For FY 2012, here were the football budgets per school in Division I-AA:
| 1 | Montana State University | MT | $8,777,441 |
| 2 | Liberty University | VA | $8,424,492 |
| 3 | James Madison University | VA | $6,608,363 |
| 4 | Old Dominion University | VA | $5,936,486 |
| 5 | Fordham University | NY | $5,742,437 |
| 6 | The University of Montana | MT | $5,656,889 |
| 7 | University of Delaware | DE | $5,637,071 |
| 8 | University of Richmond | VA | $5,563,301 |
| 9 | Coastal Carolina University | SC | $5,420,560 |
| 10 | Furman University | SC | $5,414,705 |
| 11 | Villanova University | PA | $5,331,113 |
| 12 | The University of Texas at San Antonio | TX | $5,140,135 |
| 13 | Samford University | AL | $5,065,979 |
| 14 | Colgate University | NY | $4,655,304 |
| 15 | College of William and Mary | VA | $4,502,955 |
| 16 | Lehigh University | PA | $4,486,823 |
| 17 | Texas State University-San Marcos | TX | $4,400,906 |
| 18 | Lafayette College | PA | $4,307,856 |
| 19 | Presbyterian College | SC | $4,267,420 |
| 20 | University of New Hampshire | NH | $4,064,025 |
| 21 | Elon University | NC | $4,059,394 |
| 22 | Bethune-Cookman University | FL | $3,950,538 |
| 23 | Military College of S.C. (The Citadel) | SC | $3,915,023 |
| 24 | Stony Brook University | NY | $3,909,564 |
| 25 | College of the Holy Cross | MA | $3,900,385 |
| 26 | University of Maine | ME | $3,864,144 |
| 27 | Appalachian State University | NC | $3,769,377 |
| 28 | Towson University | MD | $3,758,847 |
| 29 | University of Rhode Island | RI | $3,736,644 |
| 30 | Tennessee State University | TN | $3,698,630 |
| 31 | North Dakota State University | ND | $3,663,103 |
| 32 | Portland State University | OR | $3,639,220 |
| 33 | Wofford College | SC | $3,629,852 |
| 34 | Jacksonville State University | AL | $3,496,695 |
| 35 | Youngstown State University | OH | $3,434,264 |
| 36 | Eastern Kentucky University | KY | $3,386,349 |
| 37 | Western Carolina University | NC | $3,372,801 |
| 38 | University of Northern Iowa | IA | $3,329,150 |
| 39 | Illinois State University | IL | $3,320,123 |
| 40 | Virginia Military Institute | VA | $3,277,337 |
| 41 | University of California-Davis | CA | $3,273,095 |
| 42 | Yale University | CT | $3,269,637 |
| 43 | Stephen F Austin State University | TX | $3,269,083 |
| 44 | Georgia Southern University | GA | $3,204,295 |
| 45 | Eastern Washington University | WA | $3,189,869 |
| 46 | Indiana State University | IN | $3,166,886 |
| 47 | Bucknell University | PA | $3,143,317 |
| 48 | California State University-Sacramento | CA | $3,135,833 |
| 49 | Lamar University | TX | $3,110,092 |
| 50 | The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga | TN | $3,026,805 |
| 51 | Southern Illinois University Carbondale | IL | $3,026,509 |
| 52 | Cornell University | NY | $3,015,349 |
| 53 | South Carolina State University | SC | $2,976,432 |
| 54 | Gardner-Webb University | NC | $2,915,011 |
| 55 | University of North Dakota | ND | $2,882,246 |
| 56 | California Polytechnic-San Luis Obispo | CA | $2,877,772 |
| 57 | Florida A&M University | FL | $2,839,529 |
| 58 | Northern Arizona University | AZ | $2,838,620 |
| 59 | Monmouth University | NJ | $2,830,733 |
| 60 | Alabama State University | AL | $2,822,717 |
| 61 | Idaho State University | ID | $2,816,722 |
| 62 | Delaware State University | DE | $2,780,689 |
| 63 | Tennessee Technological University | TN | $2,770,566 |
| 64 | University of Northern Colorado | CO | $2,758,235 |
| 65 | Eastern Illinois University | IL | $2,741,908 |
| 66 | Columbia University | NY | $2,724,416 |
| 67 | Sam Houston State University | TX | $2,702,057 |
| 68 | University of South Dakota | SD | $2,687,140 |
| 69 | Western Illinois University | IL | $2,681,347 |
| 70 | Texas Southern University | TX | $2,625,065 |
| 71 | Weber State University | UT | $2,613,189 |
| 72 | The University of Tennessee-Martin | TN | $2,599,061 |
| 73 | Northwestern State University of Louisiana | LA | $2,597,012 |
| 74 | Murray State University | KY | $2,585,918 |
| 75 | North Carolina Central University | NC | $2,585,474 |
| 76 | Dartmouth College | NH | $2,533,590 |
| 77 | Southeastern Louisiana University | LA | $2,455,666 |
| 78 | South Dakota State University | SD | $2,435,000 |
| 79 | Alabama A & M University | AL | $2,406,862 |
| 80 | Charleston Southern University | SC | $2,397,756 |
| 81 | Morgan State University | MD | $2,386,808 |
| 82 | Missouri State University-Springfield | MO | $2,364,352 |
| 83 | University of Central Arkansas | AR | $2,354,686 |
| 84 | Norfolk State University | VA | $2,332,815 |
| 85 | Harvard University | MA | $2,327,799 |
| 86 | Southern Utah University | UT | $2,280,246 |
| 87 | Princeton University | NJ | $2,234,537 |
| 88 | Bryant University | RI | $2,232,225 |
| 89 | North Carolina A & T State University | NC | $2,223,483 |
| 90 | Duquesne University | PA | $2,197,308 |
| 91 | Howard University | DC | $2,146,987 |
| 92 | Southeast Missouri State University | MO | $2,107,096 |
| 93 | University of Pennsylvania | PA | $2,104,207 |
| 94 | Alcorn State University | MS | $2,046,026 |
| 95 | Grambling State University | LA | $1,985,964 |
| 96 | Robert Morris University | PA | $1,976,296 |
| 97 | Austin Peay State University | TN | $1,894,229 |
| 98 | Central Connecticut State University | CT | $1,890,549 |
| 99 | Sacred Heart University | CT | $1,887,505 |
| 100 | SUNY at Albany | NY | $1,863,369 |
| 101 | Prairie View A & M University | TX | $1,824,275 |
| 102 | Nicholls State University | LA | $1,808,339 |
| 103 | Savannah State University | GA | $1,775,645 |
| 104 | Saint Francis University | PA | $1,773,629 |
| 105 | Brown University | RI | $1,729,613 |
| 106 | University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff | AR | $1,712,726 |
| 107 | Georgetown University | DC | $1,686,269 |
| 108 | Southern University and A&M College | LA | $1,554,532 |
| 109 | Jackson State University | MS | $1,504,899 |
| 110 | University of San Diego | CA | $1,269,465 |
| 111 | Campbell University | NC | $1,143,155 |
| 112 | Jacksonville University | FL | $1,126,146 |
| 113 | Mississippi Valley State University | MS | $1,088,097 |
| 114 | University of Dayton | OH | $975,237 |
| 115 | Morehead State University | KY | $928,306 |
| 116 | Valparaiso University | IN | $879,762 |
| 117 | Drake University | IA | $876,039 |
| 118 | Marist College | NY | $870,416 |
| 119 | Davidson College | NC | $790,295 |
| 120 | Butler University | IN | $648,837 |
That's a low number by any measurement, but let's do some comparison. How does Georgetown rank among Patriot League schools, where five schools rank among the top 25 programs by budget?
| 5 | Fordham University | NY | $5,742,437 |
| 14 | Colgate University | NY | $4,655,304 |
| 16 | Lehigh University | PA | $4,486,823 |
| 18 | Lafayette College | PA | $4,307,856 |
| 25 | College of the Holy Cross | MA | $3,900,385 |
| 47 | Bucknell University | PA | $3,143,317 |
| 107 | Georgetown University | DC | $1,686,269 |
Next, how would Georgetown rank among spending in the Ivy League? Better, but still on the bottom looking up:
| 42 | Yale University | CT | $3,269,637 |
| 52 | Cornell University | NY | $3,015,349 |
| 66 | Columbia University | NY | $2,724,416 |
| 76 | Dartmouth College | NH | $2,533,590 |
| 85 | Harvard University | MA | $2,327,799 |
| 87 | Princeton University | NJ | $2,234,537 |
| 93 | University of Pennsylvania | PA | $2,104,207 |
| 105 | Brown University | RI | $1,729,613 |
| 107 | Georgetown University | DC | $1,686,269 |
And who are Georgetown's peers, financially speaking? A collection of historically black colleges and Pioneer schools.
| 106 | University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff | AR | $1,712,726 |
| 107 | Georgetown University | DC | $1,686,269 |
| 108 | Southern University and A & M College | LA | $1,554,532 |
| 109 | Jackson State University | MS | $1,504,899 |
| 110 | University of San Diego | CA | $1,269,465 |
| 111 | Campbell University | NC | $1,143,155 |
| 112 | Jacksonville University | FL | $1,126,146 |
| 113 | Mississippi Valley State University | MS | $1,088,097 |
| 114 | University of Dayton | OH | $975,237 |
| 115 | Morehead State University | KY | $928,306 |
| 116 | Valparaiso University | IN | $879,762 |
| 117 | Drake University | IA | $876,039 |
| 118 | Marist College | NY | $870,416 |
| 119 | Davidson College | NC | $790,295 |
| 120 | Butler University | IN | $648,837 |
But let's take this same group and add their records to date this season. The numbers shouldn't surprise anyone.
| 106 | University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff | SWAC | 2-7 |
| 107 | Georgetown University | Patriot | 1-8 |
| 108 | Southern University and A&M College | SWAC | 6-4 |
| 109 | Jackson State University | SWAC | 7-2 |
| 110 | University of San Diego | Pioneer | 7-3 |
| 111 | Campbell University | Pioneer | 2-8 |
| 112 | Jacksonville University | Pioneer | 4-6 |
| 113 | Mississippi Valley State University | SWAC | 2-8 |
| 114 | University of Dayton | Pioneer | 6-4 |
| 115 | Morehead State University | Pioneer | 3-7 |
| 116 | Valparaiso University | Pioneer | 1-9 |
| 117 | Drake University | Pioneer | 6-4 |
| 118 | Marist College | Pioneer | 7-3 |
| 119 | Davidson College | Pioneer | 0-10 |
| 120 | Butler University | Pioneer | 8-3 |
If you've come to the conclusion that Georgetown should simply focus on playing black college opponents and underfunded midwestern colleges, you're missing the point. Money doesn't buy championships-- but there is causality between spending and success. It's no guarantee, of course: Columbia is slogging through its worst season in a generation and it outspends Brown by 45 percent. But it's hard to miss the names at the top with what they accomplish, versus those on the bottom. You are what your budget says you are.
For Georgetown, it needs to stop pleading poverty and chart a sustainable course for budget growth in football. The good news is that it's reasonable and realistic. The bad news is it needs to get some more people behind it.