For decades, college football teams have been split into ten conferences, with the strongest teams being grouped into the Power 5. The Power 5 composes of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), the Big Ten Conference (B1G), the Big-12 Conference (XII), the Pac-12 Conference (PAC), and the Southeast Conference (SEC).
These conferences have historically been divided on the basis of geographical location, with teams playing other teams in the states around them. Schools in North Carolina have historically played teams in South Carolina, Georgia, and Virginia, and these rivalries have not only developed over time but also led to a great sense of school pride among students at these schools. However, these traditions and storied rivalries have since been broken apart by the recent conference realignment and NIL deals among college athletes.
On June 30, 2021, the Division 1 Board of Directors approved a policy in which college athletes would be able to benefit off of their name, image, and likeness (NIL). This means that athletes can now benefit off of endorsements such as media deals and commercials, which has caused many athletes to enter the transfer portal in search for more money.
Schools such as Alabama, Texas A&M, and Miami have very lucrative NIL partnerships, which draws the attention of players searching for more money. NIL deals and the transfer portal have ruined college football since they have caused athletes to play for the money, rather than for their school and their traditions.
Conference realignment has also become a great issue for the future of college football. Realignment really began picking up speed in July of 2021, when Texas and Oklahoma voted to leave the XII in hopes of joining the SEC. The SEC promised each football program more money in the form of media deals and network revenue, which is probably the driving factor of why they chose to leave the XII.
Texas and Oklahoma leaving the XII set off a wave of schools seeking to leave their conferences in search for more money and better network partnerships. The Pac-12 has been affected by the recent realignment the most. Schools like Colorado and Utah have recently moved to the XII, and top tier programs such as Oregon and USC have chosen to move to the B1G. This has left only four schools remaining in the Pac-12, with only Cal, Oregon State, Stanford, and Washington State left.
The disintegration of the Pac-12 has caused a huge problem for college football. West Coast schools like Oregon and UCLA now play their away games in states halfway across the nation, which will be really expensive for programs to pay for. Conferences seem to not be based on geographical location anymore, rather, whichever schools are able to pull in the most money.
Realignment and NIL deals will ultimately be the death of college football. Historic traditions and rivalries are being destroyed just so schools can bring in more money, and many athletes seem to only care about being paid. Although realignment has slowed for the time being, one can only imagine that it will get worse in the months to come.
