It’s very easy to focus solely on Florida State, as if marooned alone on an island, and to focus on a myopic view of each decision the administration is making.
This is the first in a series of notebook-style stories we hope will provide you with a frame of reference to widen your lens on the collegiate landscape and FSU’s place within it.
Over the months and years, The Osceola’s inbox has filled each day with collegiate publications written for athletics directors and staff containing stories about how athletic directors and coaches across the nation attempt to adapt to the unprecedented number of industry disruptions mandated by the courts.
Whether SEC, Big 10 or a Power 5, every campus has been impacted by Supreme Court rulings, the House Settlement, NIL and the transfer portal, and each are scrambling to adapt in an effort to remain competitive.
Reading their stories has widened our lens beyond the decisions the FSU administration has made and we hope sharing these stories will do the same for you.
Is Michigan’s “Big House” for sale too?
Michigan is exploring new revenue streams from jersey patches, on-field and on-court logos and in-game sponsorships as well as digital scoreboard advertising.
“We have intentionally protected the Big House from the commercialization seen elsewhere,” Michigan AD Ward Manuel said, before acknowledging the reality FSU AD Michael Alford and every other college AD is facing. “To support our student-athletes in this new era without compromising their competitive edge, we must carefully expand our corporate sponsorships into venues where we have previously held back.”
Nole fans who are eager to jump to the Big10 or SEC, as the financial savior, should pay close attention to Big 10 and SEC members who are also having to jump through financial hoops to compete with each other.
Which leads us to Ohio State
To update an aging stadium, and generate more revenue, Ohio State is studying a major renovation of the iconic “Horseshoe.”
OSU’s preliminary plan is to add fan-friendly amenities, with about 10 percent of capacity devoted to premium seating. The west sideline renovation of Doak brought FSU’s percentage of premium seating (about 9,500) to almost 14 percent.
Florida State fans are very aware that expanding legroom and widening sideline seats, not to mention adding premium seats, will trigger ADA improvements (wider aisles with handrails and more ADA seating), which will also force a total reseating of longtime Buckeye fans.
BTW, wouldn’t you love to hear the Bull Gators’ bellows as the $1.45 billion demo and rebuild of the Swamp will also require a reseating.
FSU's ticket revenue growth second only to OSU's
According to Matt Brown in his Extra Points breakdown of ticket sales and revenues, Florida State’s football ticket revenue grew by 38.3 percent in 2026, which was second only to Ohio State’s growth of 40.1 percent. The west side expansion is largely responsible for FSU’s revenue growth. But adding Alabama to the schedule certainly didn’t hurt.
FSU’s revenue growth in 2026 is intoxicating but here’s a couple of numbers that will sober you up in a hurry. Florida State’s revenue growth of $6,539,159 is terrific, growing ticket revenue to a total of $23,622,902. But consider this, Ohio State’s year-over-year growth of 40.1 percent is nearly equal to FSU’s total ticket revenues. Ohio State’s annual ticket revenue increased from $47,853,040 to a whopping $67,018,201 in 2025, second only to Michigan’s $67,595,162.
Let that soak into your noggin.
In addition to the $40 million more per year in multi-media rights the Big 10 schools have over every school not in the Big 10 or SEC, OSU and Michigan are also generating an additional $40-plus million more in football ticket revenue!
That $80 million advantage is handy when an athletic director has a budget decision to make or when figuring out how to manage revenue sharing.
Louisville approves operating losses
Do you remember the hue and cry from podcasters and some members of the media when FSU AD Michael Alford went to the Board of Trustees for approval of facility debt for the west sideline project at Doak Campbell Stadium and the construction of the football operations building?
The FSU ask wasn’t to cover operating losses, as some believed, it was to fund bonds backed by pre-sold suites, club and stadium seats.
Louisville’s request of their Board of Directors was to cover a $30 million operating deficit for this coming year projected by AD Josh Heird’s budget, which proposes $179.4 million in spending and only $149.3 million in revenue.
“You have two choices,” Heird said. “You can either continue to try to be in the game and play in the game, or you can say, 'We're not going to.' ”
Louisville is exploring ‘external financing options’ to cover the gap and mentioned the potential of the ACC Success Initiative (that FSU and Clemson fought for and won) could provide $7.6 million in potential upside with a playoff run or a Top 25 finish.
They also mentioned the potential of generating additional revenue in L&N Stadium with a major concert.
I wonder if UL looked into scheduling the Savannah Bananas and Professional Bull Riding?
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