Just look at the headlines...

[ElvisLives]

NIL and the Transfer Portal are going to kill collegiate sports. The bidding wars are in full swing. There will be a day, in the not-very-distant future, when some college players will be getting paid more to play college sports than many in the professional leagues.
In football, many universities that have historically been included in the conversations as being in "first tier" conferences will find themselves only able to get the "table scraps" of recruits, and may find themselves getting replaced in those conferences. In NASCAR, the off season is called the "silly season," when drivers, owners, crew chiefs, etc., get shuffled, or shuffle themselves, around. We will see exactly the same thing in college sports. The day the regular season ends, the "silly season will begin," with front line players immediately putting themselves in the portal and waiting for the highest offer. Bowl games be damned (except for, perhaps, those in the playoffs, which may be opportunities to increase their 'stock' value). In many cases, not even the lure of the NFL will draw players into their draft. Why go compete for a job (in the NFL), when you can make a guarantee of a starting position part of your 'package' with another FBS team? Get enough 'guaranteed' NIL money, and, if a coach benches you, quit, and wait for the next transfer portal.

C-USA, the AAC, the MAC, the Sunbelt, and the Mountain West will not be able to compete with the SEC (especially with UT and OU joining them) and the Big 10. Even the ACC, the Big 12 and the Pac 12 will struggle to keep up with the SEC and the Big 10 - and they may not succeed. One independent team - Notre Dame - might be able to keep up, unless their governing body chooses the higher ground and refuses to get involved in the bidding wars. If they choose the higher ground, we'll be asking, "Remember when Notre Dame was good?" And, like I mentioned, even the historical second level teams in the SEC and Big 10 will be at risk of getting replaced.

It will be a mess. Sadly, it might take federal intervention to fix it. But, that might just create a different cesspool, rather than clean anything up.

All in the name of a college education - right? I recall sitting next to some scholarship athletes during some of my classes, and seeing them around campus. I'd bet that kids in junior high today that go on to SEC and Big 10 universities (not on athletic scholarship) will never see any of those people in class or around campus.

Yes, I know that, officially, the universities, themselves, are not providing direct NIL compensation. But, it is still the universities that control the scholarship offers, and determine which 'students' are allowed to represent them on/in the fields/courts/rinks/pitches/pools, etc. They have the ability to "just say no." But, will they?

[AlUpstateNY]

Really wish I could disagree with you, but I'm afraid I can't.  I don't think we have any significant increase in dumb ideas, but it seems we have a lot more, otherwise normal people, buying into the BS. Unfortunately, this isn't the first (nor likely the last) time human judgment has been muddled by $ signs.  Hopefully, somehow, "this too, shall pass".  Best wishes for a Merry Christmas and New Year.

[bossman72]

I can see both sides of the argument.

The reason the NCAA had those rules in place was that you're not picking a school based on money you can get from them.  Theoretically, Alabama couldn't offer you anything more than Bowling Green can, and the playing field is level.  You're choosing the school based on the merits and assets of the football program and the school itself.  With NIL, teams can buy players and Bowling Green can't possibly keep up with Alabama's money.

The other side of the coin was that these universities are making money hand over fist via their football programs and the players aren't seeing a dime.  NIL kind of circumvented that, as the universities can keep the money they were making and the players can make money on their own side hustles.

[ElvisLives]

I can see both sides of the argument.

The reason the NCAA had those rules in place was that you're not picking a school based on money you can get from them.  Theoretically, Alabama couldn't offer you anything more than Bowling Green can, and the playing field is level.  You're choosing the school based on the merits and assets of the football program and the school itself.  With NIL, teams can buy players and Bowling Green can't possibly keep up with Alabama's money.

The other side of the coin was that these universities are making money hand over fist via their football programs and the players aren't seeing a dime. NIL kind of circumvented that, as the universities can keep the money they were making and the players can make money on their own side hustles.

And it just keep getting messier. Can't speak for other states, but, in Texas, NO public university athletic departments receive any tuition revenue, or other funding from the state. Yes, they are allowed to charge a fee to the students (independent of game admission fees). But, they get no public tax support. Otherwise, athletic departments are funded by ticket sales, premium seating sales (suites, club seats, season tickets), and direct contributions. The direct contributions are visibly manifested in the names of stadia, arenas, centers, training facilities, etc. (Jones AT&T Stadium, United Supermarkets Arena, etc.).
The money that is being made 'hand over fist' by the Athletic Departments stays within the department, for facility operations and improvements, and staff salaries/benefits. Yeah, at most universities, the highest paid person associated with the University is, in fact, the head football coach. Sometimes the AD. The universities are in total control of that.
But, everybody just keeps forgetting, or consciously choosing, to forget the value of the college education that is offered to these student-athletes, in exchange for their time and effort in playing a sport for their university. We see almost every day the dilemma of so many non-scholarship students in re-paying their student loans while struggling to live life after college. Somebody tell them that their degrees didn't cost much. Somebody tell their parents, who sacrificed better homes, better cars, vacations, and most of the better things in life to make sure their children got a good education, and will be better off in their lives, than they were, that the college educations for their children didn't really cost much.
I bear no ill will toward any scholarship athlete. But, neither do I have sympathy for them. They were already getting compensated far more than the simple value of their education (which is so much more than just tuition - housing, meals, books, required supplies, and much more). Now, they want to get paid like a professional athlete, on top of the value of the education (which most will simply discard by never completing).
I worry for my grandchildren (if I ever get any).

[TampaSteve]

I think the narrative hit the nail on the head in as far as if the coach benches a player they hit the portal. 
On one hand, I have no issues for someone seeking greener pastures, but on the other there needs to be some sort of drawback/consequence for hitting the portal.  - Or a restriction for how many times a player hits a portal. (i.e. once per college career).

I’m still torn about this NIL.
On one hand if a kid is a world-renowned musician (maybe even on a music scholarship), how can anyone begrudge the kids ability to make money?
On the other, the FB player is accepting a scholarship that pays for everything to play, yet also accepting money via NIL. – and it seems unreasonable to be able to accept more money via NIL than the scholarship’s worth.
..So if the athletic scholarship is worth $50k/yr, AND they earn >$50k via NIL, should the scholarship be taken away?

What does surprise me is, considering title IX and the “equality platform” it has, how is it the heisman winner can/will earn more than the 3rd string female bowling team member? – I mean title IX stated everything is equal and all. (sure that is a little tongue-in-cheek comparison, but literally how is this NIL loopholing around that issue?

…and while I’m on my soap box…
It’s the norm for players who are hoping to make a splash in the NFL to skip the bowl game..shouldn’t there be a negative consequence to that player somehow?
I mean they accepted a scholarship to play, yet now they aren’t playing. - should they have to pay back the scholarship money because they chose not to participate?
That scheme just doesn’t sit right with me.

[HLinNC]

NIL came about because the NCAA lost in court.  They were too stubborn and failed to have some sort of plan to allow student-athletes to profit from their image (and yes I know they get a scholarship but if your scholarship is valued at $100k and your name is worth another $250k, that's a whole lot of money left out in space, not your pocket) in the event of the inevitable loss.

Instead the NCAA essentially threw NIL and the Portal out there and walked away like an angry child.  The conferences, who have never been real adept at policing themselves, see the chaos and figure out that they better try to profit now before someone comes to their senses.

Looking for Federal intervention will probably take a while.  Congress had pretty much jumped on board the "free the athlete train".  I doubt they will do much until we get some gambling scandals come along.

Maybe ABC/ESPN/Disney, who seems to be the organization running CFB now, can try to bring some sanity to it.

[Bulldog75]

Right or wrong, I think we will eventually end up with college football turning into a more overt minor league with salaries and contracts.

[ElvisLives]

Right or wrong, I think we will eventually end up with college football turning into a more overt minor league with salaries and contracts.

It already has, just not with formal "work for hire" contracts.

[AlUpstateNY]

It already has, just not with formal "work for hire" contracts.

As the money factor continues to increase (as it surely will) the educational and loyalty benefits and factors will sadly fade.

[dammitbobby]

I've always thought that the NFL would do well to have a pay system for rookies similar to other businesses:  people with degrees, simply get paid more.  It would benefit the NFL by putting more mature players in the draft, would obviously benefit players by giving them better knowledge and skills for when their NFL playing career ends, and schools benefit by having more players elect to stay the extra year and finish their degree.

[Kalle]

I've always thought that the NFL would do well to have a pay system for rookies similar to other businesses:  people with degrees, simply get paid more.  It would benefit the NFL by putting more mature players in the draft

With the average NFL career length of three years I'm pretty sure NFL does not care.

[dammitbobby]

With the average NFL career length of three years I'm pretty sure NFL does not care.

You're not wrong... but would also lead to lower salary costs, which they absolutely would care about.  Probably not even a rounding error to them, for sure, but to a savvy business $1 is $1.

[refjeff]

I can see both sides of the argument.

The reason the NCAA had those rules in place was that you're not picking a school based on money you can get from them.  Theoretically, Alabama couldn't offer you anything more than Bowling Green can, and the playing field is level.  You're choosing the school based on the merits and assets of the football program and the school itself.  With NIL, teams can buy players and Bowling Green can't possibly keep up with Alabama's money.

The other side of the coin was that these universities are making money hand over fist via their football programs and the players aren't seeing a dime.  NIL kind of circumvented that, as the universities can keep the money they were making and the players can make money on their own side hustles.

Bowling Green was not recruiting the kids that Alabama was anyway, and I don't know that BG has any NIL money.

The transfer portal is the bigger game changer for Bowling Green.  They gained and lost players this winter.  They will again in May.  They won't really know who is on their roster until August.