What if --- in the not to distant future the major college football landscape looks something like this:
- Only four (4) major conferences of 15 schools each -- 60 schools total
- The top team in each conference gets the first round bye in the College Football Playoff
- The 2nd team in each conference hosts a first round Playoff game
- Then the next four teams (by ranking) will make the College Football Playoff
- These 60 schools establish their own set of rules of governing:
- a Salary Cap for NIL -- including a central "bank" that will disperse all NIL funds to players
- get caught paying a student-athlete additional funding -- automatic five-year ban from Playoff and Bowl Games
- Stricter rules on "free agency" -- entering the Transfer Portal and when eligible
- And an annual College Football Player Draft -- to even out the talent gap
The College Football Draft might look something like this:
- An Eleven (11) Round Draft for Offensive Players
- High School stars can be selected by as many as five different teams -- then they negotiate their NIL deals (following the salary cap rules) -- and pick their college
- An Eleven (11) Round Draft for Defensive Players
- Again, High School stars can be selected by as many as five different teams -- then they negotiate their NIL deals (following the salary cap rules) -- and pick their college
Every High School star drafted has the option of not signing with any of the teams that drafted him and become a free agent. The rules for a drafted player who opted into free agency are as follows:
- They can not sign as a free agent with any team that drafted them
- College teams will be limited to signing "three free agents" in total, who opted into free agency after being drafted
Then the balance of players are classified as "free agents" and are "recruited" like the good 'ol days with the same NIL salary cap in place for each team.
- Each college program can only sign a maximum of 7 of the 22 players (offense and defense) that they draft -- this will spread out the talent pool
