Major head coach bluntly calls out current state of college football

This Big 12 head coach delivered critiques the industry while drama continues to unfold around the College Football Playoff.

Arizona State Sun Devils head coach Kenny Dillingham believes the state of college football is a mess, except for the high TV ratings and the money made by the sport's power brokers. | Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

The purpose of the College Football Playoff selection committee is to sort through the unsortable by deciding between teams with nearly identical accomplishments. This sport often operates as a spectacular mess, featuring 136 teams playing disparate schedules within oversized conferences.

No one would design such a system from scratch, yet 12 individuals must make final decisions that inevitably spark outrage. The latest firestorm centers on the exclusion of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, a decision that allowed the Miami Hurricanes to slide into the field.

Meanwhile, BYU, whose two losses this year came against No. 4 Texas Tech, has received little media attention, and the Cougars' exclusion should also be seen as a snub by the playoff committee.

That subjectivity creates a breeding ground for conspiracies and anger, proving that even a 12-team model cannot escape controversy. College athletics often makes policy via emotional swings, from realigning leagues for cable subscriptions to waging legal battles over competitive balance.

Kenny Dillingham Blasts Current State of College Football

During an interview with Blake Niemann of Fox 10 Phoenix, Arizona State Sun Devils head coach Kenny Dillingham shared his blunt take on the landscape. Niemann shared a video clip of the conversation on social media, where the third-year coach argued that revenue generation has superseded logical structure.

"We've created a mess. Point blank," Dillingham said. "The whole industry is a mess. The only thing that's not a mess is the dollar signs. Those are still pointing up."

Dillingham’s assessment aligns with the chaotic fallout between the Atlantic Coast Conference and Notre Dame, though the two are unrelated. However, the ongoing feud between the college football powerhouse and the Power 4 conference continues to churn through the news cycle, which is focused on deriding the playoff committee. Athletic director Pete Bevacqua publicly criticized the ACC for actively campaigning against the Irish to boost Miami's resume.

Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham and the Sun Devils finished with an 8-4 record and will play in the Sun Bowl on New Year's Eve against the ACC champion Duke Blue Devils. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Bevacqua claimed the conference utilized its social media channels and television network to disparage Notre Dame. He noted that the ACC Network aired reruns of the Hurricanes’ victory over the Irish 13 times leading up to Selection Sunday.

ACC commissioner Jim Phillips responded by emphasizing his duty to the conference's full-time members. While Notre Dame is a member in most sports, the school remains independent in football.

Dillingham noted that while the business side of the sport is thriving, the operational side remains disorganized. He suggested that the ratings and money involved are the only elements not currently in disarray.

Kenny DIillingham on the current state of college football:

"We've created a mess. The whole industry is a mess. The only thing that's not a mess is the dollar signs. Those are still pointing up."@FOX10Phoenix pic.twitter.com/ApbtYmhYv1

— Blake Niemann (@Blakes_Take2) December 8, 2025

"The dollar signs, the business of it, that's skyrocketing," Dillingham said. "Everything else is a mess. That's just being transparent and honest."

The coach concluded that the current environment is simply another piece of the broader dysfunction. "Other than the ratings, the dollars, the money involved," Dillingham said. "It's a mess."

The Sun Devils will face the Duke Blue Devils in the Sun Bowl on Wednesday, Dec. 31 at 2:00 p.m. ET on CBS.