My daughter is a sophomore bio-chem major on the pre-med track. She loves it there, and from all accounts, she is earning an excellent science education.
Several D3 schools in New England just added football.
For the sports fanatic parent, they can send their rolly-polly fat kid who could barely play HS football to a college and play NCAA football. And they can pay $30k a year to do it.
Figure 70 kids on the team, x 30k net = 2.1 million a year.
When you dont have to pay scholarships, football is still a pretty good deal.