The players are still going to go to sec schools. NIL money may make it worse for other conferences because SEC schools have money too. Lots of it. Look how much money LSU spent to steal our coach!
Ole Miss's starting quarterback and top 2 or 3 ranked running back in the nation, we're both NIL transfers to Ole Miss.
With that being said Ohio or Indiana can 100% win it all. Ohio can win it every year because they have the same type of legacy program that the SEC has many of.
Before NIL, most top players gravitated toward the SEC because the conference had more lenient admission pathways for athletes and offered the strongest pipeline to the NFL. If you wanted the best chance to go pro, the SEC was simply where you went.
Now, take a program like Indiana. They invested roughly $60 million into football and, after going nearly six decades without a Big Ten title, they were suddenly able to transform their roster in essentially a single cycle through NIL.
Yes, SEC schools can spend money too and have a ton of it — but basic market economics have changed. Now instead of having all the top recruits there is a lot more competition. With NIL, the landscape is driven by market size, donor pools, and bidding power, not just NFL exposure. There is now enormous financial opportunity outside the SEC, and players are increasingly choosing schools based on who pays the most, not where the traditional football prestige lies. Also other schools have money to spend and some like Indiana may see it as an investment to attract Donors & sponsorship deals etc.
I am a stats man, so here's some
stats. Numbers are down with recruiting for the SEC since NIL came to be and I think it will only get worse as a school like Indiana is going to profit from NIL and that can incentivize other schools to break the bank to lure talent from the SEC.
