USC Trojans Receive Surprising Valuation

As the USC Trojans football program continues to adjust and adapt to the changes surrounding college sports, USC has remained one of the most valuable teams in the country. The Trojans hired general manager Chad Bowden away from Notre Dame, signed the No. 1 recruiting class in rankings from 247Sports and On3, and USC is scheduled to open a new football facility in the summer of 2026.

USC's Surprising Ranking

According to an analysis by Indiana University of Columbus associate professor of finance Ryan Brewer and Wall Street Journal's Andrew Beaton, USC ranks No. 16 in the country with a valuation of $999 million. In the Big Ten, the Trojans rank behind Ohio State (No. 3), Michigan (No. 5), Penn State (No. 8), Nebraska (No. 10), Washington (No. 12), and Iowa (No. 15).

usc trojans lincoln riley college football team value big ten rankings chad bowden transfer portal recruiting new facility — Dec 27, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley reacts against the Texas A&M Aggies in the first half at Allegiant Stadium. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The study reports USC's adjusted revenue in 2025 as $161 million, the 15th highest in the nation.

The study attempts to value college football teams as if they were professional franchises, and Texas tops the list with an estimated valuation over $2 billion. Team success isn't necessarily crucial for value, in this sense. Recent College Football Playoff teams litter the top 20, but other schools like Nebraska, Auburn, Iowa, USC, Florida, and Wisconsin also round out the back half of the rankings.

Meanwhile, Indiana and Miami, two teams competing in Monday's CFP National Championship Game, didn't crack the top 10. Oregon is ranked No. 19 after making two CFPs and winning the Big Ten in 2024.

The brand of historic college football programs is incredibly valuable, but their spot in the rankings also shows the potential money being left on the table. USC is sometimes referred to as a "sleeping giant," and Riley has the program pointed in the right direction.

The Trojans have invested in facilities and player acquisition, as well as player retention revealed by polarizing re-signing announcements. Can USC make its first postseason appearance?

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Lincoln Riley on USC's Trajectory

After USC's loss to TCU in the Alamo Bowl, Riley was optimistic about the future of the Trojans. He was asked about hiring a defensive coordinator with D'Anton Lynn leaving to take the same role with Penn State, and Riley took the chance to highlight USC as a program.

"I feel fantastic," Riley said. "You know, we've made obviously documented strides the last couple of years statistically, but those that really study the game and watch the way that we've played and the way that we've been able to improve, the arrow is just pointing straight up. I think for us right now the opportunity to make a hire, to continue to make us better and to go from being a very good defense to being a great defense is the goal. We have the personnel to do it. We're on an upward trend."

"There's going to be a lot of interest in this job. This will be an extremely, extremely coveted job. I can already tell by the nature of what my phone has been like the last couple of days. You know, it's kind of like -- I know I described it to you guys a little bit when I first got here. When I first got here there was a few of us that believed in it, but putting together the staff had some challenges too because I think a lot of people were skeptical about is SC really that all in, are they really going to invest, are they really serious about being great in football again?" Riley continued.

USC's Surprising Ranking

Lincoln Riley on USC's Trajectory

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