One of the main themes of Arkansas football is its uncanny ability to be a top-25 team in almost every preseason metric, but still fall behind the rest of the SEC. It's a testament to the strength of the league, but it doesn't just stop on the field.
Arkansas lands in The Athletic's top 25 most valuable college football programs
A recent ranking from The Athletic, published by On3, placed Arkansas at No. 23 on the list of the most valuable college football programs in the country. With a valuation of $646 million, the Razorbacks are in elite company. But in the SEC, where financial muscle and brand power run deep, Arkansas still finds itself trailing behind nine other programs.
The list includes powerhouse names like Texas at No. 1 with a staggering $2.38 billion valuation, followed by Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, and LSU—all well above the billion-dollar mark or close to it. Florida, Auburn, and Texas A&M also landed ahead of the Razorbacks.
Surprisingly—especially after having one of the top 15 NIL collectives in college football before the start of the 2025 season—Ole Miss brings up the rear at No. 25.
NEW: Top 10 most valuable College Football programs via @TheAthletic🤑 https://t.co/JEVcijn6Lv pic.twitter.com/2APBOdC7Ki
— On3 (@On3sports) July 21, 2025
The Athletics' most valuable college football teams heading into the 2025-26 season
- Texas: $2.38 billion
- Georgia: $1.92 billion
- Ohio State: $1.90 billion
- Notre Dame: $1.85 billion
- Michigan: $1.83 billion
- Alabama: $1.74 billion
- Oklahoma: $1.49 billion
- USC: $1.40 billion
- Tennessee: $1.37 billion
- LSU: $1.23 billion
- Penn State: $1.20 billion
- Florida: $1.08 billion
- Auburn: $1.06 billion
- Oregon: $990 million
- Texas A&M: $973 million
- Washington: $970 million
- Nebraska: $930 million
- Florida State: $867 million
- Wisconsin: $801 million
- Iowa: $709 million
- Michigan State: $708 million
- Clemson: $665 million
- Arkansas: $646 million
- Miami: $604 million
- Ole Miss: $591 million