Forbes Magazine ranks LSU fourth most valuable team in college football

 Most football fans from around the state realize the impact the LSU football team has on area
economics. To solidify that fact, Forbes Magazine, has ranked the LSU football program as
the fourth most valuable team in college football worth $105 million as reported by the magazine's website. LSU trails only the University of Texas Longhorns ($139 million), the Notre Dame Fighting Irish ($117 million), and the University of Alabama Crimson Tide ($110 million). Forbes Magazine ranked the University of Michigan Wolverines fifth at $100 million. The Florida Gators at No. 6 and the Georgia Bulldogs at No. 8 are the only other Southeastern Conference teams in the top 10.  Other SEC schools in the top 25 rankings include: Auburn at No. 11, Arkansas No. 12, Texas A & M at No. 14, South Carolina is No. 18 and Tennessee holds down the No. 20 position. To determine college football's most valuable teams, Forbes considers each team's value to its athletic department, its university's academic endeavors, its conference and it's school's local economy. LSU is a self-sustaining unit of the university, and it is one of the few athletic departments in the nation that receives no state funding and no student fees. The LSU Athletic Department has committed to transferring $7 million annually to the academic side of the university. The 9-3 Tigers are preparing to meet the 8-4 Iowa Hawkeyes in the Outback Bowl scheduled for Jan. 1 in Tampa.