Dec. 22--Notre Dame finished second in one ranking, behind a team it defeated by 35 points in its season opener.
According to Forbes, the Fighting Irish's football program is worth $127 million, the second-most valuable in the nation behind Texas, which is valued at $152 million.
College football programs aren't a sellable commodity in and of themselves, of course. Forbes' study "relies heavily on team earnings directed toward academics and other athletic programs."
Forbes said it combined revenue generated in the universities, athletic departments, conferences and local economies.
The Irish's football program generated $87 million in revenue in 2014, of which $54 million was profit, according to data collected from the Department of Education and economic studies.
