If anyone outside the state of Nebraska wonders why people keep expecting the Huskers to come closer to the kind of program they were up until the 2000s. The latest project by The Athletic should make it abundantly clear. Even after decades of struggles and a decade without a bowl game, the Cornhuskers are still one of the most valuable programs in college football and Power 4 schools.
Matt Baker recently wrote that “buying a college football team seems less far-fetched now than when The Athletic made its first attempt at putting a price tag on every Power 4 program last year.” However, that didn’t stop him from putting together a list of all 68 teams, covering them and finding a way to put a dollar amount next to their valuation.
Nebraska, despite two 7-6 seasons being the best things that have happened to its football program in a good while, is among the best of the best. It’s also one of just 17 of those 68 schools valued at more than $1 billion.
Nebraska football valued at $1.06 billion despite decades of struggles
The Huskers, according to Baker, are tied for the 15th-highest-valued program in the country at $1.06 billion. That puts them ahead of schools like Miami and Texas A&M, two teams that have had decidedly better runs in the last few years. It also has them tied as the No. 6 Big Ten team behind Ohio State, Michigan, USC, Penn State and Oregon. The Washington Huskies are coming in rated as having the same valuation.
Nebraska has long been one of the only athletic programs in the country that pays for itself. That’s definitely one reason why The Athletic has found the Huskers to be so valuable. There’s also all the investments the athletic department has put back into its teams.
This isn’t really a statement of where the Cornhuskers might go in the near future, or what they need to do to keep increasing in value. It’s simply a statement on where the Huskers sit compared to their peers in the college sports world.
With that valuation, Nebraska should be better than it is. The dedication by the fans is still second to none, especially when considering how easy it would be to drop out. Crossing the $1 billion threshold could be used as a way to get to brighter times in the near future.
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