Fighting Irish Among Nation’s ‘Most Valuable’

Listen to this story

Subscriber Benefit

As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe Now

This audio file is brought to you by

0:00

0:00

Loading audio file, please wait.

Speed
1.00

• 0.25
• 0.50
• 0.75
• 1.00
• 1.25
• 1.50
• 1.75
• 2.00

The University of Notre Dame's football program is ranked second on a national list of College Football's Most Valuable Teams of 2013. Forbes estimates the Fighting Irish are worth $117 million, which is an increase over last year. The team drew an additional $6.2 million bonus from a Bowl Championship Series national title game appearance.

The team has been the runner-up to the University of Texas in value since 2009.

Forbes bases the numbers on factors such as the team's value to its athletic department, the university's academics and the local economy.

The data feeding the list include the BCS, the U.S. Department of Education and various economic impact reports.

One such report, recently released by Notre Dame, suggests 62,000 visitors create a $9.5 million impact per game at home games.

You can view the full list of top teams by clicking here.

Source: Forbes