Fox Sports’ Colin Cowherd has been known to dish out a few hot takes over the years.

Take, for example, his infamous “Hey LeBron, Ben Simmons is here. We’re good, bro,” a few years back.

Classic stuff!

Or maybe you prefer his “some of you owe Lincoln Riley an apology” soundbite from last football season.

The arrogance emanating from my computer screen after watching that is palpable.

Well, folks, Cowherd is at it again, though I will say this one is a little more subtle and nuanced than the first two.

There is A LOT to unpack here, so I will go through a few of my “favorite” points of his and refute them one at a time.

“The best offensive player is a Buckeye, the best defensive player is a Buckeye.”

This reminds me of those years when people would (incorrectly) clown the rest of the SEC for touting conference supremacy when Alabama was winning a majority of the championships.

Great, Colin! The best offensive and defensive players each play for Ohio State.

That’s one Big Ten team out of 18.

The best quarterbacks are all in other conferences, and besides Drew Allar, who is documented to be up-and-down at best, I am not sure another Big Ten team would crack a top-10 list of signal callers.

The best running back resides in South Bend, Indiana, while some of the best defenses belong to SEC teams and Clemson.

The Big Ten is a fantastic conference and is super deep this season, but the proliferation of top players is more widespread than our friend Colin here would have you believe.

Which leads me to his next point.

“Their recruiting… is through the roof. Their NIL is through the roof.”

The Big Ten is definitely one of the best recruiting conferences in the country, no doubt, but to frame it as if all of a sudden the conference has come out of nowhere and dethroned the SEC is laughable.

Let’s take a look at this past cycle’s recruiting rankings, courtesy of 247Sports.

Eight of the top 12 teams were from the SEC, including the top three (Texas, Georgia, and Alabama, in that order).

Only Ohio State, Oregon, and Michigan found their way into the top-10, and you have to scroll all the way down to 13 (USC) to find another Big Ten team.

Ever since Urban Meyer arrived in Columbus, the Buckeyes have been one of the top recruiting outfits in the country, so that’s nothing new.

The only new kid on the block, relatively speaking, is Michigan, who needed an unheard-of $10 million NIL infusion from a literal multi-billionaire in order to not crack the top-five.

Dominant stuff!

“They (Texas) scored 14 points in 32 straight SEC games. Ohio State held them to 14 points.”

This one is just splitting hairs from Colin, but it’s worth addressing nonetheless.

Texas played three ranked SEC teams in the back half of last season: Georgia twice and Texas A&M once.

They scored 15, 19, and 17 respectively in those games.

They also played unranked Arkansas and only scored 20 points.

Acting like Ohio State holding the Longhorns to 14 points is some Herculean task is pretty misleading stuff from Cowherd.

It was also a tie game heading into the fourth quarter and the total yards ended up being 289-283 in favor of the Buckeyes, so, a domination, it was not.

You know who Texas did dominate?

The Michigan Wolverines.

Perhaps Ohio State fans are familiar with that program?

“Big Ten schools are bigger, it’s easier to fund-raise for NIL… Big Ten money is Hollywood, tech, and financial centers. There’s a lot of car dealerships in the SEC.”

And thus we have arrived at Cowherd’s central argument here… and it is hot vomit!

Check out the list of top 10 spenders in college football in terms of NIL numbers.

Not exactly a list dominated by Big Ten schools, huh?

By my count, it’s a tie between the SEC and Big Ten with four a piece.

There must be a ton of “car dealerships” in Austin and Lubbock, right, Colin?

This is exactly the kind of dumb ass, coastal elitist crap I would expect from a guy like Cowherd.

“Oh, the South is full of dumb, poor hillbillies! Only teams from New York and Los Angeles can spend money on football!”

Has he ever been to an SEC campus? Those psychos would literally die for their team to win a national championship and their alumni bases are pretty flush with cash, too.

It’s not like Columbus, Ann Arbor, Madison, and State College are all bustling metropolises, either.

My absolute favorite part of his argument is when he name-drops New York and Chicago as cities that support his argument.

Rutgers and Northwestern? Really?

First, Rutgers is in Piscataway, which isn’t exactly uptown Manhattan.

Second, those are two of the worst Power 4 football programs of the past decade, so pointing to them as the harbingers of the SEC’s demise made my eyes roll so hard they practically fell out of their sockets.

Even if the Big Ten has tech money behind it – which is a moot point since states like Texas, Tennessee, and Florida are all welcoming tech companies by the truckload with their tax-friendly policies – it wouldn’t mean too much anyway.

These tech nerds, coastal liberals, and vapid celebrities don’t give a damn about recruiting and football the way the South does.

It’s the same reason USC had a top-five class last cycle and then fell to 13th by the end of it; no one in Los Angeles has the same bloodlust for national titles as the people of Athens or Tuscaloosa do.

Stick to the NFL, Colin.

College football would be a lot better off without ignorant casuals such as yourself speaking about things you know so little about.

On Tuesday Morning, the ACC Conference gathers in Charlotte, NC for the league’s annual Media Days event. The 2025 ACC Media Days may be the most exciting event yet, between the big headlines Nationally paired with some of the moves made in the Conference. The star power at ACC Media Days will stack up with any other conference headlined by Bill Belichick and Dabo Swinney.

The event should give everyone insight into how each coach views their team heading into the season as everyone can convince themselves they’re a College Football Playoff contender in the expanded 12 team model. Ahead of ACC Media Days, we have you covered with key storylines to follow, which coaches and players will speak, and how to tune into the ACC Media Days.

3 Storylines to Follow at ACC Media Days

1. Bill Belichick’s first ACC Media Days appearance

The fact that Bill Belichick one of the greatest coaches in football history is now coaching at the college level is still to crazy to accept. While Arch Manning was a massive draw at SEC Media Days, Bill Belichick will truly have everyone’s attention ahead of his first season. Belichick will be asked about the transition to the college game, his views on recruiting, the transfer portal, NIL, and more likely than not, Jordon Hudson.

2. What will Thomas Castellanos say next?

Former Boston College Quarterback and Florida State starter Thomas Castellanos has been the quote king of the offseason with his shots at Alabama and Kalen DeBoer along with stating that he was trying to instill confidence in his new team. At ACC Media Days, Thomas Castellanos will certainly make headlines once again the only questions is over who will be his next target.

3. How confident is Dabo Swinney ahead of Clemson’s big year?

Dabo Swinney has gotten a ton of hate over the past few years, even from his own fanbase as Clemson has slipped a bit from their place at the top of the sport. As Clemson looks like National Championship front runners, we may see a new side of Dabo Swinney as his naysayers may not have anything left to say.

Tuesday’s ACC Media Days Schedule:

ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips will kick off the week by giving his annual forum at 9:00 AM Eastern Time. Given how hectic this offseason has been, Phillips will give his insightful takes on the House Settlement, NIL, expanding the College Football Playoff, and more.

The Miami Hurricanes are the first team to kick off the the event as Mario Cristobal takes the stage at 11:00 AM. The Hurricanes will bring Georgia transfer Carson Beck, LB Wesley Bissainthe, OL Francis Mauigoa, and DL Ahkeem Mesidor to the event.

The SMU Mustangs will follow Miami fresh off of their first season which resulted in an ACC Championship Game appearance and a College Football Playoff appearance. Rhett Lashlee will take the stage at 12:00 PM Eastern while he brings QB Kevin Jennings, LB Alexander Kilgore, S Isaiah Nwokobia, and OL Logan Parr to the event.

Frank Reich will make his debut as Stanford’s Head Coach at ACC Media Days on Tuesday at 1:00 PM Eastern Time. The program has a ton of questions as Head Coach Troy Taylor was fired in March amid allegations that he mistreated his staff. Joining Frank Reich at the event will be OL Simione Pale, TE Sam Roush, LB Tevarua Tafiti, and CB Collin Wright.

The California Golden Bears will follow Stanford onto the stage at 2:00 PM led by Head Coach Justin Wilcox. Former Ohio State QB Devin Brown, DL Aidan Keanaaina, LB Cade Uluave, and QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele. Justin Wilcox bringing two quarterbacks to the event is fascinating like Deion Sanders bringing two QBs as Devin Brown is the expected starter but, the true Freshman attending always leads to intrigue.

Tony Elliott and the Virginia Cavaliers are the final program to speak on Day 1 of the event taking the stage at 3:00 PM. Joining Elliott in Charlotte are QB Chandler Morris, DL Mitchell Melton, OL Noah Josey, and DT Jahmeer Carter.

Wednesday’s ACC Media Days Schedule:

Mike Norvell and the Florida State Seminoles will take the stage to lead off the second day of the event at 10:00 AM. Quarterback Thomas Castellanos, DL Darrell Jackson Jr, OL Richie Leonard IV, and DB Earl Little Jr will speak at the event as well. Given how much Thomas Castellanos has made headlines this offseason, seeing the Seminoles new quarterback at the microphone will be interesting.

Following up Mike Norvell and the Seminoles are Jeff Brohm and the Louisville Cardinals at 11:00 AM. The Cardinals will be bringing transfer Quarterback Miller Moss, WR Chris Bell, LB TJ Quinn, and LB Antonio Watts. It’ll be most interesting to hear from Miller Moss on his move across the Country and how he’s adjusting to Louisville’s offense.

Fran Brown and the Syracuse Orange get the spotlight at Noon Eastern after an exciting offseason for the program. DB Duce Chestnut, LB Derek McDonald, DL Dion Watson Jr, and QB Rickie Collins will make the trip. Syracuse bringing Rickie Collins is interesting as Fran Brown named him the starting quarterback but, brought in Notre Dame transfer Steve Angeli in the Spring.

Pat Narduzzi and the Pitt Panthers get to follow up Syracuse at 1:00 PM and it’s always entertaining whenever Narduzzi is in front of the microphone. Pittsburgh is bringing RB Desmond Reid, DB Javon McIntrye, LB Kyle Louis, and OL Lyndon Cooper.

Georgia Tech’s turn comes at 2:00 PM Eastern after their exciting season under Brent Key. The Yellow Jackets may have one of the most exciting groups of athletes in attendance with QB Haynes King, WR Malik Rutherford, OL Keylan Rutledge, and LB Kyle Efford. This group has the top end talent to make a run in the ACC and it’ll be exciting to hear about how Key feels about his roster this season.

Wake Forest will get to end the second day of ACC Media Days at 3:00 PM when new head coach Jake Dickert takes the stage. Joining Jake Dickert in Charlotte will be DB Nick Anderson, RB Demond Claiborne, OL Devin Kylany, and DB Davaughn Patterson.

Thursday’s ACC Media Days Schedule:

An action packed Day 3 of the ACC Media Days begins with Bill O’Brien and the Boston College Eagles at 10:00 AM. WR Lewis Bond, LB Daveon Crouch, DB KP Price, and OL Logan Taylor will join Bill O’Brien in attendance.

Virginia Tech and Brent Pry will get to follow Boston College at 11:00 AM ahead of a pivotal year for Brent Pry and the the Hokies. Pry will be joined by QB Kyron Drones, LB Jaden Keller, WR Donavon Greene, and DL Kelvin Gilliam Jr.

At Noon, the fun truly begins as Dabo Swinney gets on stage as the Clemson Tigers head into a season where they’re National Championship front runners. Joining Dabo Swinney is a loaded group headlined by QB Cade Klubnik, DE T.J. Parker, WR Antonio Williams, and DL Peter Woods. Dabo Swinney will always steal the show but, it’ll be interesting to see his tone as he has a group capable of taking him back to the top of the sport.

Dabo Swinney gets followed up by another electric personality in Manny Diaz and the Duke Blue Devils. Duke will bring its prized offseason addition QB Darian Mensah, OL Brian Parker II, CB Chandler Rivers, and DE Wesley Williams. Mensah was one of the most talked about transfers of the offseason which will make his availability interesting.

The show will be stolen at 2:00 PM when Bill Belichick takes the stage for his first ACC Media Days as North Carolina’s Head Coach. Bill Belichick brings with him QB Gio Lopez, WR Jordan Shipp, DB Will Hardy, and DB Thaddeus Dixon. Hearing Bill Belichick talk about his team and the adjustments he’s making will make for an entertaining session.

Finally, wrapping up the ACC Media Days and the run on Carolina schools are the NC State Wolfpack at 3:00 PM. Dave Doern brings with him star TE Justin Joly, LB Caden Fordham, DL Brandon Cleveland, and QB CJ Bailey.

How to watch the 2025 ACC Media Days

ESPN’s ACC Network will be broadcasting live from the ACC Media Days starting at 9:00 AM Eastern Time and running through 5:00 PM. ACC Networks is an additional channel which means you may or may not be able to view the event depending on your TV or Streaming provider.

More ACC News:

Could the tide be turning soon on the SEC’s decades-long dominance in college football? 

It’s a no-brainer, if you ask FOX Sports’s Colin Cowherd, who is convinced that the past two national champions — which were won by Michigan and Ohio State, respectively — are indicative of a power shift in the Big Ten’s favor.

Cowherd took a step further, stating that the Big Ten is now the premier college football conference headed into 2025.

“The best offensive player (Jeremiah Smith) in college football is a Buckeye,” he said on Monday’s edition of “The Herd.” “The best defensive player, Caleb Downs, is a Buckeye. Their recruiting, once again, was through the roof. Their NIL money is through the roof. … This is gonna be hard to stomach for a lot of people. The Big Ten is officially better than the SEC. It’s not just that Ohio State won the [national championship] last year, it’s that they humiliated Tennessee and dominated Texas. Texas scored 14 points. They’d scored over 14 points in 32 straight games in the SEC. … The year before, Alabama played Michigan when Michigan won the [national championship]. Alabama couldn’t move the ball. They barely had 100 yards passing.

“It looks a lot like it used to eight years ago when a Georgia [team] or a Bama [team] would face a Big Ten team, and the Big Ten teams couldn’t really generate consistent offense. The defenses, the athletes were just too good.”

With an expanded conference, the Big Ten conference now includes 18 teams, with the newest additions being Oregon, USC, UCLA and Washington — all of which officially joined the conference in 2024.

In its first year in the Big Ten, Oregon capped off a perfect 13-0 regular season by taking down Penn State in the 2024 Big Ten Football Championship Game. Oregon earned a first-round bye in the newly formatted CFP, while two other Big Ten teams prepared for their first-round games. In those matchups, Penn State easily handled ACC hopeful SMU, 38-10, and Ohio State, coming off an upset by unranked rival Michigan, routed SEC powerhouse Tennessee, 42-17. 

“Something’s changing, and what’s changing is money,” Cowherd added. “Big Ten schools are bigger. They have more graduates. It’s easier to raise money for NIL. You add in (Oregon alum) Phil Knight and the Nike money. You add in USC and the LA economy money. The Big Ten cities — LA, New York with Rutgers, Chicago [with] Northwestern, Minneapolis, D.C., Seattle — Big Ten money is Hollywood, tech, and financial centers.

Currently, four of the top seven spenders in college football are Big Ten teams, according to On3. Ohio State, which had the most expensive roster ($20 million) last year, checks in at No. 3 on this year’s list, behind only Texas and Texas Tech. Three other Big Ten schools are close behind, with Oregon at No. 4, and Michigan and USC tied at No. 7.

Recently, there has been a lot of discussion surrounding the CFP format, which will almost certainly expand again in 2026, going from a 12-team format to a 14- or 16-team format. The Big Ten’s favored 4+4+2+2+1+3 plan, which would earmark 13 of 16 spots as automatic bids preassigned to conferences, was recently squashed by SEC commissioner Greg Sankey last week at his conference’s media days, according to USA Today. To expand the CFP in 2026, the SEC and the Big Ten would need to align behind a plan by Dec. 1. The 12-team CFP remains in place for the 2025 season.

[MORE: How 2024-25 CFP Would’ve Looked Under Proposed Expansion Formats]

To kick off the 2025-26 season, Ohio State is set to host Texas in a rematch of the Cotton Bowl in Week 1 (Aug. 30 at noon ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app), and the Buckeyes are slight favorites over the Longhorns.

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Let’s be real — in 2025, college football isn’t just about schemes and stars anymore. It’s about money. And if your NIL game isn’t right, you’re going to fall behind. That’s why Penn State’s recent push in the name, image, and likeness world is a huge deal for the program’s future.

It starts with the faces of the team. Drew Allar, Nicholas Singleton, Abdul Carter before he left — those guys were top-dollar targets for NIL. And now, younger stars like Tony Rojas and Jameial Lyons are starting to see those deals come in too. But Penn State’s approach isn’t just about paying the top guys. It’s about rewarding the full roster.

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Through partnerships with collectives like Happy Valley United, players are getting deals that support them year-round — not just the Heisman hopefuls. Whether it’s car deals, merch drops, or small business collabs, the Nittany Lions are finally treating NIL like the major recruiting and retention tool it is.

The best part? It hasn’t fractured the locker room.

Penn State’s done a solid job making NIL feel like a team thing, not a “me-first” thing. Coaches like James Franklin have emphasized that NIL opportunities are earned, not handed out. That’s kept guys motivated and hungry without letting money become a distraction.

And when players like Allar and Kaytron Allen decide to come back instead of jumping early to the NFL, you know NIL’s part of that. It gives guys real incentives to stay, grow, and lead.

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That matters in a world where the transfer portal is a revolving door. NIL has helped Penn State hold onto talent and avoid mass exodus seasons like other big programs.

Where PSU Stands Nationally

Are they leading the nation in NIL spending? No. But Penn State isn’t trying to play the same game as Texas A&M or Miami. They’re playing smart and building something sustainable.

More importantly, they’re figuring out how to sell that message to recruits. When a four-star kid from the South sees guys thriving in Happy Valley — getting paid and developing — that changes the perception. Suddenly Penn State feels modern, competitive, and invested.

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The next step? Keep growing the infrastructure. More transparency. More partnerships. More consistency.

And with the Big Ten turning into a mega-conference with coast-to-coast visibility, the opportunity to market players is bigger than ever. NIL isn’t just about surviving anymore — it’s about thriving.

If Penn State continues this trend, they’ll stay in that top-tier conversation year after year. Talent will come. Talent will stay. And the culture won’t get compromised.

That’s how you build a winner in 2025.

This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: Inside Penn State’s evolving NIL game in 2025