The Wisconsin Badgers haven't been a top-25 program in play for a few years, but it doesn't mean Wisconsin isn't a top-25 program. According to a new valuation by The Athletic, the Badgers are considered one of the programs that would gross the most amount of money if sold. While college football programs can't be sold, the valuation is based on sales in the NFL and other leagues.
According to The Athletic's methodology, "We used actual transactions in professional leagues to compare a team’s sale price with its average revenue. We treated the SEC and Big Ten like NFL and NBA franchises (which have higher ratios of revenue to sales price). The ACC and Big 12 were more like MLB and NHL clubs (which have lower ratios). In addition to using financial numbers reported by the schools themselves, we also considered factors such as brand power, demographics, and conference realignment to settle on our valuation."
For Wisconsin, the price point is creeping up on $1 billion and a top-20 number. The Badgers are worth a whopping $922 million. This number comes in at No. 19 on their list and eighth in the Big Ten. While the Texas Longhorns top the entire list at $2.46 billion, Ohio State, Michigan, USC, Penn State, Oregon, Nebraska, and Washington are the only Big Ten schools ahead of Wisconsin.
Wisconsin's brand is strong even after a few down seasons and the valuation proves it
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This means that Wisconsin is ahead of some schools that will absolutely frustrate their fan bases. Iowa is the school behind Wisconsin in the Big Ten, valued at $806 million. Then it's the national champions, the Indiana Hoosiers, at $696 million, followed by Michigan State ($686 million), Minnesota ($629 million), and Illinois ($568 million). You have to love everything about that.
This is something Wisconsin fans knew: the program is more valuable than Minnesota, Iowa, or Illinois, but it's nice to see it on paper (well, on the screen). The Badgers are also ahead of Arkansas, Ole Miss, Missouri, and a handful of other SEC schools. Wisconsin is valued at more than all of the Big 12. Only Miami is listed at a higher value than Wisconsin in the ACC, with a price of $950 million.
Wisconsin has had a few down years, but the overall brand is as strong as ever. Even with three years of stinking up the place, the Badgers are still considered one of the best and most valuable football programs. It's also a reminder of why there's such pressure on the school to get it right. Why fans jump all over Chris McIntosh (and now Shawn Eichorst) and why chanting "Fire Fickell" rang through Camp Randall last season. There's a demand for excellence.
Not just a demand to showcase the top-20 value but to surpass it. To take what Barry Alvarez built and add to it, not tear it down, or even just coast with it. But to bring the Badgers to the top-15, then the top-10, and why not the top?
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