How Valuable Is Arizona State Football Program?

Arizona State football is back on the map after an appearance in the College Football Playoff to end the 2024 season.

The Sun Devils broke onto the scene by winning the Big 12 conference - spring-boarding Kenny Dillingham's vision of a future in which the program can compete for national titles.

The recent success has boosted the national profile of the program in recent months - but they still have work to do to be considered a premier program in the nation.

The Athletic created a prospective tiering of college football programs based on what they would be valued if a sale were to occur - Arizona State stacks up fairly well, and also has potential to continue to climb up the list.

The Sun Devil football program is currently projected to be worth $372 million - which would rank as the fifth most valuable program in the Big 12 behind Utah, Texas Christian, Texas Tech, and Oklahoma State, it also translates into 40th in the power four, which holds 68 programs.

While this exercise is purely theoretical and will never actually happen, it is fascinating to explore where Arizona State stacks up against everyone else - and to wonder what the trajectory of the program is long-term, not just confined to financials.

How can the ultimate value of the program rise?

The simplest path is presumably by expanding the NIL efforts within the athletic department - AD Graham Rossini has done a phenomenal job in making strides in just a short period of time.

Secondly would be to maximize the new revenue share model that is in place along with potential renovations of the stadium that could come after extensive improvements were made in previous years.

Lastly, the upward mobility when it comes to revenue that is generated is extraordinarily high due to the potential to win the Big 12 on a yearly basis - driving consistent fan support and other streams of revenue to Tempe.

Read more on projecting the 10 best players on Arizona State's roster going into the new season here, and on Sam Leavitt being selected as the Big-12 Preseason Offensive Player of the Year here.