Oregon Football in Top Tier for EA Sports Payouts

Big Ten Conference heavily featured in highest tiers of EA Sports payouts as Oregon moves to the Midwest-based power conference. Ducks are among the elites in Tier 1 with the highest payouts.

Oregon Green Team defensive back Dakoda Fields intercepts a pass indended for wide receiver Jurrion Dickey during the Oregon Ducks’ Spring Game Saturday, April 27. 2024 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA

EUGENE - As part of the new EA Sports College Football game, the venerable sports media company will be paying universities on a tiered system based on team success in the last 10 years. Fortunately for Oregon, they made the top payout tier and will be handsomely compensated for their licensing rights in the game.

As mentioned, the payouts are determined based on each team’s rankings in the final AP Poll at the end of the last 10 college football seasons with a ‘point’ being awarded for each Top 25 finish from the Associated Press (AP). With this in mind let’s review some notable teams in each tier.

Oregon Green Team defensive back Dakoda Fields intercepts a pass indended for wide receiver Jurrion Dickey during the Oregon Ducks’ Spring Game Saturday, April 27. 2024 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA

Tier One, $99,875.16: Oregon fans will be excited to see the Ducks in the highest payout tier, as they’ve finished in the Top 25 in six of the last 10 seasons. Tier one includes many of the usual suspects like Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State, and Michigan, but there are some more surprising teams as well.

Utah, Oklahoma State, and Iowa all crashed the top tier and will be paid on par with giants of the sport. Big Ten Conference opponent Penn State were also implicated in the highest payout tier.

Tier Two, $59,925.09: The second-largest payout tier features many of the biggest brands in college football such as USC, Florida State, Florida, and Auburn. Big Ten representation in tier two includes Wisconsin, Washington, Northwestern, Michigan State, Pitt, and UCLA.

Surprise appearances in the second tier include Boise State, Liberty, Utah State, San Diego State, and Navy, none of whom are thought of as on par with the big names in this tier.

Tier Three, $39,950.06: The second-lowest payout tier is composed of many teams fans have come to know as trap matchups, including Syracuse, Washington State, Oregon State, Appalachian State, Arizona State, and Georgia Tech. Minnesota and Indiana are the only Big Ten representatives in this tier as most of the conference’s teams are included in the top two groups.

Tier Four, $9,987.52: At the risk of disparaging some of these programs, most of tier four is teams that are not considered especially relevant to the grander college football scene. Big Ten foes Maryland, Purdue, Rutgers, Boston College, Nebraska, and Illinois were all unable to escape the cellar tier and will receive the least compensation for their participation in EA Sports College Football 25.

Payouts were determined on a four-tiered system.

Tiers are determined by each team's finish in the final
AP Poll over the last 10 seasons, per documents obtained by cllct.

When a team finished the year in the AP's Top 25, it received one point. pic.twitter.com/SLRp7100i1

— cllct (@cllctMedia) May 24, 2024

As fans around the country eagerly await the release of the first college football game in over a decade, we are getting a glimpse at the hierarchical aspect of what college football is now. Fortunately for Oregon, the future looks bright under this model.