Forbes Reveals Most Valuable College Football Programs With Surprising School at No. 1

Over the last 4-5 years, the top two college football programs have been the Clemson Tigers and Alabama Crimson Tide, with everyone else far behind. You can imagine, then, that each school is raking in serious revenue befitting such success.

And yes, both programs are. But Forbes has just released its top 25 most valuable programs based on revenue and profits, and the school coming in at No. 1 probably isn't one you were thinking of.

Coming in at the top spot in overall revenue? The Texas A&M Aggies.

Yup, I was shocked, too.

Alabama ranked fourth behind A&M, Texas and Michigan. Clemson, on the other hand, comes in all the way down at No. 25.

The big reason why the Aggies averaged $147 million (!) in football revenue over the past three years is because of their significant alumni and booster contributions, mostly related to construction expansions. These hauls are likely to plateau and/or decrease for Texas A&M in the coming years, but we know how much the folks in Texas love their football.

I'd imagine Clemson will continue to go up in these rankings, as they have steady revenue streams that will ony get bigger in the years to come if Dabo Swinney keeps winning. Deep-pocketed alumni will surely show their support with some serious money in due time-- but it will take a heck of a lot to even get within striking distance of the Aggies.