Maybe there was something in that hiring of new Texas A&M football coach Jimbo Fisher.
Or it might be explained by Texas’ recent on-the-field struggles.
But whatever the reason, there’s a new school at the top of college football’s most valuable programs in terms of revenue.
And it’s Texas A&M.
An annual survey released this week by Forbes Magazine indicates the Aggies now are college football’s ultimate cash cow. The Aggies produced $148 million in revenue and pocketed a cool $107 million in profit over the previous three years. That total is more than the revenue of all but 11 schools nationally.
The Longhorns finished second at $133 million. They were followed by Michigan and Alabama tied for third at $127 million in revenue and Ohio State fifth at $120 million.
The Aggies closed the gap by tapping into a vast increase in contributions. Forbes reports the Aggies earned $260 million in contributions from 2014-17. That total was nearly double what any other school made.
Forbes reports that A&M is third in ticket revenue ($41 million) and sixth in money from royalties and licensing.
And the move to the Southeastern Conference has helped. SEC’s contributions were $41 million in its most recent distribution, compared to $34 million to the Big 12.
Among other Big 12 schools, Oklahoma is sixth at $118 million and Texas Tech is 25th at $60 million.
