KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – College football enjoyed record ratings and attendance this season, but the sport faces an existential crisis as Name, Image and Likeness spending spirals beyond NCAA limits and forces coaches to abandon the game.
Dennis Dodd, who has covered college sports for 27 years and formerly reported for CBS Sports, said the sport is at a crossroads despite its surface success.
“The game has thrived. College football has record ratings, record attendance, Indiana-Miami was the second-highest rated college football game of the modern age,” Dodd said. “Right now, it’s adapt or die.”
NIL spending reaches unprecedented levels
The financial arms race has reached staggering proportions. According to Dodd, one SEC school is preparing to spend $15 million on its roster this year, while Texas Tech reportedly spent $28 million on their roster to reach and win the Big 12 Championship Game.
“Everybody complains about players getting paid, tampering, the portal, name-image and likeness, but if you’re not playing the game right now, you’re behind. And that’s just the reality,” Dodd said.
The disparity between wealthy and less affluent programs has become stark. A former Alabama coach told Dodd the state’s financial limitations compared to other regions.
“He said ‘You know what the problem is in Alabama, we only got one billionaire in the state.’ He goes, ‘Texas has 7,’” Dodd said.
Big Ten dominance tied to financial advantage
The Big Ten Conference has leveraged its financial resources to dominate on the field, with Big Ten teams winning three straight football national championships. Indiana’s national championship team was supported by alumni including billionaire Mark Cuban.
“The Big-10’s always been the richest conference- going back to forever… They’ve somehow found a way to weaponize that financial advantage over the SEC and others and translate it to the field,” Dodd said.
Coaches stepping away from the game
Kansas State football coach Chris Klieman chose to step away from coaching, citing how NIL has changed the relationship between players and coaches.
“I’ve given my life for this place my last 7 years,” Klieman said before announcing his departure.
Klieman said money now plays a massive role in player-coach relationships, fundamentally altering the sport he dedicated his career to.
Enforcement remains absent
While rules exist regarding player compensation limits, no schools have been punished for exceeding those limits. Some are calling for executive action by the president or anti-trust legislation from Congress to allow the NCAA and conferences to impose enforceable rules.
Without intervention, major college athletic departments appear to be following an approach that prioritizes competitive advantage over compliance.
“Yeah, a school like Kansas State’s in trouble because they can’t spend 28 million on a roster. They can’t spend 15 million on a roster,” Dodd said.
The fear among industry observers is that smaller schools will be permanently left behind in the new financial landscape of college football.
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