Maybe. More likely, disbelief.

Bottom line, are the expense sustainable? Hope so. Or will we see programs go bankrupt because of a bad season.

To date, the revenue streams have allowed the programs to keep pace without borrowing too much against their futures. But I'd suggest there is nothing wrong with having a little cushion in the bank account. And you don't need to spend every dime you make.

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