Notre Dame vs. Alabama likely most wagered BCS game
Notre Dame vs. Alabama. The two schools with the most national titles in the modern era. They are also two of the biggest cash cows in all of college sports.
Despite not being national champion since the 1988 season, the "Fighting Irish" football program took in $69 million last year. What's more, they have a 62 percent profit margin, clearing $43 million.
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Ironically, Notre Dame CIO Scott Malpass told CNBC's "Squawk Box" Monday that wins on the field don't necessarily make his job easier. "There has never been a correlation between major giving and sports."
But Malpass admitted, it does matter in terms of commercial contracts like the NBC television deal, which reportedly pays the school $15 million a year.
Winning will have the greatest impact when it comes to "future sponsorship negotiations and broadcast rights," he recently told CNBC's "SportsBiz."
There is little doubt that when the contract with NBC is up in two years, Notre Dame will command a premium to that $15 million.
Alabama does not have a TV contract like Notre Dame's — no one does — but when it comes to athletic finances, Alabama is no slouch. Revenue last year was above $80 million, just from football.
However, the Crimson Tide exceeds Notre Dame in spending. Alabama pulled in $13 million more, but only profited $2 million more than the Fighting Irish.
Some of that disparity comes from the coaches' salaries. Alabama coach Nick Saban makes $5.5 million a year, more than double what Notre Dame pays Brian Kelly.
As for the game itself, it's expected to be the most watched, most wagered game in the 14 year history of the Bowl Championship Series.
"We're projecting $2 billion bet on this game worldwide," said RJ Bell, CEO of pregame.com. "That would be the biggest BCS title game ever.
"It would be the biggest college football game ever — 25 percent more than last year's BCS game, and three times as big as any other ball game this year." Bell pointed out that the $2 billion still is only about a fifth of the $10 billion bet on the NFL's Super Bowl. But for a college game, it's unprecedented.
The same can be said for the advertising side of the BCS title game.
According to AdWeek, 30-second commercials were commanding a million dollars.
Again, it does not compare to the $4 million expected for this year's Super Bowl, but it's incredible to consider the millions spent just to air an advertisement in a college game.
In the end, it's a matchup made in heaven, both financially and on the field.
Follow CNBC's Brian Shactman on Twitter: @bshactman
Disclosure: Comcast is the majority owner of NBC Universal, the parent company of CNBC and CNBC.com.
