The future of college football, as it’s currently structured, ensures it’s the same few teams at the top every year. In fact, there will be a very specific pecking order like this the whole way down the rankings where the predictor of success won’t be heart, coaching acumen, experience, loyalty, etc…but simply NIL wallet size.
I used to think it was bad before but at least over a long enough time period there would be turnover in which teams were great or the occasional surprise Cinderella underdog breaking through. Now, we already know what teams are going to be good by who can buy the best players. Soon, the good coaches at tier 2 schools won’t be able to compete and will need to either move up to better NIL schools or fade away. I am afraid many coaches will be calling it quits.
Don’t get me wrong—I believe the players should be paid for all they do for the university. The NCAA and these universities reaped their financial success far too long. But we need rules…like make it similar to the NFL with salary caps, contracts, and a structured free agency. That would level the playing field a bit.