Utah Is College Football’s PE Guinea Pig—and It’s Cashing In
No. 10 Utah hosts No. 14 Houston on Saturday night.
Utah has emerged as a focal point for college football due to two undefeated Big 12 teams, one of which has secured private equity funds. Utah hosts Houston on Saturday, with ESPN's College GameDay airing from Salt Lake City after drawing its highest-rated episode of the season. BYU, now No. 2 in the AP Top 25 poll, drew 3 million viewers to an ESPN broadcast earlier this month.
Utah's Utes are 6–0 under new head coach Morgan Scalley, who signed a five-year, $27 million contract just as the university became the first to secure a private-equity deal. Crimson Brand Partners (CBP), a for-profit entity spun off from the athletic department, manages commercial operations across the university. PE fund Otro Capital invested in CBP, which is expected to generate billions in revenue.
Utah Athletic Director Mark Harlan confirmed that CBP's team comprises former NFL, NBA, and MLB executives. However, some critics argue that Utah's strategy may compromise the future of its sports programs. Utah's commercial operations now include stadium and arena events, merchandising, sponsorships, ticketing, and digital media.
While the Big 12 has launched a private-equity partnership, no other schools have yet taken advantage of the funds offered.
Written by urgent.news from Front Office Sports's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
