OU secures Top 10 spot among most valuable college sports programs in the U.S.

The University of Oklahoma recently ranked 10th out of 75 in the most valuable college sports programs in the nation, according to CNBC’s athletics valuations released Thursday. 

The rankings, derived from the Department of Education’s Equity in Athletics Data Analysis and the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics for the fiscal year 2023, are limited to NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) schools. They reflect each program's current enterprise value, starting with a base revenue multiple of four, adjusted for factors like conference affiliation, NIL spending, school subsidies, alumni numbers and other elements that drive future growth and profitability. 

The rankings list is dominated by SEC and Big Ten schools due to the media rights deals for each conference. The SEC, the conference OU is a part of, is worth roughly $13.3 billion, while the Big Ten is worth about $13.2 billion. 

The Oklahoma Sooners are ranked No. 10 with a valuation of $928 million and a revenue of $199 million. 

The team follows five other SEC programs, including: 

• Texas: No. 2, $1.28 billion valuation, $271 million revenue 
• Texas A&M: No. 3, $1.26 billion valuation, $279 million revenue 
• Alabama: No. 5, $975 million valuation, $200 million revenue 
• Georgia: No. 7, $950 million valuation, $210 million revenue 
• Tennessee: No. 9, $940 million valuation, $202 million revenue 

OU surpassed SEC teams Louisiana State, Florida, Arkansas, Kentucky, Auburn, Mississippi, South Carolina, Missouri, Vanderbilt and Mississippi State. 

The Sooners are currently preparing for the Armed Forces Bowl against Navy next week, which will complete a football season that finished with a 6-6 overall record and 2-4 SEC record.