At high school and college football programs around the country, budgets are shrinking and coaches are asking themselves how to do more with less. All the while, the "big boys" are spending top dollar on things like facilities, equipment and coaching salaries, with it paying dividends (for the most part).
Well thanks to the folks at SB Nation, we now have a graph to see which college football programs are getting the most bang for their buck. What they uncovered is both impressive, and interesting. Here's a look at the graph they compiled.
At the top of the mountain is Boise State, by a considerable margin. That should come as no surprise considering they're one of the most consistent programs in college football over the last decade or so. Also among the top are Nevada, BYU, Arkansas State, Louisiana Tech, and Bowling Green as programs that also outperform on the field compared to what they pump into their program.
Also on that list is Oregon, which can be a bit misleading since many of Phil Knight's contributions are considered "donations" and not part of the actual budget being accounted for.
Some of the more notable programs that under perform on the field based on what they spent include Colorado, Miami, Texas, Auburn and even Notre Dame and Michigan.
Here are the top 15 programs in college football that have earned the most wins, per money spent.
The bottom 15?
Since the study did not include teams that have been part of the FBS ranks for less than 10 seasons, it would be interesting to see where a program like Georgia Southern, which has burst onto the major college football scene with 18 wins in their first two seasons at the major college level, would have ranked with just a few years in the spotlight.
So want to know how to do more with less? Start to dig around and find out what teams like Boise State, Arkansas State, Houston, Cincinnati and Oregon are doing and adapt it to your program.