212 days and counting

It seems like only yesterday college football fans were chanting “S-E-C, S-E-C” following the National Championship game, usually a victory by Alabama, Georgia, or even LSU. 

But that chant has turned into a cry, “N-I-L, N-I-L,” now that the Big 10 has won three straight consecutive national titles, with Indiana University being the latest conqueror with a 27-21 victory over the University of Miami at the Hard Rock Stadium on Monday, Jan. 19. Indiana’s victory over the Hurricanes marked the first time in 83 years the B1G has won three national titles in a row. 

Indiana? 

Yes, the Indiana Hoosiers, who just completed arguably the greatest season in college football history. 

You know the team. Indiana, the school that’s lost 715 football games, the second most in FBS history, only to Northwestern. 

The Hoosiers, thanks to the genius of coach Curt Cignetti, the transfer portal, and NIL money, are the new face of college football during a time when the sport is undergoing seismic changes. 

NIL, in case you missed the party, stands for Name, Image, and Likeness, and it refers to the legal right of individuals, especially college athletes, to control and profit from their personal brand through endorsements, social media, appearances, and merchandise. 

So much for the NCAA’s past rules that prohibited such compensation for amateur athletes. 

NIL, an expanded playoff field, and the transfer portal have changed college football for now, and perhaps forever, or at least until cooler heads prevail. 

The NIL money has become too much money, too soon, and might change a teenager’s life forever if they don’t have a financial planner – or common sense – to help with all the financial windfall. 

As an Ohio State alumni, I do have some inside info on Buckeye players and their NIL money. Wide receiver Jeremiah Smith was projected to earn $4.4 million in 2025. He has major deals with Red Bull, Adidas, Nintendo, and even Lululemon, to name a few. 

Here’s where it gets interesting. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, a former OSU star and arguably the best wide receiver in the NFL, made about $3.6 million this season, not counting endorsements. 

I do love the expanded playoff system. The field of 12 teams is more forgiving and doesn’t punish a team for one or two losses. 

I thought the first-round byes would benefit the top four teams because one less game means a team is healthier and more prepared. But I thought wrong. Of the eight seeds in the first two years of the 12-team playoffs, only one seeded team won, and that’s Indiana. 

Turns out having that bye doesn’t make a team rested and ready. It makes them rusty. Schools such as OSU and Georgia went 25 days between conference championships and the first game, while schools such as Miami had only an 11-day layoff. 

Expand the playoffs to 16 teams and give the top eight teams a home game in the first round. That should eliminate the rust vs. rest debate. 

Finally, there’s the transfer portal. It might not ruin college football, but it could have devastating consequences for student-athletes who think happiness is at the end of the transfer rainbow. Some accuse the transfer portal of creating superteams while disrupting an athlete’s loyalty to their school. Players can leave at any time, any number of times, without any consequences.