Let me start by saying I'm all about free market when it's applicable. However, what most of you guys that are completely on the side of unregulated wild wild west players getting paid as much as possible with NIL and them deserving a piece of whatever pie they are supposedly owed fail to realize is that it's further ruined the sport.
College Football has never been about the individual players and It's not about the name on the back of the ******* jersey. I can guarantee you that you take those logos off those helmets, those names off the front of those jerseys, and the team the said individual plays for off the table the interest of the fan to watch that person declines dramatically. Players are only at these Universities 3/4 years, some less due to the portal and then are replaced with a new group of players that we become fans of. The Universities themselves, Game Day Atmosphere, Rivalries, and Alumni interest in the school they went to is what is the draw to make the sport popular, put asses in seats/bleachers, and eyes locked on TV's.
Schools are not a **** business. The sport was supposed to be amateur athletes using their physical talents to get a scholarship to a University a good bit of them would not be able to get into academically. There was your trade off where you given a free education, meals, housing, equipment, training and a platform after high school were you could showcase your talents for the next level if you were good enough to play professionally or get the networking with all the Alumni/Connections to get a job after you graduated. All that cost money that the players were already getting paid tax free indirectly for their contributions. Maybe I'm just old school, but I don't get this current mentality thinking your owed something immediately without putting in the **** work over time. When does this **** end with you guys? Does the High School players and their parents need NIL deals and get paid as well?
I agree that the NCAA's uneven hand of enforcing the rules, Nick Saban, and the SEC (Brown Bag Mafia) played a major roll of bastardizing the system. However, the NIL and the players have now further screwed it up. The real solution would have been a Semi Pro League/Farm system being created so the higher level athlete that had not interested in remaining an amateur and wanted to get paid immediately with endorsements had an avenue to go.
I sure as **** hope we are able to get into the SEC or B1G because if not we'll be one of the after thought programs playing to just get into the playoffs like those small schools with the NCAA Basketball Tournament. We might was well go down a division.