The original 12 college football playoff team rosters were worth more than most other teams across the country. Media and technology company On3 estimates the 12 rosters combined made up around $150 million.

“What’s happened over the years is more and more money has come into these universities,” Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., said.

Tuberville, who is also a former college football coach, has legislation that aims to address what some argue is an unlevel playing field.

“The problem was, in 2021 the Supreme Court says, ‘OK, we see this lawsuit, and we agree with the athletes. They need to be able to make money off of name, image and likeness,’” Tuberville said. “It has gone downhill from there. And there were no rules put into it. It was just wild, wild West.”

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Schools where football players are earning large amounts of NIL money appear to be successful on the field. Most teams that qualified for the college football playoffs also had some of the highest valued rosters.

“There is a class within the class of schools across the country that have the best infrastructure, the best systems, the best fundraising, the best corporate deals involved,” said Rob Sine, CEO of Blueprint Sports, an agency that oversees several collectives or donor groups across the country. “They would build a collective, and they would pool a bunch of really wealthy people together and build a budget and help support their coach for the sport they like the most.”

Schools that took early advantage of forming collectives and those with an already large booster system were able to get ahead.

“Football really is the only sport that makes big money in intercollegiate athletics. Basketball’s next, maybe a little baseball,” Auburn men’s basketball coach Bruce Pearl said. “The vast majority of the NIL money is and will be going to the sports that are making the money. And as a result, our Olympic sports are absolutely in jeopardy.”

Bruce Pearl (Andy Lyons/Getty Images/File)

The 2024 season featured even higher stakes with the first extended playoff season. A 13-member college football playoff selection committee ranks the top 25 teams. Twelve schools received playoff spots, but not all were among the top 12 ranked teams. The group granted automatic spots to the five conference championship game winners, which held the highest ranking, among the nine major conferences. Those included the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Big 10, the Big 12 and the Southeastern Conference from the Power Four. Group of Five conferences were also eligible. Those include the American Athletic Conference, Conference USA, Mid-American Conference, Mountain West Conference and the Sun Belt Conference.

Power Four conference schools traditionally have larger revenue budgets and television viewership than other college athletic programs. A team from each of the Power Four conferences earned a playoff spot. Boise State of the Mountain West was the only team to qualify among the 62 schools across the Group of Five conferences. The team also has the highest valued roster in NIL money than any of the other 62 schools.

“Different programs that have risen up and have gone out there and made a big impact,” Sine said. “Right now, money is driving college athletics and schools are looking for, ‘Where can I have the best opportunity to grow.’”

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In the 2024 season, several teams changed conferences for access to more money and stronger competition. Southern Methodist University moved from the American to the ACC and ended up losing to Clemson in the conference championship game. Clemson has the most NIL money among ACC teams. Despite being ranked 16th, the team earned a playoff bid by winning the ACC championship game. The Tigers eventually lost in the first round of the playoffs to Texas. SMU also made the playoff bracket but lost in the first round to Penn State.

“It’s about opportunity. And you’re also starting to see there’s a lot of conversation about what could be a Super League or two. And you’re starting to see a lot of jockeying happening for, ‘Hey, I want to be there,’” Sine said.

Oklahoma and Texas moved to the SEC. Texas lost the championship game to Georgia but will play Big 12 champion Arizona State in the second round of the playoffs. SEC teams had some of the highest valued rosters. Georgia was among the teams with the most NIL money overall. Texas holds the most expensive roster and is also estimated to have one of the best recruiting classes for the 2025-2026 season.

Arizona State celebrates after defeating Iowa State (Jerome Miron-Imagn Images/File)

“We were late to the party and compensating our student athletes properly. We’re there now. It’s just that we’ve got to sort of find a way to make it work for everybody,” Pearl said. “I think we need some federal assistance so that each state is not doing their own thing, and we won’t have a true NCAA champion.”

Oregon won the Big Ten Championship game and went undefeated for the season. The Ducks were originally part of the Pac-12, which broke apart with teams joining the ACC, the Big 10 and the Big 12. Oregon will face another member of the Big Ten in the second round of the playoffs, the Ohio State Buckeyes. While Oregon has a better record, Ohio State topped the Big Ten in NIL money. 

Arizona State is another former member of the Pac-12. It switched to the Big 12 for the 2024-2025 season. The Sun Devils won the Big 12 Championship game and received an automatic bid to the playoffs. However, their roster was not the most expensive in the conference. Colorado players received the most money. Quarterback Shedeur Sanders is also estimated to be the highest-paid NIL athlete in the country. He is the son of Colorado head coach and former dual NFL-MLB athlete Deion Sanders.

“There has been an elite crop of athletes since day one. They have always risen to the top and have always made the most money because they bring a lot more star power than necessarily the rest of the team does, or they spent a long time building their brand,” Sine said.

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Blueprint Sports oversees Colorado’s 5430 Alliance collective. While the team did not earn a playoff spot, high-caliber players are on the roster, including Sanders, who is projected to be a first-round draft pick. Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter also earned recognition and millions in NIL for playing nearly every snap for the team as a wide receiver on offense and cornerback on defense.

“There are the star-studded athletes that have agencies working behind them to do the big deals with them. There are the up-and-coming athletes, and then there are the athletes that are just, you know, happy to be making anything from an NIL standpoint,” Sine said.

Colorado wide receiver Travis Hunter scores a touchdown during the first half against Central Florida on Sept. 28, 2024, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

Collectives have helped some of the playoff schools sign major deals. Ohio State’s 1870 Society has a partnership with supermarket chain Giant Eagle. Nike co-founder Phil Knight launched Oregon’s Division Street Collective. Tennessee quarterback Nico lamaleava landed an $8 million deal from the Spyre Sports collective before ever signing with the Volunteers.

“I think that where the red flag is popping up is there’s a lot of money being paid to high school seniors that are coming into college athletics that have never played a down or a minute of college sports before, and you have no idea what you’re going to get,” Sine said.

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The Texas One Fund combined five separate NIL entities and is thought to be the wealthiest in the nation. It has provided quarterback Quinn Ewers with a private jet and every scholarship offensive lineman with $50,000 annually.

“What we want to do is just try to make sure that everybody has that opportunity to get whatever they can get. But when you take money, you’ve got to sign a contract, and then you’ve got to be committed to that contract,” Tuberville said. “I know for a fact that some universities, they bring Lamborghinis and Corvettes and put [them] out in front of their office building when they bring these recruits in. It is totally changed. It’s big money. It’s minor league sports, what it is now.”