IU’s Playoff Push Drives Revenue, Viewership, and Program Value
INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana University’s unexpected run to the College Football Playoff national championship game has delivered more than wins on the field. According to IU Columbus finance professor Ryan Brewer, the Hoosiers’ football success under second-year head coach Curt Cignetti is generating a surge in revenue, national exposure and long-term program value.
Speaking with Inside Indiana Business, Brewer said the financial returns tied to IU football have been “pretty successful, as you can imagine,” and noted that Indiana is not alone among in-state programs benefiting from strong seasons.
“All three big schools from Indiana have done well,” Brewer said. “Notre Dame is up this year close to 14%. We’ve got Purdue up by about 6%, and Indiana, along with a few other schools around the FBS, is up almost 40%.”
Brewer said the economic impact of IU football games has climbed sharply since Cignetti’s arrival. Prior to the coaching change, home games generated an average of about $5.5 million in local economic impact. That number rose significantly during Cignetti’s first season.
“In the first year, after a few games — and they had eight home games — that impact averaged out at over $7.5 million per game,” Brewer said. “Then this year it increased another 20% on top of that, up to about $9 million per game.”
Those figures, Brewer added, do not include the broader statewide impact of road games or fans traveling for postseason contests, such as IU’s appearance in the national championship game against Miami.
“With this magic formula that Cignetti’s got going on, people all around the country are interested in this team,” Brewer said.
National television exposure has also skyrocketed. Brewer said that before Cignetti’s tenure, IU football drawing three million viewers for a marquee matchup was considered a strong showing.
“Back in the day, a good day would be three million viewers on a national TV game,” Brewer said. “Now they’re getting six million for Oregon, over six million for No. 1 Penn State, 23 million viewers with Alabama, and 18 million again for No. 2 Oregon.”
Brewer said the program’s total television viewership this season has more than doubled compared to previous years.
“I think the national story is out there,” he said.
The on-field success is also reshaping how IU football is valued relative to its in-state rivals. Brewer noted that Indiana and Purdue football programs were valued similarly for years, but that gap is beginning to widen.
“There’s a separation happening now,” Brewer said. “The famous, wealthy, successful alumni of any university are able to help power those NIL numbers for Curt Cignetti and his crew, allowing opportunities that they wouldn’t have seen before.”
