As the transfer portal and NIL continue to lead the way in daily college football news and fan conversation, I will raise the unpopular opinion that both have elevated the game we love to a new level. There is a certain excitement every day since the portal officially opened, with big names jumping into the portal and finding new opportunities.
The days of only non-starters jumping to other schools are a thing of the past, and the financial opportunities offered by schools have given star players reason to leave schools they normally never would have ever left. You see, starting quarterbacks finding new opportunities when they clearly would be the starter at the school they left had they stayed.
We are way past the days of boosters handing out bags of cash to possible recruits or transfers under the table, and it has made the game better for all. I am still not sure why players making legal money is looked upon in a worse light by so many than players getting cash in brown paper sacks that could lead to long bowl bans.
For those who say players getting paid and being able to transfer freely has ruined the game, I will just point to the final four teams left in the college football playoff. Three of the four teams left are looking to win their first national championship in school history, and the fourth is becoming relevant again for the first time in nearly two decades.
The transfer portal and money being able to be spent on a more even basis have allowed the rise of Indiana and Ole Miss. It allowed Texas Tech to win its first conference championship in school history and a bye in this year's playoff. Honestly, without the new systems in place, none of these schools would realistically have a chance to sniff a football national championship.
The Hurricanes have started making noise again on the gridiron after falling on hard times, and their return to being within two games of their sixth national championship is due to NIL and the portal. And honestly, even Oregon has been a contender for a while; they are in a better position than they ever have been.
Yes, there are some issues that need to be looked at, especially with the portal dates or maybe how many times a player can transfer, but right now, college football seems to have gained more of a national appeal. As teams that have never been good before, like the Hoosiers, it gives more programs hope if they can get some financial backing. Sure, the normal blue bloods will still have a leg up, like Alabama or Ohio State, but the gap between them and others has decreased greatly.
NIL and the portal have made it harder for blue-blood programs to stockpile players for multiple seasons before they see the field. Today's players seem to care less about the name on the jersey and pick schools more based on possible financial gain and playing immediately. Also, certain star players being able to make big money in college, like Cam Ward last year or his successor Carson Beck, have the ability to stay in college for another year instead of for sure going to the NFL before being out of eligibility. It is a much different world compared to when many of us became college football fans, but the sport is in a good place, no matter what some will say.