Paul Finebaum Drops Hard Truth on the Future of Non-Elite College Programs

The evolution of college football has become a major talking point across the country. The sport has now essentially adopted a professional-style model. NIL has become a way for teams to legally pay players to play for them, and the transfer portal has essentially served as free agency.

However, it differs from the pros because it is much more chaotic, as it lacks structure. There aren't contracts that hold players to a school, meaning players can come or go whenever they feel like it, as long as it's in the transfer portal window. There also isn't a salary cap, meaning programs can outspend competitors with fewer limitations if they have the resources.

That lack of structure is where the real issue lies. It’s not just about money, it’s about sustainability and competitive balance, two things college football is still trying to figure out in this new era.

Louisiana State Tigers head coach Lane Kiffin, left, stands next to Louisiana State Tigers athletic director Verge Ausberry, right. | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

So, that brings up an important question for teams outside the top spenders. How can those teams compete if they can't afford to spend $30 or $40 million on a roster like some of the other reported teams have spent? ESPN's Paul Finebaum was asked this question on "The Paul Finebaum Show," and he didn't hold back.

"The answer that nobody really wants me to give is this," Finebaum said. "You can't."

That statement is blunt, but it reflects a growing belief around the sport that financial power is becoming the biggest separator between contenders and everyone else.

The next question many will ask is: What about Indiana? The Hoosiers were able to build a national championship team in 2025 and a team that made the playoffs in 2024 as well. How did they spend? According to CBS Sports, they were a solid spender, but they weren't near some of the biggest names in the sport. Finebaum answered that question by simply stating that the Hoosiers are an outlier.

And that may be the most important takeaway. Indiana didn’t just win, they broke the expected model. But replicating that kind of success requires near-perfect execution in coaching, evaluation and development.

So, what should teams do that can't spend that much? The caller specifically asked about the Mississippi State Bulldogs, South Carolina Gamecocks, Purdue Boilermakers and the Northwestern Wildcats. While Finebaum doesn't feel like there is any way, the Hoosiers proved there is one, although it's very difficult.

Teams can either try to duplicate what Indiana did, which was make a home run hire and then evaluate undervalued talent at an elite level, or they have to restructure how they spend in NIL. Meaning, if their NIL budget is limited across all sports, they have to decide which sport they should value the most.

Football is the primary revenue driver and the sport that schools should prioritize. Even when teams are successful in other sports, they usually generate less revenue.

However, when a team is good at football, that school typically brings in significantly more money. Because of that, programs may have to make difficult decisions about resource allocation if they want to stay competitive in this era.

Ultimately, Finebaum may be right in a broad sense, but Indiana proved there is still a path. It is just far narrower, far more difficult and far less forgiving than it has ever been before.