Shocker: Notre Dame Football Revealed as a Financial Powerhouse

The Athletic has been on a kick of releasing listing and tiers articles of late, and recently shared estimated values for college football teams on the opening market. You'll be stunned (sarcasm) to find out that Notre Dame ranked near the very top of the list.

"We factored in everything from prestige and championships to facility renovations, population trends, and realignment scenarios," wrote Matt Baker.

Notre Dame Ranks Fourth in Projected Value

Despite not getting any assistance from a conference, Notre Dame managed to check in fourth on the list. The Athletic estimated Notre Dame's annual football revenue to be at $143 million, with a projected price for the program being at $1.85 billion.

Texas, Georgia, and Ohio State were the only programs to come in higher than Notre Dame. Michigan, Alabama, Oklahoma, USC, Tennessee, and LSU checked in right behind Notre Dame, and rounded out the top 10.

From Baker in The Athletic piece, regarding Notre Dame:

The income doesn’t reflect a jump in TV revenue thanks to the contract extension the Irish landed with NBC in 2023; it’s large enough to put Notre Dame’s paydays within striking distance of SEC/Big Ten programs. Last year’s Playoff run helps, too, not that we need to justify the lofty price tag for a team known for putting flakes of real gold on its helmets.

Nick Shepkowski's Quick Takeaway:

This is a tough look for those who want Notre Dame to join a conference. The playing level is there, seeing as Notre Dame played for a national championship last year, and the financials put the Irish in the top five nationally.

So why again should Notre Dame join the Big Ten or ACC?

There was a time not that long ago that there were concerns about how Notre Dame would be able to compete in the NIL era. As it has turned out, it seems to have taken a little time to figure out how to properly use the system, but Notre Dame is thriving and using it to its advantage.

The product on the field mixed with these reported financials doesn't just make Notre Dame one of the nation's top-looking programs in this moment, but also for the foreseeable future.