Where Does Notre Dame Rank Amongst the Most Valuable Franchises in CFB?

Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish came within inches of securing their 12th National Championship and putting an end to a 37-year drought, but they would end up suffering their first defeat of the season, losing 34-23 to Ohio State Buckeyes in Atlanta. It was a humbling blow for Notre Dame, a team that, despite not playing in a Power 4 conference (or any conference for that matter), has nevertheless emerged as one of the most beloved and successful teams in college football.

Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

In fact, according to The

Athletic’s Matt Baker, Notre Dame are valued at a project price of $1.85 billion in a hypothetical scenario that would see college football programs go up for sale, factoring in “everything from prestige and championships to facility renovations, population trends and realignment scenarios. That means treating Notre Dame more like the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston College more like the Kansas City Royals.”

This value sees them sit third in the overall standings behind Ohio State, who would sell for a reported $1.9 billion, as well as Georgia ($1.92b) and Texas ($2.38b), with Michigan trailing in hot pursuit at $1.83 billion. Only Texas ($183m) and Georgia ($140m) are generating a higher average football revenue than Notre Dame ($143m), a number which doesn’t reflect their increased TV revenue thanks to their contract extension with NBC.

After a stellar postseason run, it’s likely that Notre Dame’s value is only going to continue growing after surpassing the billion-dollar mark. Whilst their reported $1.9 billion market value pales in comparison to soccer powerhouses like Manchester City ($5.1 billion), Paris Saint-Germain ($4.4 billion) and Bayern Munich ($5 billion), it nevertheless puts them in strong position amongst the best college programs in the United States.

More from onefootdown.com:

• Notre Dame’s Jerry Tillery is considered the best pass-rushing DT in the NFL Draft
• The work never stops for Notre Dame football with “Valentine’s Day Lift”
• One Foot Down Podcast: 5 Stars, Bob Stoops, and Red Panda at Notre Dame
• Brian Kelly’s Notre Dame recruiting class rankings over the last decade
• Wrapping up National Signing Day for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish
• Projecting Forward The 2019 Notre Dame Football Recruiting Class
• NFL Draft 2019: Mel Kiper Ranks The Notre Dame Players Going Pro