Florida football valued at $1.08 billion despite on-field struggles

The wins haven’t been there lately, but the money still is.

According to a new report from The Athletic ranking college football’s most valuable programs, the Florida Gators come in at No. 12, with a projected valuation of $1.08 billion. Despite missing the College Football Playoff era entirely and finishing unranked in four straight seasons, the Gators remain one of the sport’s biggest financial brands in the nation.

The Gators’ football program generated an average of $98.5 million in revenue, and that figure is expected to rise sharply thanks to a massive new project: a proposed $1 billion stadium renovation.

That eye-popping number was publicly floated by the chairperson of Florida’s board of trustees according to Matt Barker of the Athletic.

Among the top 12 programs in the valuation rankings, only Florida and USC have never made the College Football Playoff. That’s not a great look for a school that once dominated under Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyer. Aside from those shortingcomings from a business standpoint, the brand still holds.

The result is a program that can weather a cold streak without taking a financial hit or one to their brand.They  still have the infrastructure to bounce back quickly with the right leadership as they look to the future.

If Florida finds a winning formula on the field again, the Gators are well-positioned to explode in value.

Florida’s current valuation reflects what the program has been and what it can get back to on the field.  While the last four seasons have dulled the shine, the financial faith behind the scenes is trying to expand with a $1 billion stadium vision to prove it.

In a sport that’s rapidly professionalizing, the Gators remain a blue-chip brand with one foot in the past and both eyes on a more profitable, playoff-bound future.