The College Football Playoff Generated So Much Goddamn Money

If you want to judge college football’s first season that decided a national champion via a four-team playoff based on how much revenue the new system produced for the schools and conferences that participated in it, then the whole thing was an astronomical success.

According to a report released by the NCAA, the combined payout from this year’s 39 bowl games surpassed $500 million, and increase of $200 million from the money that was generated by the 2013-2014 bowl season. Most of this money came from the new TV deals that put a premium price on the rights to broadcast the national championship game and the bowl games that hosted the semi-final games of the four-team playoff.

Half a billion dollars! That’s so much fucking money! Too bad the idea of paying college football players just isn’t economically feasible.