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College sports NIL revenue sharing figure being questioned by settlement plaintiffs

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College sports NIL revenue sharing figure being questioned by settlement plaintiffs


While the NCAA has informed schools that they may provide up to $20.5 million in new benefits for athletes during the 2025-26 school year as part of the settlement of three athlete-compensation antitrust cases against the association and the Power Five conferences, the plaintiffs’ lawyers say they are exercising their right to have the data used to arrive at that spending limit audited because they have questions about the figures.

If the audit finds that the cap should have been greater than $20.5 million, court intervention could be involved. All of this may not affect schools this year, but it could impact them in the future.

Under the settlement, the per-school benefits pool for the school year that begins next week is capped at an amount equal to 22% of the combined total of a defined set of revenues that Power Five conference schools had during their respective 2023-24 fiscal years. Beginning July 1, in a fundamental change for college sports, schools will be allowed to use money from that pool to directly pay athletes for the use of their name, image and likeness.

A view of the NCAA headquarters in Indianapolis.

The revenue data being used to determine the benefits cap must be provided by the NCAA to the plaintiffs’ lawyers annually during the 10-year life of the settlement. The plaintiffs’ lawyers then “have the right to reasonably audit” the data, according to the agreement – and they are having an outside firm do so, according one their leaders, Steve Berman.

“For the sake of getting this started July 1, we are willing to use” $20.5 million as the cap, Berman said. “But if that turns out to be different, there will have to be some adjustment. … We have questions about the information we’ve gotten.”

The NCAA declined to comment on the matter.

If an adjustment occurs, it probably would not happen during the 2025-26 school year. But an adjusted number could be used as the baseline for future years.

The cap number for Year 1 of the settlement is particularly important because it is scheduled to be used as the baseline for a 4% increase in Year 2. The Year 3 cap amount is, in turn, set to be based on 4% increase in the cap number for Year 2. A reset to an amount equal to 22% of the defined revenues is scheduled for Year 4.

At issue, among other items, is whether certain revenues connected to luxury suites have been accounted for correctly, Berman said. Also, the settlement states that as part their audit rights, the plaintiffs’ lawyers are entitled to “receive an accounting from an agreed-upon accounting firm” of all revenue categorized on the schools’ annual financial reports to the NCAA under a miscellaneous “Other Operating Revenue” category “to determine whether, in the (the plaintiffs’ lawyers’) opinion any such reported revenue is more properly reportable as one of the agreed-upon revenue categories and should therefore be included” in the schools’ combined total.  

Any disputes about the data are to be settled by Magistrate Judge Nathanael Cousins, who has been appointed as a special master by U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken.

“We are asking for information,” Berman said. “We’re going back and forth with the NCAA about what information they have given us. If we’re not satisfied, we’ll go to Judge Cousins.

“This will not happen overnight. We’re asking questions about all of this. That’s our job. … We don’t know that there’s a controversy. … We are examining all of this stuff, making sure revenue was put into the right bucket.”

Wilken gave final approval to the settlement on June 6. Two groups of objectors have filed a notice of appeal to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. So far, neither of those efforts seeks to delay the forward-looking provisions of the agreement that are set to take effect July 1 and also include the elimination of sport-by-sport scholarship limits.

The new per-school benefits pool will take account other spending, including the value of new, or incremental, athletic scholarships schools award above the number of scholarships that the NCAA currently allows in a given sport, up to a maximum of $2.5 million. So, if the initial cap is $20.5 million and a school awards $2.8 million in new scholarships, it could only make $18 million in NIL payments to athletes.

The question about the schools’ miscellaneous “Other Operating Revenue” figures stems, in part, from large amounts that some Power Five public schools reported in that category. For example, Penn State, Washington and Colorado reported amounts that represented more than 10% of their total operating revenue – dollar amounts that ranged from $15.1 million for Colorado, to $32.4 million for Penn State, according to documents obtained by USA TODAY Sports in conjunction with the Knight-Newhouse College Athletics Database at Syracuse University. The NCAA asks that if “Other Operating Revenue” is greater than 10% of total revenue, “please report the top three activities included in this category in the comments section.”

Washington’s reported in that section: “Other Revenues includes revenues received for Coaches and Administrative Contract Buyouts for Baseball, Gymnastics, Football, and Athletic Directors.”

Penn State’s and Colorado’s comments sections were blank. It is possible that Penn State’s comments were redacted. Under state open-records law, Penn State is not required to make this information public – and while it chooses to do so, it redacts individual head coaches’ compensation information from the report it releases.

Six other schools reported “Other Operating Revenue” of more than $10 million, amounts that represented less than 10% of each of those schools’ total revenue.

There were six schools that reported “Other Operating Revenue” of less than $1 million. Among those were Texas, Tennessee and Clemson, each of which reported more than $193 million in total revenue.

“We’ve seen some things that we don’t have an explanation for,” Berman said.

In addition to benefiting athletes, a greater benefits cap amount stands to benefit the plaintiffs’ lawyers. As permitted by the settlement agreement, they have asked Wilken to award them, as fees and costs, a percentage of the $2.8 billion in damages that totals nearly $525 million.

The lawyers also are seeking the right to apply annually to special master Cousins for 0.75% to 1.25% of the annual total amount spent by Division I schools on new benefits for athletes. Over the 10-year settlement term, that could total roughly another $250 million.

The question of luxury-suite revenues involvement in the calculation of the cap is more complicated. It connects to language in the settlement and the definitions used in the schools’ revenue-and-expense reports to the NCAA. Those reports include 21 revenue categories. Eight of those categories form the defined set of revenues used to calculate the benefits cap.

Among those categories is ticket revenue. The NCAA tells schools to report “amounts paid in excess of ticket’s face value to obtain preferential seating or priority” under another category that is called “Contributions.” Revenue from “Contributions” is not among the eight categories form the defined set of revenues used to the calculate the benefits cap.

However, the settlement agreement says that for the purposes of the agreement, ticket revenue “shall include actual monetary revenues received by or for the benefit of Member Institutions for suite licenses exclusive of (a) any associated philanthropy [“Contributions”] and (b) the use of suites for any purposes not related to student athletic events (e.g., concerts).”

Suites are just one type of seating area for which schools require customers to make payments in excess of a ticket’s face price. Many schools require such payments for the right to purchase club seats or seats in more desirable areas of the main stands. Arguably, none of these payments constitute philanthropy. Under federal tax law changes enacted in 2017, no portion of these amounts are tax deductable.

In addition, the pay structure for a suite can look like what Texas A&M outlined in online information for a suite for the 2024 football season: An “Annual Suite Contribution” of $65,100 and a “Capital Gift” of $933,333 provided a “Term of Usage Right” of 14 Years.

In an email May 16, another of the plaintiffs’ lead attorneys, Jeff Kessler, told USA TODAY Sports of the revenue reporting he expected to see from the NCAA: “The suite figure is going to be reported separately from” the 21 revenue categories.

In late May and early June – before the NCAA announced that the cap for 2025-26 will be $20.5 million — athletics department officials at three different Power Five schools, each in a separate conference, said they were unaware of their school having reported a separate suite-license revenue figure to the NCAA or anyone associated with the litigation. Three officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject.

“We have questions about suite revenues,” Berman said on Monday, June 30.

How all of this turns out remains to be seen, but Berman said: “We are taking our 10-year audit function seriously.”

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College Football Playoff team loses running back to transfer portal

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A running back with proven production is set to enter the college football transfer portal with just one year of NCAA eligibility remaining in his career.

James Madison running back Ayo Adeyi is preparing to enter the transfer portal in search of what will be a third school to play for in 2026, according to ESPN.

What he’s done on the field

Adeyi was limited to just 120 rushing yards on 24 carries for the Dukes as they made their first College Football Playoff appearance this past season, but the tailback has a history of solid output when he was initially at North Texas.

In total, Adeyi has 2,480 career rushing yards and 17 touchdowns while averaging 6.5 yards per carry over the last five collegiate seasons, mostly with the Mean Green.

He ran for 6 touchdowns on 496 yards in his initial season there before improving his per yard average to 7.2 yards the following season with 4 touchdowns and 807 total yards.

Adeyi had his best season to date in 2023, when he carried 143 times for 1,017 yards and scored 6 touchdowns while averaging 7.1 yards per attempt.

How the college football transfer portal works

College football’s transfer portal officially opens on Jan. 2, but that hasn’t stopped a flurry of players from entering their names for consideration at a new school right now.

The new 15-day transfer portal window from Jan. 2-16 and the elimination of the spring transfer period has condensed the timeline for players and programs to make their moves.

The NCAA Transfer Portal is a private database that includes the names of student-athletes in every sport at the Division I, II, and III levels. The full list of names is not available to the public.

A player can enter their name into the transfer portal through their school’s compliance office.

Once a player gives written notification of their intent to transfer, the office puts the player’s name into the database, and they officially become a transfer.

The compliance office has 48 hours to comply with the player’s request and NCAA rules forbid anyone from refusing that request.

The database includes the player’s name, contact information, info on whether the player was on scholarship, and if he is a graduate student.

Once a player’s name appears in the transfer portal database, other schools are free to contact the player, who can change his mind at any point in the process and withdraw from the transfer portal.

Notably, once a player enters the portal, his school no longer has to honor the athletic scholarship it gave him.

And if that player decides to leave the portal and return to his original school, the school doesn’t have to give him another scholarship.

(ESPN)

More college football from SI: Top 25 Rankings | Schedule | Teams

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CFB Betting Report: Action on Standalone Playoff Games Reaching NFL Heights

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NFL betting usually rules the roost on the American sports wagering landscape. 

But College Football Playoff quarterfinal odds are giving the mighty shield a run for its money at the moment — particularly in the Miami vs. Ohio State Cotton Bowl matchup, which kicks off the quarterfinals on Dec. 31, and the Alabama vs. Indiana Rose Bowl showdown on Jan. 1.

“These standalone College Football Playoff games really rival the NFL games,” Caesars Sports vice president of trading Craig Mucklow said.

Mucklow serves up his insights on College Football Playoff quarterfinal odds for all four matchups.

This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports.

Bettors Backing Buckeyes

Ohio State is 12-1 straight up (SU), though that lone loss came in its last outing. The Buckeyes were 3.5-point favorites vs. Indiana in the Big Ten Championship Game and fell short 13-10.

Still, with a 10-2-1 mark against the spread (ATS), Ohio State has been one of the best bets all season in college football. Only Texas Tech (11-2 ATS) is better at covering the number.

So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the public betting masses are all over No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 10 Miami (11-2 SU/8-5 ATS) in the Cotton Bowl, for a 7:30 p.m. ET New Year’s Eve kickoff.

“Ohio State is a bigger loser for us on the spread than any of the NFL Week 17 games. And there’s still [five days] of betting to come,” Mucklow said.

After Miami’s 10-3 first-round win at No. 7 Texas A&M, Caesars Sports opened the Buckeyes as 7.5-point favorites. That number sprinted to Buckeyes -10, with early bettors eager to pile on Ohio State.

The Hurricanes actually saw sharp action at +10, so Caesars adjusted Monday to Ohio State -9.5.

Backing Off ‘Bama

No. 9 Alabama (11-3 SU/8-5-1 ATS) has the SEC pedigree, which is usually attractive to the betting masses. But No. 1 Indiana (13-0 SU/8-5 ATS) has been an offensive juggernaut much of the season, and bettors like to back a good offense.

And even though the Hoosiers didn’t put up points in their last outing, they did beat defending national champion Ohio State in the Big Ten title game. That carries some weight, as well, for a 4 p.m. ET Rose Bowl clash on New Year’s Day.

Indiana opened as a 6-point favorite and moved out to -7 in short order. Mucklow said sharp action on Alabama +7 led Caesars to lower Indiana to -6.5. But a continuing flood of Indiana action from the masses moved the Hoosiers up to -7 again.

“Bettors are all over Indiana big time. That’s bigger than our Ohio State decision,” Mucklow said. “I hate to say it, but we’re Alabama fans by a good distance.”

That said, Mucklow noted Caesars has one angle working in its favor.

“Indiana has not really been in this position before. Alabama has been there, done that,” he said.

Short Spread

Oddsmakers believe No. 5 Oregon vs. No. 4 Texas Tech is the most competitive matchup in CFP quarterfinal odds. The Ducks opened as 1.5-point favorites and are up to -2 vs. the Red Raiders, for a noon ET New Year’s Day start in the Orange Bowl.

Oregon (12-1 SU/9-4 ATS) already has a CFP game under its belt, coasting past No. 12 James Madison 51-34. But the Ducks fell short of covering as huge 20.5-point home favorites.

As noted above, Texas Tech (12-1 SU/11-2 ATS) is the best spread-covering team in the nation this season. The Red Raiders have been resting since a 34-7 rout of BYU as 12.5-point favorites in the Big 12 Championship Game on Dec. 6.

Bettors are leaning toward the Ducks, as of Friday afternoon.

“Oregon is a small loser for us, nothing drastic. There’s not much of a difference between these two teams,” Mucklow said. “I think this game will see two-way action. It’s only a 2-point spread.”

Sweet Rematch

One matchup in College Football Playoff quarterfinal odds is actually a rematch from the regular season. In Week 8, Ole Miss and Georgia played a thriller in Athens, Ga.

Ole Miss — then under Lane Kiffin, who has since left for LSU — led 35-26 late in the third quarter. But Georgia did the rest of the scoring in a 43-35 victory, barely covering as a 7-point home favorite.

Now, No. 3 Georgia (12-1 SU/6-7 ATS) and No. 6 Ole Miss (12-1 SU/8-5 ATS) meet on a neutral field at the Sugar Bowl. The spread is similar to the first meeting, with the Bulldogs opening -6 and now up to -6.5 for this 8 p.m. ET kickoff on New Year’s Day.

“All the money is for Georgia, which doesn’t surprise me,” Mucklow said. “You’ve given Kirby Smart three weeks to prepare for this game.”

Money Talks

Mucklow also ran through ranking the four CFP quarterfinals based on the amount of money each game is seeing so far.

“Alabama-Indiana is No. 1 by a distance. Then it’s Miami-Ohio State,” Mucklow said. “Then there’s a pretty significant gap to Ole Miss-Georgia, and another big gap to Oregon-Texas Tech. That’s the least popular of the four, by a distance.”

Patrick Everson is a sports betting analyst for FOX Sports and senior reporter for VegasInsider.com. He is a distinguished journalist in the national sports betting space. He’s based in Las Vegas, where he enjoys golfing in 110-degree heat. Follow him on X: @PatrickE_Vegas.

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Previewing the quarterfinal round of the College Football Playoff

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Dec. 27, 2025, 3:06 p.m. CT

The College Football Playoff has reached the quarterfinal round, after a mixed bag of first round matchups have landed us with eight teams remaining that can still win the national title. With less than a week left in the non-CFP bowl season, and the playoff ramping up, it’s time to take a look at all four second round matchups.

New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day will be the showcase for each of the quarterfinal games, and four iconic bowl games will be in the spotlight, determining who makes it to the semifinal round the following week. While our primary focus will be on the roster churn for the Oklahoma Sooners in the transfer portal and the players heading off to the pros, there’s no denying that there should be some great football to watch as the calendar turns to 2026.





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‘Dumbest Thing in the World,’ CFB Agent Reacts to Transfer Portal Changes amid NIL

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The new changes to the transfer portal window were put in place with the intention of making things easier for both coaches and athletes, but some haven’t viewed the changes as a positive.

Per The Athletic’s Stewart Mandel, one agent said, “nothing has changed, except kids aren’t able to take visits.” The agent added that “it’s the dumbest thing in the world.”

Previously, there were two transfer portal windows: one being a 20-day window in December and the other being a 10-day window in April. As of October, there is now just one transfer portal window, which is Jan. 2-16 this year.

Athletes playing on a team that undergoes a coaching change are given a 15-day transfer portal window that begins five days after a new coach is hired. Players who are participating in the College Football Playoff but choose to transfer during the January window are allowed to stay with their teams through the end of the season.

On the surface, the change would seemingly be a net positive for all parties, but apparently it still needs some tweaking.



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4,000-yard QB heavily linked to major college football program in transfer portal

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A shuffling of quarterbacks is coming to college football in 2026.

In the Power Four ranks, quarterbacks such as Rocco Becht, Josh Hoover, Dylan Raiola and Brendan Sorsby are looking for new schools to play for next season.

While the Power Four quarterbacks are dominating the spotlight, there are a number of Group of Five starters looking to increase their exposure at Power Four programs in 2026.

One quarterback who will depart from a Group of Five school when the transfer portal opens is UNLV starter Anthony Colandrea. He will have one season of eligibility remaining at his third school.

One school of interest that has emerged for Colandrea since he decided to leave UNLV is Florida State.

Pete Nakos of On3 reported that Florida State is interested in Colandrea as its starter in 2026.

Should Colandrea transfer to Florida State for the 2026 football season, he would join a growing number of quarterbacks who have transferred to the Seminoles in the last five seasons.

James Blackman was the last quarterback recruited out of high school to start at the beginning of a season for Florida State all the way back in 2020. Since Blackman, Mike Norvell has added Jordan Travis (Louisville), DJ Uiagelelei (Clemson and Oregon State), and Tommy Castellanos (Boston College) from the transfer portal to the Seminoles.

UNLV Rebels quarterback Anthony Colandrea

UNLV Rebels quarterback Anthony Colandrea (10) looks downfield against the Ohio Bobcats | Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

The 6-foot, 205-pounder began his college football journey with Tony Elliott at Virginia in 2023. Tony Muskett started that season at quarterback, but a combination of injuries and inconsistency gave Colandrea the opportunity to play in seven games. He threw for 1,958 yards, 13 touchdowns and nine interceptions while rushing for 225 yards.

Colandrea played in 11 of the Cavaliers’ 12 games in the 2024 season. He passed for 2,125 yards, 13 touchdowns and 11 interceptions while rushing for 277 yards and two touchdowns. He transferred to UNLV the following offseason.

The Rebels gave Colandrea the starting role over Michigan transfer Alex Orji after the first game. Colandrea passed for 3,459 yards, 23 touchdowns and nine interceptions while accumulating 649 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground. He guided UNLV to a 10-win season, a Mountain West Championship appearance and an appearance in the Scooter’s Coffee Frisco Bowl.

Colandrea received Mountain West Player of the Year and All-Mountain West First Team distinction for his heroics in 2025.



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$2.5 million QB dealt reality check after decision to enter transfer portal

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Fox Sports college football analyst RJ Young delivered a harsh assessment of a high-profile quarterback who holds a $2.5 million NIL valuation from On3. This signal-caller recently decided to enter the transfer portal, a move that sparked significant conversation regarding loyalty and team building in the modern era. Young suggests the decision transforms the player from a program cornerstone into a temporary asset.

The analyst noted that the athlete’s next destination will likely view him as a transient piece rather than a long-term solution. This contrasts sharply with the fanbase he is leaving behind because they believed he would play a central role in restoring their program to national title contention.

The quarterback had originally arrived with immense expectations and family ties that carried unique prestige at his former school.

Young argued that the player had everything he requested at his previous stop, including a relative on the coaching staff. By exiting the program now, the standout leaves behind an unfinished job regarding a College Football Playoff invitation despite helping the team reach its first bowl game in eight years.

Analyst details financial, competitive implications of transfer decision

The subject of this scrutiny is Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback Dylan Raiola. He famously flipped his commitment from the Georgia Bulldogs and the Ohio State Buckeyes before landing in Lincoln. Young’s critique centered on the shift in how Raiola will be perceived moving forward.

“Wherever he lands next will greet him as a rental, unlike Huskers fans who believed he would play a large role in their return to national title contention,” Young said.

The analyst emphasized the unique situation Raiola abandoned.

Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback Dylan Raiola (15)

Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback Dylan Raiola (15) had his 2025 season cut short by injury, and his decision to enter the transfer portal has earned criticism from some analysts. | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

“Raiola had everything he asked for at Nebraska,” Young said. “As a legacy with an uncle coaching the offensive line, his name carries a prestige in Lincoln that it does not anywhere else in the country.”

Fox Sports college football analyst Laken Litman also weighed in on the situation. She noted the massive expectations placed on the young passer when he arrived on campus.

“The 6-foot-3, 230-pound quarterback was supposed to be the star that would lead Nebraska’s resurgence alongside head coach Matt Rhule,” Litman said.

Raiola started as a freshman and threw for 2,819 yards in 2024. However, his second season did not go exactly as planned after he broke his leg against the USC Trojans. Litman pointed out that external factors likely influenced the departure.

“However, this year didn’t go as planned,” Litman said. “He broke his leg in a loss to USC that sidelined him for the rest of the season, and then couple that with Nebraska firing its offensive line coach, who is his uncle, and his brother de-committing from the 2026 recruiting class, and the decision starts making sense.”

Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback Dylan Raiola (15)

Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback Dylan Raiola (15) has been linked to several landing spots, including Oregon, Louisville and Arizona State. | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Young added that the initial excitement blinded many to the quarterback’s history of movement.

“The admiration Cornhuskers fans laid on Raiola allowed many Nebraska fans to forget he transferred programs twice in high school and flipped his commitment three times as a prep player,” Young said. “Because his decision to play for the Huskers felt like the one that would stick.”

The Cornhuskers will face the Utah Utes in the SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl on Dec. 31 at 10:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Read more on College Football HQ



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