The recently concluded Peach Bowl between the Indiana Hoosiers and Oregon Ducks felt, in many ways, like a clash of two billionaires. Indiana’s historic 11-2 season in 2024, the best in school history, was driven in part by a major boost from Mark Cuban. The Dallas Mavericks owner stepped up with significant donations to help strengthen the Hoosiers’ roster.
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Yes, we’re talking about the same Mark Cuban of Shark Tank fame, now worth an estimated $5 to $6 billion. He graduated from IU in 1981. After Indiana ran the table in the regular season and followed it up with a deep postseason run to the College Football Playoff final this year, Indiana fans will have to thank Cuban for doubling down.
In a letter to Front Office Sports, Cuban revealed his donations were even larger than the year before. Even if the Hoosiers fall short in the title game, the program will be cruising forward. They already have nine key player commitments locked in. The same goes for the Oregon Ducks, who have long lived in a similar world thanks to Nike founder Phil Knight.
Knight, a University of Oregon graduate from 1959, has backed the Ducks for decades now. Since NIL took off in 2021, that support has become multifold. From elite facilities to cutting-edge uniforms and resources that keep Oregon ahead of the curve. While the Ducks fell to Indiana in the Peach Bowl, the program is, and will remain, a national powerhouse.
And that brings Nebraska into the conversation. Cornhuskers fans are now wondering if their own billionaire savior could step in. Warren Buffett, a Nebraska native and one of the richest people on the planet with a net worth of around $147.6 billion, is often floated as that figure.
The theory is: Buffett’s backing could help Nebraska claw its way back into relevance. The Huskers became bowl-eligible for the first time since 2016 in 2024, and played in the Las Vegas Bowl this year, a step in the right direction. Still, this is not the Nebraska that once ruled college football in the ’70s and ’90s. Fans naturally think that a Buffett-sized boost could finally help bring those glory days back.
Case in point, this post from an X user:
Reminder: Warren Buffet graduated from Nebraska in 1951.
Just 0.65% of his net worth would give Nebraska a $40 million roster… in EVERY sport. https://t.co/RJP3aAyNXA
— Riley Milhon (@RileyMilhon) January 10, 2026
The author of the above post suggests that a mere 0.65% of Buffett’s wealth could give the Cornhuskers a $40 million boost for each of their sports. That would mean a far lower percentage for football alone. But will the billionaire investor and philanthropist do it? Fans say- No.
“Warren Buffet didn’t become Warren Buffet by investing in losers,” one user cheekily commented.
“He won’t give it to his kids. He ain’t giving it to Nebraska,” another added.
“He wouldn’t give us the change in his couch cushions,” chimed in a Cornhusker faithful.
“Buffet doesn’t believe in fun or generosity,” said a fourth.
We tend to agree with the fans here. Buffett believes in value-based investing, steady cash flow, and that usually does not include sports. That is why he has largely avoided investing in sports franchises in his entire career, aside from that measly $8 million stake in the publicly traded Atlanta Braves. At 95 years old, it is hard to imagine him starting now.
