Spending vs Price
After Week 9 of 2026, Liberty trades 43.5 points above what its $23.0M football budget usually buys, the most of 131 ranked FBS teams. California trades the furthest below its budget line, at -42.4 points.
Each team's price against its football budget. The dashed line is the price a budget usually buys. Teams 10+ points above it are VALUE, 10+ below are OVERVALUED, the rest are FAIR. P/E puts the same idea in one number: 20 is par for the budget, lower is cheap, higher is expensive.
Furthest from the line, price points vs. what the budget usually buys
Best value
| # | Team | Spend | Price | P/E | vs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LIB Liberty | $23.0M | 138.31 | 13.7 | +43.5 |
| 2 | IU Indiana | $50.2M | 153.43 | 15.3 | +36.2 |
| 3 | UNM New Mexico | $14.7M | 115.65 | 14.2 | +33.5 |
| 4 | UTAH Utah | $41.4M | 144.52 | 15.5 | +32.8 |
| 5 | JMU James Madison | $16.9M | 117.12 | 14.7 | +31.1 |
| 6 | LT Louisiana Tech | $11.1M | 104.48 | 14.2 | +30.3 |
| 7 | BOIS Boise State | $25.8M | 128.23 | 15.3 | +30.1 |
| 8 | UNT North Texas | $15.4M | 113.00 | 14.8 | +29.6 |
| 9 | TOL Toledo | $12.6M | 106.06 | 14.7 | +28.3 |
| 10 | WAKE Wake Forest | $39.4M | 138.57 | 15.9 | +28.3 |
| 11 | OSU Ohio State | $92.4M | 162.79 | 16.5 | +28.2 |
| 12 | UGA Georgia | $71.1M | 154.81 | 16.4 | +27.7 |
| 13 | MISS Ole Miss | $61.8M | 148.80 | 16.5 | +25.7 |
| 14 | ARIZ Arizona | $37.8M | 133.23 | 16.4 | +24.1 |
| 15 | TXST Texas State | $21.6M | 117.13 | 15.9 | +24.0 |
| 16 | ND Notre Dame | $93.3M | 158.15 | 17.1 | +23.3 |
| 17 | MIA Miami | $88.1M | 156.24 | 17.1 | +23.0 |
| 18 | HOU Houston | $23.3M | 117.97 | 16.1 | +22.7 |
| 19 | UTSA UTSA | $17.9M | 109.11 | 16.1 | +21.4 |
| 20 | NU Northwestern | $37.9M | 130.09 | 16.8 | +20.9 |
| 21 | WMU Western Michigan | $11.4M | 95.51 | 15.7 | +20.6 |
| 22 | LSU LSU | $50.7M | 137.97 | 17.0 | +20.5 |
| 23 | LOU Louisville | $30.7M | 123.09 | 16.8 | +19.9 |
| 24 | ALA Alabama | $81.5M | 150.66 | 17.4 | +19.7 |
| 25 | MEM Memphis | $22.0M | 112.18 | 16.7 | +18.5 |
| 26 | TENN Tennessee | $61.2M | 141.25 | 17.4 | +18.4 |
| 27 | BYU BYU | $44.6M | 131.98 | 17.2 | +18.2 |
| 28 | MIZ Missouri | $49.3M | 133.17 | 17.5 | +16.5 |
| 29 | GASO Georgia Southern | $11.2M | 90.56 | 16.4 | +16.1 |
| 30 | TTU Texas Tech | $39.7M | 126.00 | 17.5 | +15.5 |
| 31 | IOWA Iowa | $50.9M | 132.79 | 17.7 | +15.2 |
| 32 | UK Kentucky | $43.3M | 128.13 | 17.6 | +15.2 |
| 33 | FRES Fresno State | $17.7M | 101.82 | 17.2 | +14.4 |
| 34 | JXST Jacksonville State | $15.0M | 97.13 | 17.0 | +14.4 |
| 35 | OHIO Ohio | $10.8M | 85.93 | 17.1 | +12.6 |
| 36 | UL Louisiana | $14.8M | 92.46 | 17.8 | +10.0 |
| 37 | SJSU San José State | $11.9M | 86.09 | 17.7 | +9.9 |
| 38 | WKU Western Kentucky | $11.0M | 83.24 | 17.8 | +9.3 |
| 39 | USC USC | $74.0M | 137.39 | 18.7 | +9.1 |
| 40 | ARST Arkansas State | $11.5M | 84.19 | 17.9 | +9.0 |
| 41 | UNLV UNLV | $20.9M | 100.89 | 18.3 | +8.8 |
| 42 | TROY Troy | $10.3M | 80.36 | 17.9 | +8.4 |
| 43 | UAB UAB | $13.2M | 87.21 | 18.1 | +8.2 |
| 44 | WIS Wisconsin | $40.9M | 118.70 | 18.8 | +7.4 |
| 45 | ECU East Carolina | $16.5M | 92.20 | 18.5 | +6.8 |
| 46 | M-OH Miami (OH) | $11.0M | 80.61 | 18.3 | +6.7 |
| 47 | WYO Wyoming | $13.1M | 85.08 | 18.5 | +6.3 |
| 48 | FLA Florida | $51.8M | 123.99 | 19.0 | +5.9 |
| 49 | DUKE Duke | $47.4M | 121.04 | 19.1 | +5.5 |
| 50 | MICH Michigan | $61.7M | 127.80 | 19.3 | +4.8 |
| 51 | MRSH Marshall | $13.6M | 84.56 | 18.9 | +4.7 |
| 52 | USM Southern Miss | $11.0M | 77.60 | 19.1 | +3.7 |
| 53 | HAW Hawai'i | $13.9M | 83.92 | 19.2 | +3.5 |
| 54 | SMU SMU | $45.3M | 117.63 | 19.4 | +3.4 |
| 55 | TEX Texas | $70.4M | 130.16 | 19.5 | +3.3 |
| 56 | BAY Baylor | $41.1M | 114.47 | 19.5 | +3.0 |
| 57 | CIN Cincinnati | $30.4M | 105.50 | 19.5 | +2.6 |
| 58 | KENN Kennesaw State | $11.5M | 77.66 | 19.3 | +2.6 |
| 59 | APP App State | $13.3M | 80.89 | 19.6 | +1.7 |
| 60 | UCLA UCLA | $55.2M | 121.50 | 19.7 | +1.6 |
| 61 | TULN Tulane | $22.7M | 95.08 | 19.9 | +0.6 |
| 62 | MINN Minnesota | $45.5M | 114.38 | 20.0 | +0.0 |
| 63 | BUF Buffalo | $14.1M | 80.30 | 20.2 | -0.6 |
| 64 | SC South Carolina | $55.9M | 119.57 | 20.1 | -0.7 |
| 65 | CONN UConn | $20.5M | 90.30 | 20.3 | -1.3 |
| 66 | GAST Georgia State | $12.3M | 75.55 | 20.4 | -1.4 |
| 67 | ORE Oregon | $60.8M | 121.16 | 20.2 | -1.5 |
| 68 | SDSU San Diego State | $22.3M | 91.80 | 20.5 | -2.2 |
| 69 | AUB Auburn | $58.7M | 119.26 | 20.4 | -2.4 |
| 70 | USA South Alabama | $13.9M | 78.14 | 20.6 | -2.5 |
| 71 | KSU Kansas State | $27.1M | 96.79 | 20.6 | -2.8 |
| 72 | USF South Florida | $33.4M | 102.50 | 20.6 | -3.0 |
| 73 | FIU Florida International | $12.8M | 74.86 | 20.9 | -3.4 |
| 74 | USU Utah State | $17.3M | 82.96 | 20.9 | -3.8 |
| 75 | KU Kansas | $34.5M | 102.51 | 20.8 | -4.0 |
| 76 | TA&M Texas A&M | $60.2M | 117.77 | 20.8 | -4.6 |
| 77 | MTSU Middle Tennessee | $13.3M | 74.50 | 21.3 | -4.8 |
| 78 | BGSU Bowling Green | $11.0M | 68.47 | 21.6 | -5.3 |
| 79 | BALL Ball State | $8.0M | 59.27 | 21.8 | -5.4 |
| 80 | EMU Eastern Michigan | $11.1M | 68.45 | 21.6 | -5.6 |
| 81 | CMU Central Michigan | $11.6M | 69.63 | 21.7 | -5.8 |
| 82 | ISU Iowa State | $32.3M | 98.68 | 21.2 | -5.9 |
| 83 | WASH Washington | $68.9M | 120.20 | 21.0 | -6.0 |
| 84 | VT Virginia Tech | $37.8M | 101.73 | 21.4 | -7.3 |
| 85 | WSU Washington State | $22.9M | 87.35 | 21.7 | -7.4 |
| 86 | ORST Oregon State | $23.8M | 88.47 | 21.7 | -7.5 |
| 87 | ASU Arizona State | $50.4M | 109.41 | 21.4 | -7.9 |
| 88 | MSST Mississippi State | $37.6M | 100.93 | 21.6 | -8.0 |
| 89 | NMSU New Mexico State | $11.8M | 67.73 | 22.4 | -8.1 |
| 90 | NEV Nevada | $13.0M | 69.91 | 22.5 | -8.7 |
| 91 | NEB Nebraska | $70.6M | 117.93 | 21.5 | -9.0 |
| 92 | OU Oklahoma | $71.2M | 118.20 | 21.5 | -9.0 |
| 93 | UVA Virginia | $33.6M | 96.66 | 21.9 | -9.1 |
| 94 | CCU Coastal Carolina | $17.1M | 77.13 | 22.4 | -9.2 |
| 95 | UNC North Carolina | $49.1M | 106.07 | 22.0 | -10.5 |
| 96 | VAN Vanderbilt | $44.1M | 101.82 | 22.3 | -11.7 |
| 97 | FAU Florida Atlantic | $19.3M | 77.90 | 23.1 | -12.0 |
| 98 | PSU Penn State | $77.4M | 116.60 | 22.2 | -12.9 |
| 99 | NCSU NC State | $40.5M | 98.03 | 22.7 | -13.0 |
| 100 | PITT Pittsburgh | $47.1M | 101.78 | 22.7 | -13.6 |
| 101 | UCF UCF | $38.7M | 96.17 | 22.8 | -13.6 |
| 102 | ODU Old Dominion | $14.8M | 68.22 | 24.1 | -14.1 |
| 103 | TLSA Tulsa | $20.7M | 77.80 | 23.6 | -14.1 |
| 104 | ULM UL Monroe | $7.8M | 49.53 | 25.8 | -14.4 |
| 105 | OKST Oklahoma State | $32.8M | 90.59 | 23.2 | -14.5 |
| 106 | TCU TCU | $59.6M | 106.54 | 22.9 | -15.5 |
| 107 | ILL Illinois | $48.0M | 100.12 | 23.2 | -15.8 |
| 108 | UTEP UTEP | $11.1M | 56.97 | 26.0 | -17.0 |
| 109 | SHSU Sam Houston | $9.7M | 52.83 | 26.6 | -17.5 |
| 110 | WVU West Virginia | $35.3M | 88.82 | 24.1 | -18.3 |
| 111 | CLEM Clemson | $81.1M | 112.22 | 23.3 | -18.7 |
| 112 | BC Boston College | $41.2M | 91.96 | 24.3 | -19.6 |
| 113 | MD Maryland | $35.5M | 87.55 | 24.5 | -19.7 |
| 114 | COLO Colorado | $42.8M | 92.76 | 24.3 | -19.9 |
| 115 | KENT Kent State | $10.4M | 51.30 | 28.1 | -20.8 |
| 116 | SYR Syracuse | $42.1M | 90.83 | 24.7 | -21.3 |
| 117 | NIU Northern Illinois | $13.2M | 57.46 | 27.5 | -21.6 |
| 118 | ARK Arkansas | $57.4M | 99.13 | 24.4 | -21.9 |
| 119 | TEM Temple | $26.3M | 75.39 | 26.2 | -23.3 |
| 120 | PUR Purdue | $37.2M | 84.85 | 25.6 | -23.8 |
| 121 | MSU Michigan State | $48.2M | 90.27 | 25.7 | -25.8 |
| 122 | CSU Colorado State | $21.0M | 64.63 | 28.6 | -27.7 |
| 123 | STAN Stanford | $36.0M | 79.64 | 27.0 | -28.0 |
| 124 | GT Georgia Tech | $42.7M | 83.49 | 27.0 | -29.1 |
| 125 | RICE Rice | $19.6M | 60.79 | 29.7 | -29.5 |
| 126 | FSU Florida State | $83.3M | 101.37 | 26.0 | -30.2 |
| 127 | CLT Charlotte | $15.6M | 51.17 | 32.7 | -32.6 |
| 128 | AKR Akron | $7.6M | 26.59 | 47.7 | -36.8 |
| 129 | MASS Massachusetts | $13.4M | 38.92 | 40.9 | -40.6 |
| 130 | RUTG Rutgers | $75.9M | 87.63 | 29.4 | -41.4 |
| 131 | CAL California | $46.7M | 72.70 | 31.7 | -42.4 |
Spending: football operating expenses each school reported to the U.S. Dept. of Education (EADA, 2024-25). Not NIL or revenue sharing. Schools count costs differently. Price updates weekly; spending stays fixed until the next EADA year. Not disclosed: Air Force, Army, Navy. Not ranked (not FBS yet in 2024): Delaware, Missouri State, North Dakota State, Sacramento State. Entertainment only.
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IU
UNM
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