BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — WKU Athletics was recognized this week by the outlet AthleticDirectorU for its positive return on investment in the football program.
According to AthleticDirectorU, WKU ranked fifth in the nation for lowest cost per football win between 2014-18 at $992,786 per win – 72% below the national Football Bowl Subdivision average of $3,544,999 per victory.
Across the window of time being analyzed from 2014-18, WKU Football averaged eight wins per season, including three bowl victories and two Conference USA championships.
The Hilltoppers did so with just a 12.8% increase in football expenses, well below the average increase in every FBS conference.
Nine of 10 FBS conferences as a whole saw FBS expenses increase by at least 27% from 2014-18. WKU's increase was less than half the average increase in Conference USA (27.9%).
AthleticDirectorU also found a correlation between successful return on football investment and schools led by athletic directors who fared well in the outlet's recent AD performance study.
Under Director of Athletics Todd Stewart, who was hired in 2012, WKU's AD performance rating is a 75.9, which is 12.7-point increase over the university's 15-year average rating of 63.2.
According to AthleticDirectorU, "this data set acts as an identifier of the strongest positive influences that new athletic directors have had on their institution's athletic successes."
Graphics courtesy of AthleticDirectorU (click for original article)
