Figuring out what SEC football programs paid per win isn’t an exact science. Schools report their revenues and expenses to the NCAA based on the fiscal year, which most recently ran from July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2023.

There’s no breakout for preseason and in-season expenditures, and the fiscal year extends well beyond the actual football season. Still, taking the total football spending a school reports for the fiscal year, and dividing it by the team’s number of wins in the season, can give a rough estimation.

Among the schools counted, which includes every current and future SEC school except for Vanderbilt, which is private and not subject to open records requests, Auburn took the lead. The Tigers were second in the league in football spending for FY 2023, but only won five games in Bryan Harsin’s final season as head coach.

Auburn will likely drop down the list in FY 2024, winning six games in 2024. Texas A&M finished second in spending per win for the 2022 season, with $54 million spent, against just five wins.

Alabama spent $71.1 million on football in FY 2023, but an 11-win campaign that ended with a Sugar Bowl victory helped the dollars per win stat. The Crimson Tide spent $7.6 million per win for the fiscal year, seventh-most in the league.

The Aggies appear to be a contender for first place when 2023 season (FY 2024) numbers are released. This past season, TAMU won seven games, but swallowed an enormous buyout for head coach Jimbo Fisher.

A successful season went a long way in improving how much a victory cost. Georgia spent the third most money of any SEC program during the fiscal year, dropping $69 million on the sport.

However, the Bulldogs had the second-lowest cost per win, due to a 15-0 season that culminated with SEC and national championships. UGA spent $4.6 million per victory.

The one school with a cheaper rate than Georgia got to the bottom of the list a different way. Mississippi State spent the least of any program, and it showed on the final list.

The Bulldogs had a solid season in 2022, a year that will be most remembered for the untimely death of head coach Mike Leach. MSU won nine games, including the ReliaQuest Bowl.

Coupled with the $33.9 million Mississippi State spent on the sport, the victories made for a $3.7 million price tag per win.