Great take by Su'a Cravens. "I absolutely love the correlation between NIL and the immediate parity in CFB! It’s hilarious to see the very theory we all knew was true come to fruition. The moment everybody could pay to play, the SEC’s dominance evaporated."

ESPN analyst mocks SEC for rev-share failures, spares UGA, A&M, LSU, Ole Miss, Bama

That and I think Saban retiring has been key as well. Saban didn't like how NIL was changing the game and left as it was his right to do so I'm not throwing shade on him for that.

But Saban really inflated the SEC because Bama was just so darn good under him. The narrative was simple... We have Bama and Bama wins championships so any team that beats Bama is also super good.

The way Bama and those 21 and 22 Georgia teams were able to build their rosters can't happen anymore to the same extent. They'll need to adapt and so far Smart is in a strange position because he has still been successful but he is 0-2 in the new playoff format while winning two conference titles.

I always wondered how the best teams in the SEC were usually 3 deep.

It doesn't hurt that their footprint contains more elite football talent in the average county as the entire State of Oregon...

I will always maintain that Saban quit because everyone can now do what he’d been doing for years.

1 hour ago, TexasDuck said:

I will always maintain that Saban quit because everyone can now do what he’d been doing for years.

Yes, he now had competition for those players and unlike up-tempo to which he adapted, that dog couldn't learn new tricks aka legalized NIL, unlimited transfers (no longer able to stash players and block from an SEC transfer) and having to re-recruit your own players.

1 hour ago, woundedknees said:

It doesn't hurt that their footprint contains more elite football talent in the average county as the entire State of Oregon...

Oregon signed the top high school football player in the State of Alabama the past two years. Let that sink in.

Money has always bought players in college football. Whether it was under the table in a brown paper bag, or now, via contract to represent Joe’s Diner for millions.

NIL seems to be escalating fast. We will see who is still standing in another 10 years.

There is a misconception than NIL allows teams with high level boosters to be automatically successful. It takes a lot more than cash. They also need alignment with the administration and staff and a plan that allows the program to maximize the use of their NIL funds.

Fortunately, Oregon/Nike is well versed in brand management with their athletes. There will always be those athletes who want the quick cash. However, the smart ones will go with the long term investment in themselves.

Not so fast on the SEC's title chances.

I wouldn't count out a super-motivated Ole Miss team with a magician playing QB. Trinidad Chambers presents a different challenge for the Miami D than the far less mobile Julian Sayin.

Miami is 16-12 in its bowl games and won national titles in 1983, 1987, 1989, 1991, and 2001.

Miami is 0-4 in the Fiesta Bowl with losses to UCLA, Penn State, Arizona, and Ohio State. The U comes into Thursday night's game with the added pressure of winning and playing for a title on its home field. I expect Ole Miss will have more fans in attendance than Miami, unified by a robust hatred of Lane Kiffin.

Miami lost its last bowl game, the Pop-Tarts Bowl, to Matt Campbell and Iowa State, 42-41, with Cam Ward, with Mario's consent, taking a second-half nap. (The folks who wagered on Miami were not happy with Mario's undisclosed bowl game 'strategy.' 🤬)

Ole Miss, +3 to +3.5, comes into the Fiesta Bowl 13-1 with rematch wins over Tulane and Georgia, and with the better QB, a guy who can escape pressure. I like Ole Miss to cover and win.

The SEC's dominance was more about recruiting local talent and poaching players of need, such as Tua and Brock Bowers. There were few, if any, squeaky clean programs before NIL.

Where there is a transactional free market for any endeavor, deep pockets will step up, and talent will be disbursed.

HO$E THE HOO$IERS!

Excellent article by Bruce Feldman is available on The Athletic ($ wall)

'The SEC's dismal bowl record this season points to a fundamental truth: money matters.'

Why, with what we witnessed from the PO committee this season, isn't Tony Petitti's AQ 16-team PO format receiving unanimous support?

One fewer G6 team in the field, but one more ACC, Big Ten, B12, and SEC teams would have been in the field along with Notre Dame.

Plus, no more 1st round byes, more home games, and the PO starting and ending a week or two earlier than now.

Saban is smart. He had the best players and was a great coach across many years.

He stayed on top of the football business for a long time. He knew the time to move on when his stock was high.

Playing it that way he moved on. He does a very good job as an analyst, color guy and commentator. He is believable and funny in commercials. Most of all he has greater control of his life and has risen above the criticism off the fans, alumni, boosters as HC of Alabama.

From afar his career and life look pretty sweet. I sure wish he would step aside one more time and become the first Commissioner or CEO of CFB and bring rules and enforcement back. He could change the schedule, establish full-time officials, and bring a new alignment to CFB.

But, why would he?

1 hour ago, Notalot said:

Saban is smart. He had the best players and was a great coach across many years.

He stayed on top of the football business for a long time. He knew the time to move on when his stock was high.

Playing it that way he moved on. He does a very good job as an analyst, color guy and commentator. He is believable and funny in commercials. Most of all he has greater control of his life and has risen above the criticism off the fans, alumni, boosters as HC of Alabama.

From afar his career and life look pretty sweet. I sure wish he would step aside one more time and become the first Commissioner or CEO of CFB and bring rules and enforcement back. He could change the schedule, establish full-time officials, and bring a new alignment to CFB.

But, why would he?

No offense, but Saban as CFB boss is a no go for me. Too much SEC bias already, don't need his 2 cents.

Your ideas of needed changes are good though. A shrewd lawyer type, like maybe our own JJ from S. Carolina would be a good choice.

I think Pete Carroll saw all this before Saban.

USA Today calls out Bama and the SEC

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/sec/2026/01/02/alabama-football-embarrassed-kalen-deboer-indiana-rose-bowl-sec-big-ten-record/87939308007/

Great comparison, Alabama is Illinois!

At this point, the only thing that will hurt more for Alabama and the SEC is if Indiana, the team that beat them down, loses to another B1G team.

Of course if Ole Miss wins it all, then the horrible record of bowl season and the playoffs for the SEC will be instantly forgotten.