Utah turns heads with latest college football valuation

Five years ago, the prospect of investing in or buying a college football team seemed farfetched. If it’s one thing the NIL era has taught us, it’s that everybody has a price. The Athletic has compiled a list of valuations for all Power Four teams.

There are a total of 17 teams valued at over a billion dollars, which is a record compared to last year when there were only 13 total.

Utah was No. 1 among Big 12 schools and came in at No. 26 overall. The $638 million price tag is right below Clemson and above Ole Miss, two Playoff teams over the past decade who were recently fighting over a top transfer linebacker with tampering accusations thrown out by Dabo Swinney.

The estimated value for the Utes could be much higher due to the $500 million private equity investment from Otro Capital. But there’s no way of knowing due to Utah Athletics denying records requests for the transaction, citing business privacy concerns. In any regard, Utah being placed ahead of Texas Tech (No. 32) and BYU (T-No. 34) shows the strength of the program.

The Utes gained the top spot in the conference despite losing longtime coach Kyle Whittingham, along with restructuring under the Otro Capital deal. One of the biggest takeaways coming out of this is having some type of investment in the program is vital. BYU has Ryan Smith and others dumping endlessly into what’s happening in Provo. Just like Cody Campbell has taken over Texas Tech athletics.

What is troubling with this list is no Big 12 teams in the top 25. Here’s the hard line in the sand and why some in the SEC are calling for the program to secede from the NCAA. Texas, who is No. 1 at $2.46 billion, could theoretically be split three ways to equal Utah. Out of the 17 billion dollar programs, nine of them are in the SEC.

If you took the “worst” team on the list, which is No. 68 Houston at just $100 million, Utah is valued at just over six times more. However, in-state rival Texas, is 24 times more valuable than the Cougars. Numbers don’t lie.

From the calculations of this list, Utah is in a great position to compete in the new era of college athletics. Say what you want about the private equity deal. The Utes put it together and handcrafted it over the course of years, and the football program wouldn’t lead the Big 12 without it.

Give credit where credit is due. Utah president Taylor Randall and athletic director Mark Harlan gave the entire operation in Salt Lake City the best available lifeline to stay ahead of the changes. There’s no doubt Utah is viewed as a risk-taker right now.

What happens in five years when other programs cease to exist? The funding now can save programs with the right investments down the road.