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What Did This College Football Season Cost Universities?
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Andrew Lisa
6 min read
No sport or league was spared from the chaos of 2020, but the size, scope, number of teams and sprawling nature of college football made playing during the time of COVID-19 a mess. The Big Ten, Southeastern Conference and Pac-12 opted for conference-only play in July and by August, confusion and uncertainty reigned. The MAC and Mountain West postponed their seasons, followed closely by the Big Ten and Pac-12.
After weeks of back-and-forth, the vast majority of the big conferences and teams had agreed to play at least some games, and the season progressed clumsily toward a very uncertain postseason.
The question of attendance has been an inconsistent hodge-podge from the beginning. Some teams are playing in front of fans to a certain percentage of normal capacity. Others are playing to empty stands where local regulations prohibit live attendance. Others are playing all their games in shuttered facilities whether the state allows fans or not. One thing, however, is certain — a lot of schools are going to lose a lot of money.
In order to get an idea of what each college football team stands to lose from the chaotic 2020 season, GOBankingRates used the U.S. Department of Education’s Equity in Athletics Data Analysis from 2017, 2018 and 2019 to learn about each team’s average revenue and profits. Those numbers were used as markers for potential revenue and profits that could be lost this year.
This list includes the 30 colleges that bring in the highest average football revenues and profits — ranked from lowest to highest average profit — so you can get a look at what this season could cost them. See how much these schools stand to lose.
Last updated: Nov. 12, 2020
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30. North Carolina State University at Raleigh
Three-Year Average Total Football Revenue: $44,693,802
Three-Year Average Profit from Football: $22,853,140
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29. University of Mississippi
Three-Year Average Total Football Revenue: $54,047,030
Three-Year Average Profit from Football: $23,113,424
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28. Oklahoma State University
Three-Year Average Total Football Revenue: $46,720,291
Three-Year Average Profit from Football: $24,694,082
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27. University of Southern California
Three-Year Average Total Football Revenue: $56,685,261
Three-Year Average Profit from Football: $24,932,248
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26. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Three-Year Average Total Football Revenue: $48,357,957
Three-Year Average Profit from Football: $25,701,801
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25. Texas Tech University
Three-Year Average Total Football Revenue: $46,925,210
Three-Year Average Profit from Football: $26,171,074
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24. Virginia Tech
Three-Year Average Total Football Revenue: $55,014,799
Three-Year Average Profit from Football: $27,353,753
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23. University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
Three-Year Average Total Football Revenue: $57,821,805
Three-Year Average Profit from Football: $27,452,206
Methodology: GOBankingRates looked at the US Department of Education’s Equity in Athletics Data Analysis from 2019, 2018, and 2017 to discover what this season of college football during the Coronavirus pandemic may cost each institution. GOBankingRates first found (1) 2019 total football revenue; (2) 2019 total football expenses; (3) 2019 profit from football program; (4) 2018 total football revenue; (5) 2018 total football expenses; (6) 2018 profit from football program; (7) 2017 total football revenue; (8) 2017 total football expenses; and (9) 2017 profit from football program for every institution. Then, to calculate potential losses for this current season, GOBankingRates found (10) three-year average total football revenues; (11) three-year average total football expenses; and (12) three-year average profit from football program for every institution. In order to be considered, each institution had to have a NCAA Division 1 FBS football program in the 2020 season. All data was collected on and up to date as of Nov. 9, 2020.
