Success in College Football and its Effects on Incoming
Freshmen and Overall Academics
Cameron Jean, Department of Marketing, College of Business, & Honors College
Faculty Mentor: Andrea B. Kirk, Honors College
BACKGROUND
Investment
Head coaches in top conferences earn an average $1.4 million
Head coaches in lesser conferences earn an average $419,000
Remodel of the stadium at the University of Texas cost $150
million.
Return on Investment
 In 2008, UT generated over $120 million in ticket sales
alone
A typical Division IA university raises $5 million in gifts to
athletics
PURPOSE AND HYPOTHESIS
The purpose of my research is to provide
universities with information that will result in an
accurate cost-benefit analysis associated with
investments in NCAA sports. Through my research,
universities will determine if athletic investment
will yield the desired academic result.
It is hypothesized that athletic investment shows a
positive correlation to incoming freshmen quality
and academic success of the university.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
There are many metrics for measuring success in both athletics and academics.
My study includes the following:
RESULTS
A correlation between quality freshman and athletic program success
will be made.
Football Program:
Winning Percentage is calculated by dividing total games won by total games played. The
study will examine the winning percentage over a five year period for those schools selected.
Football Rankings are a common metric for success in college football. The study will
combine rankings published by the Associated Press (tabulation of votes submitted by selected
sports writers across the nation) and the Coaches’ Poll.
Bowl appearances reference post-season play in college football. A five-year collection of this
data will be used.
Incoming Freshmen and Academics:
CHART or
PICTURE
CHART or
PICTURE
CHART or
PICTURE
Scholastic Aptitude Test score (SAT) is the combined math and verbal score on the SAT for
incoming students. This is an important identifier of quality.
Enrollment is the total number of students enrolled at each university. A larger student
population gives each university more resources to fund initiatives important to the university.
Student-faculty ratio is student enrollment divided by the number of employed faculty. A
lower ratio provides students with a more intimate learning environment.
Faculty Salaries will average the real incomes of faculty at each university. This is a common
indicator of the overall quality of instructional staff employed at the institution.
Research Grants acquired is the total revenue generated from research completed by any
students or faculty of the university. Grants may be acquired from the public or private sector.
Alumni Giving is the total revenue generated from all annual giving by alumni of each
university. This is a common metric of success for universities because it chronicles the
overall satisfaction of alums with their studies at each university.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Coughlin, C. C., & Erekson, H.O. (1984). An examination of contributions to support
intercollegiate athletics. Southern Economic Journal, 66, 180-195.
Tucker, I.B., (2005) Big-Time Pigskin Success: Is There an Advertising Effect? Journal of
Sport Economics, 6, 222-229
Upton, Jodi, and Steve Wieberg. "Contracts for College Coaches Cover More than Salaries USATODAY.com." News, Travel, Weather, Entertainment, Sports, Technology, U.S. & World USATODAY.com. 16 Nov. 2006. Web. 04 Apr. 2011.
<http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/2006-11-16-coaches-salaries-cover_x.htm>.
"Office of Postsecondary Education Home Page." U.S. Department of Education. Web. 04
Apr. 2011. <http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/index.html>.
Retention rate is the percentage of students that enroll and complete their studies. This is a
common metric for customer service and level of instruction.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
CHART or PICTURE
Gloria Cox, Dean, Honors College
usan Eve, Associate Dean, Honors College
David Strutton, Professor, Department of Marketing, College of
Business