Lincoln Riley Takes Shot at SEC While Discussing NIL Landscape

For the better part of the 21st century, the SEC had established themselves as the premier conference in college football. Everyone else was competing for a distant second place.

The SEC dominated the BCS era and then eventually the College Football Playoff when it was established in 2014. From 2006-2022, the SEC won 13 national championships, which included a span of seven straight.

USC Trojans Lincoln Riley Big Ten NIL Money Transfer Portal Oregon Indiana College Football Ohio State Georgia SEC Big Ten — Aug 30, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley watches from the sidelines against the Missouri State Bears in the first half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Georgia won the first two national championships of the NIL era, but as it’s become more pay for play than athletes just capitalizing off their name, image and likeness, there’s been a massive shift in college football.

A combination of NIL, transfer portal and revenue-sharing has paved the way for the Big Ten to surpass the SEC. The last three national champions, Michigan, Ohio State and Indiana have all come from the Big Ten, while the SEC has not had a single team even make it to the title game in that span.

But the legal pay for play crippled a well-known secret in college football. Athletes in the South were getting paid under the table. USC Trojans coach Lincoln Riley appeared on FS1’s “The Herd” Monday and discussed the changing landscape of college football.

"Now there's not just one part of the country paying players," Riley said. "Everybody's able to do it and it's a great thing because I think it’s been able to create a more level playing field and it’s given schools the opportunity to really compete if they invest and I think it’s been a great thing for players. We all know there’s still parts of it to be worked out. It’s obviously not a finished product by any stretch of the imagination.

“But it has gotten better, there has been a lot of positives and I think you’re going to continue to see a lot of great stories, a lot of new opportunities for all different types of programs which is really good for the sport," Riley continued.

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Texas Tech was a notable big spender this past season, using nearly $30 million on NIL to fill its roster, CBS Sports reported. The result was the Red Raiders winning 12 games, a Big 12 Championship and earning a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff. Imagine saying Indiana would win a national championship and the Red Raiders would earn a first-round bye just a couple of years ago. It would have definitely raised some eyebrows.

Oregon will always be one of the first schools mentioned when talking about teams spending the most on its roster because of Nike co-founder Phil Knight. Billionaire Mark Cuban opened up his wallet for the Hoosiers. Both of their presences have been felt.

According to Front Office Sports, Ohio State spent $20 million on its roster when they won a national championship in 2024. Yahoo Sports reported Miami spent around $24.4 million this past season, while the Hoosiers are around $21.1 million.

It's not that the SEC is not spending because schools such as LSU, Texas and Texas A&M are. The playing field has been leveled and the schools in the south can no longer stockpile talent. For years, Alabama's third string players were filled with blue-chip four and five-star recruits and were probably better than half of the teams in the conference. That no longer exists.

Legendary Alabama coach Nick Saban has been outspoken about the changes in college football because the sport where he built one of the greatest sports dynasties is unrecognizable now.

Chad Bowden Modernizes USC

USC Trojans general manager Chad Bowden hired from Notre Dame Fighting Irish | USC Trojans Video Youtube

Before the arrival of general manager Chad Bowden in January 2025, the Trojans were widely viewed as being behind the eight ball when it came to NIL.

And it was evident by their struggles with high school recruiting and ability to retain players on its own roster. Bowden modernized the way the Trojans roster is shaped. He’s at the head of what looks more like an NFL-style front office rather than a traditional college program.

In just his first season, USC did a much better job with roster retention than previous years and finished with the No. 1 recruiting class in the 2026 cycle. They won out on recruiting battles they wouldn’t have even a year ago. Tight end Mark Bowman is expected to be one of the highest paid non-quarterbacks, not just freshmen in college football next season.

The Trojans were in a heated recruiting battle with Ohio State for five-star edge Luke Wafle. USC reportedly upped their offer in the final hours over the summer and landed the No. 1 overall recruit according to Rivals. And there's countless examples of this in recruiting. It's the name of the game. Either adapt or get left behind.

But getting the players on campus is just the first step and does not automatically mean success. Cultures still have to be established, and the development of players is essential.

Chad Bowden Modernizes USC

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