My thinking on the current state of college football is as follows:
The game is quickly moving to a model where there will be a handful (20 to 30) of successful programs and the rest will be reduced to just scrambling for leftovers which will be very meager. The huge discrepancy in these media contracts among the various conferences means teams in the Big 10 will be receiving 2 times the money that teams in other conferences like the ACC are receiving. That alone will create a vast competitive advantage for teams who already possess natural advantages due to their history, tradition, and existing level of financial support. When you add to that the lack of control or regulation over the NIL process, you can see where teams with the most resources will even further their advantage over teams with limited resources. In reality, this game has been played for many decades with the factory schools paying players to attend their schools, now the old under-the-table schemes are being legitimized by this NIL gimmick. The rich are just going to get richer.
The bottom line is that any hopes for creating an environment where teams compete on a somewhat equal basis are being totally eliminated. The college football we once knew is quickly eroding into a professional enterprise. We already have professional sports so I was hoping to see the college game move more toward a model that would promote true competition among all participants.
To achieve its true potential and make the game more enjoyable for all, the various participants would need to evolve to more of a socialist model where the vast financial potential of the sport would be equally shared among all participants and the NIL program would be capped and equalized among the schools. Now, I am the biggest capitalist on the planet, but, capitalism is not a good model for collegiate athletics. These television and media rights holders are being short-sighted in fostering these vast differences in payouts to the different conferences and teams. They are limiting rather than expanding the future potential of the overall popularity and earning potential of the product. In essence, they have a good thing but they could have a great thing and grow it to everyone's advantage if they could adopt a model that would allow full participation by all involved parties.
I am hopeful that at some point, someone, or a group of someones, will have the courage to take some action to make the game about more than who has the most money wins.
Go Jackets!