Let’s cut to the chase.
If Colorado wants to play with the big boys in 2030, it better start acting like one now.
Because five years from now, when the Big Ten and SEC reshuffle the deck again — and they will — CU either needs to be on that short list, or risk being left in the same second-tier bucket it just clawed its way out of.
This is it. This is the window. And it won’t stay open forever.
Why it matters now — not later
In the 2025-26 cycle, the Big Ten is expected to send out $80 million checks to each of its schools. The Big 12, where Colorado now resides, will hand out around $50 million per team.
That’s a $30 million gap every single year. Not chump change — that’s roster depth, NIL leverage, assistant coaching salaries, facilities upgrades, retention power.
The harsh truth? That gap is only going to grow. And if CU doesn’t close it somehow — by winning, fundraising, and expanding its brand — it’s going to start slipping again.
Yes, CU made money last year — but barely
On paper, Colorado Athletics posted a modest $8.2 million surplus last fiscal year. Not bad, considering the last six years were mostly red ink.
Deion Sanders deserves the credit. Football revenue shot through the roof. CU pulled in $31.2 million from ticket sales alone — more than double the school’s previous high.
But don’t get too comfortable.
That surplus came with strings: $31.9 million in university support and an increased student fee, now tripled to $180 per year.
So yeah — CU is "in the black," but it’s still relying on crutches. And that’s before the biggest budget asteroid of all hits.
Enter: House v. NCAA
The recent legal settlement allows schools to pay athletes up to $20.5 million annually — and that figure will rise over time.
That’s a problem.
The Big Ten and SEC can afford it. They’re printing money.
The Big 12? It’s going to feel it.
Unless CU can find more ways to generate serious revenue, it’s going to be tough to keep pace, let alone compete at the top level.
This is why the fact that Folsom Field still doesn’t have naming rights is so frustrating. CU could easily bank $3–5 million a year on that alone — a number that could help cover House payments, fund Olympic sports, or pad the NIL coffers.
Instead, that money just… isn’t there. And nobody seems in a hurry to go get it.
This isn’t just about Coach Prime
Prime brought us here, sure. He woke the place up.
But staying here? That’s going to take more than sizzle and sound bites.
It’s going to take:
- Winning football
- Consistently packed stadiums
- Smart investments in basketball
- National reach — branding, recruiting, TV
- A serious donor culture (Chipotle founder??)
- And a real strategy for surviving the House era
Rick George has been aggressive before. He needs to keep swinging. Because the next five years are about building a program the Big Ten can’t ignore.
What happens in 2030?
That’s the year everything shifts again.
TV contracts expire. Exit fees for the ACC get manageable. The next big wave of realignment hits. And Colorado needs to be in the conversation for the Big Ten or risk living in the shadow of those leagues forever.
But let’s be real. CU wasn’t invited last time. Oregon and Washington were. CU didn’t make the cut. We have to own that.
The Athletic recently ranked CU as the 7th most valuable program in the Big 12. That’s progress. But it’s not enough.
So what happens now?
I believe every decision in Boulder — from naming rights, to new sports, to NIL strategy — needs to answer one question:
Does this make us more attractive to the Big Ten?
If it doesn’t? It’s a waste of time.
If it does? Move fast.
CU has a five-year window to become a program that matters nationally, not just emotionally.
We’ve got the momentum. We’ve got the spotlight. We’ve got the coach.
Now we need the revenue. We need the wins. And we need a long-term plan that ensures Colorado is the kind of brand a super-conference wants.
It’s time to build the jet.
Let’s take off.
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