Knish & Powers Debate Whether College Football Needs A Salary Cap | Presented by FanDuel

Knish & Powers Debate Whether College Football Needs A Salary Cap | Presented by FanDuel

May 27, 2026 · 16 min

About this episode

Joey Knish and Brad Powers debate the necessity of a salary cap in college football amidst rising NIL spending and financial concerns.

College football is changing fast, and Joey Knish and Brad Powers break down one of the biggest questions facing the sport today: does college football need a salary cap? With NIL spending exploding across the country, some college football programs are reportedly pushing toward $40 million and even $50 million rosters. Knish and Powers discuss the future of NIL, donor fatigue, conference spending wars, playoff expansion, and whether the current model of college football is financially sustainable. The guys debate how schools like Ohio State, Michigan, Notre Dame, Texas, and Texas A&M could separate themselves financially from the rest of college football, while programs across the SEC and Big Ten try to keep up in the NIL arms race. Joey Knish and Brad Powers also discuss NIL collectives, booster spending, revenue sharing in college sports, the future of non-revenue sports, and whether college football could eventually break away from universities entirely. They also examine how conferences like the SEC and Big Ten could shape the future of the sport as spending continues to rise. Joey Knish and Brad Powers give their thoughts on where college football is headed next and…

People in this episode

Hosts: Joey Knish, Brad Powers

Topics covered

Keywords

Sponsors

FanDuel

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: SEC, Big Ten

Places: Ohio State, Michigan, Notre Dame, Texas, Texas A&M

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