Texas A&M signed coach Jimbo Fisher to a 10-year, $75 million contract during the offseason, and paying that apparently won't be too difficult.
Forbes announced its annual valuation of college football programs Tuesday, and the Aggies lead all college football programs with $148 million in football revenue from 2014-16, and a profit of $107 million over that same time frame. Not coincidentally, the Aggies cashed in during that time period just two years after it joined the SEC in 2012.
Five of the top 10 most valuable programs in the country hail from the SEC.
| Team | Revenue | Profit |
|---|---|---|
Texas A&M | $148 million | $107 million |
Texas | $133 million | $87 million |
Michigan | $127 million | $75 million |
Alabama | $127 million | $59 million |
Ohio State | $120 million | $69 million |
Oklahoma | $118 million | $72 million |
Notre Dame | $112 million | $72 million |
Auburn | $112 million | $61 million |
LSU | $112 million | $56 million |
Florida | $111 million | $67 million |
Interestingly enough, Texas A&M jumped intra-state rival Texas, which emerged as a dynasty in Forbes' annual valuation despite being the polar opposite in terms of on-field success during the early part of the decade.
In June 2018, Forbes reported that contributions related to Texas A&M's move to the SEC and contributions for massive renovations and expansion of Kyle Field contributed heavily to its climb up the fiscal ladder.
So why the reason for the SEC's domination as a conference? The SEC Network debuted in the summer of 2014 and was considered the most successful cable television launch in history based on initial carriage contracts. That, coupled with existing television deals that include CBS and ESPN, ensured that the SEC's footprint covered the entire nation, rather than one specific region of the country.
