College Sports Is A Mess Right Now: Ben Portnoy on NIL, SEC Breakaway & CFP Expansion

College Sports Is A Mess Right Now: Ben Portnoy on NIL, SEC Breakaway & CFP Expansion

May 23, 2026 · 48 min

About this episode

Ben Portnoy joins Galen Clavio to discuss the current instability in college sports, covering topics like NIL, conference power plays, and the future of the College Football Playoff.

Ben Portnoy of Sports Business Journal joins Galen Clavio for a wide-ranging CrimsonCast conversation about the unstable future of college sports. They break down the latest fights over NIL , athlete compensation, federal legislation, the College Sports Commission , SEC and Big Ten power plays, possible conference self-governance, and why the College Football Playoff expansion debate is as much about media money as it is about access. They also get into how the transfer portal has changed roster building, why Big Ten programs have found different paths to national success, and what college football might learn from pro sports models like the NFL, MLB, and even open-wheel racing.

People in this episode

Host: Galen Clavio

Guest: Ben Portnoy

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Sports Business Journal, SEC, Big Ten, College Sports Commission, NFL, MLB

Places: college sports

More episodes of CrimsonCast

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the CrimsonCast podcast page.