Oklahoma’s place near the top of college football’s money chart is no accident.
The Athletic’s latest valuation projections, built around a hypothetical world in which every program was up for sale, put the Sooners tied with USC at No. 7 with a projected 2026 value of $1.6 billion. Only Texas, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Michigan, Georgia and Alabama ranked ahead of them, and Texas, Ohio State, Notre Dame and Michigan all cleared the $2 billion mark.
The top 10 told a pretty clear story: it was all SEC and Big Ten schools, plus Notre Dame. No Big 12 or ACC program made that group, and no team from either league cracked the top 15.
Miami was the highest-ranked ACC program at No. 18.
Utah led the Big 12 at No. 26 with a value of $638 million, while Oklahoma State checked in at No. 42 at $389 million.
How much would it take to buy an NCAA football team on the open market?
We’re exploring theoretical sales prices, which are not the same as what teams are actually worth. pic.twitter.com/ofPkuAHsjF
- The Athletic (@TheAthletic) July 28, 2026
For Oklahoma, the number is another reminder of what the move to the SEC has done. Two years in, the Sooners are no longer trying to carry the weight of the Big 12 on their own.
They’re in the league with the biggest TV money, the biggest stages and the kind of weekly matchups that keep a program in the national conversation. That kind of exposure adds up fast.
But this isn’t just about conference affiliation. Oklahoma’s brand carries real weight on its own.
The crimson interlocking O and U, the Sooner Schooner and the shorthand of “O-U” are all instantly recognizable in college football. That kind of national identity doesn’t get built overnight.
It comes from decades of winning, tradition and players like The Boz and Baker Mayfield becoming bigger than the program itself. That’s part of why the SEC wanted Oklahoma in the first place, and it’s part of why the Sooners sit where they do in a valuation exercise like this one.
There’s also a practical side to all of it. A helmet logo matters to the CFP selection committee, and it matters to recruits.
Oklahoma can’t chase a national championship without elite talent, and elite talent is drawn to programs that already have a seat at the table. In college football, that seat is worth a lot - and a national championship is worth even more.
In Other News...
Oklahoma Just Got A Huge New Roster Question This Offseason
A federal judges latest ruling could create an unexpected layer of uncertainty around Oklahomas offseason roster, opening the door for some players to pursue a fifth college season even after exhausting four years of eligibility. The decision applies to athletes from the 2022 recruiting class and arrives despite the NCAAs planned five-in-five rule, which was not supposed to take effect until the 2027 recruiting class, giving programs across the country another potential round of roster movement to monitor.
For the Sooners, the issue is especially notable because several players on the 2025 roster could fall into that window and suddenly have a choice to make after the 2026 NFL Draft. If any of those players decide college is still the better move, Oklahoma could be dealing with a fresh wave of roster decisions well after the usual offseason business is supposed to be settled. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma Enters Camp With One Huge Question Up Front
Fall camp is about to open for Oklahoma, and with Brent Venables heading into his fifth year, the Sooners still have a familiar source of intrigue up front. The defensive tackle room has been reshaped by NFL departures, graduation and transfers, but Jayden Jackson and David Stone are back as the anchors, giving Todd Bates at least a proven starting point in a unit that was among the better-regarded parts of the defense a year ago.
What comes next is the real test, because the Sooners need that group to hold up after losing so much experience. Oklahoma has blended in transfers and freshmen to help fill the gaps, and the early weeks of camp will go a long way toward showing whether the new-look interior line can match the standard the program expects, or whether this becomes the kind of spot that takes time to sort out. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahomas 2026 Offense Hinges On One Long Awaited Change
Fall camp has arrived in Norman, and with it comes a familiar offseason priority for the Sooners: making the run game and offensive line sturdier before the 2026 season gets underway. Oklahoma has spent the buildup adding experience on both fronts, bringing in offensive lineman EMarion Harris and running backs coach Deland McCullough as part of a broader push to add physicality and depth. The goal is clear enough, even if the work is just getting started, with the opener against UTEP serving as the first chance to see whether the changes are showing up where they matter most.
For Oklahoma, this is about more than just shoring up one phase of the offense. The Sooners have returning players mixed with new additions, and the challenge now is turning that blend into a line and backfield that can hold up over a full season. The identity they are chasing is a more dependable, more physical attack, and fall camp will reveal how close they are to getting it before the spotlight tightens in September. [Read more 🡒]