If you’re a sports fan, you may be unaware of a very important fact: the College Football Playoff semifinals start tonight.

There are several reasons for why the actual CFP has fallen off the radar for sports fans. Week 18 of the NFL season and the first week of the NFL playoffs always present huge storylines, let alone the coaching carousel that is already underway. Then there’s the fact that the College Football Playoff had the spotlight to itself around the New Year’s Day holiday, which has historically been dedicated to the sport. Even the NBA has snuck into the headlines with the first blockbuster trade of the season, with Trae Young being dealt from the Hawks to the Wizards.

Miami and Ole Miss square off on Thursday night at the Fiesta Bowl while Indiana will play Oregon in an all-Big Ten affair at the Peach Bowl. But unless you’ve been following each program closely, you likely haven’t heard too much in the way of actual previews or analysis about the games.

Perhaps the biggest reason as to why the College Football Playoff semifinals have gone missing from our collective consciousness? Transfer portal and NIL drama are sucking up all the oxygen in and around college football.

Much of the consternation in college football over the current calendar is related to the timing of the transfer portal opening in early January. It’s why Lane Kiffin felt the need to controversially bail on Ole Miss and move to LSU with his team still very much alive in the national championship hunt. It’s why players on playoff teams are entering the portal before their season is done. And it’s why so many headlines and social media chatter is being dedicated to what will happen next season before this season is done.

The top ranked Indiana Hoosiers are a perfect example. Perhaps after their Rose Bowl thumping of Alabama, everyone has assumed that their job is done even though they have two more games to win before they can claim a national championship. But the focus right now is at least being shared between what Indiana is doing in the transfer portal for next season and Mark Cuban stepping up to fund NIL efforts and finishing the job for this season.

“Indiana is cleaning up in the transfer portal right now, even while they’re preparing for a National Semifinal.”

More from @joelklatt on how Curt Cignetti is reloading with @IndianaFootball. pic.twitter.com/CjFz9PnSaG

— The Joel Klatt Show: A College Football on FOX Pod (@JoelKlattShow) January 6, 2026

NEW: Billionaire Indiana alumnus Mark Cuban is donating to the Hoosiers 2026 transfer portal class, @FOS reports💰

“Let’s just say they are happier this year than last year.”https://t.co/mXEX3QniMt pic.twitter.com/u5QgP3DQkC

— On3 (@On3sports) January 7, 2026

Of course, that’s nothing compared to the drama at Ole Miss, where the transfer portal isn’t just about Rebels players but coaches. The shadowy figure of Lane Kiffin is still looming large over the Ole Miss playoff run. And as Jimbo Fisher pointed out in a scathing condemnation of Kiffin’s behavior, the drama around which assistants will and won’t coach Ole Miss in the semifinals is likely because Kiffin thought his former team would lose to Georgia and be done with their season. On top of that, the future of star quarterback Trinidad Chambliss was a huge question mark before he finally “agreed a new deal” with Ole Miss if he is granted eligibility to play next season.

Look around college football and so many headlines and social media conversations are geared towards what is happening in the transfer portal and not whether Oregon can avenge their loss to Indiana or whether Miami can physically dominate Ole Miss the way they did Ohio State.

Washington quarterback Demond Williams has caused a firestorm for breaking an agreement with his current school to potentially take more money from elsewhere.

Ohio State has lost several former four and five star recruits to the portal after their surprising quarterfinal exit to the Hurricanes.

Texas Tech landed top portal quarterback Brendan Sorsby with a $5 million offer.

New Penn State coach Matt Campbell has taken a huge chunk of his former Iowa State team with him to Happy Valley.

All of this transfer portal news is a boom for recruiting sites and others that make player movement part of the core of their coverage. But mainstream outlets are also forced to balance out their CFP output with daily updates, portal trackers, and headlines.

With the transfer portal only open from January 2-16, the college football world has no choice but to try to spin all the plates at once and keep track of all the news. Not only is it insane for the schools and programs to try to balance, especially those still competing for a title, but it’s insane for the health of the overall sport and keeping the focus where it should be.

The transfer portal will open and shut entirely within the College Football Playoff. Could you imagine a universe where NFL free agency kicks off the day after the Divisional Round and shuts down a few days before the Super Bowl? Could you imagine the NBA holding its draft during the middle of the NBA Finals? It would be ludicrous decision making that no sane person would ever sign off on — not just because it’s a nonsensical way to run a sport, but because it would take the attention off of its actual championship.

We are human beings. We are naturally inclined to be sucked in by drama. And the transfer portal fulfills all of our primal needs. The flips, the mysteries, the betrayals, the shocks, the surprises. It fulfills our natural thirst for intrigue and excitement in a way that breaking down Miami’s pass rush against the Ole Miss OL simply can’t. And the fact that it’s a true wild west experience with no rules, guardrails, or boundaries makes it all the more tantalizing.

College football has never been more popular as a sport across the nation in spite of so many unforced errors and own goals. Nobody in their right mind would want to divert attention away from crowning a champion during what should be the pinnacle of the sport and the entire reason for its existence. And yet, that’s exactly how college football is currently operating.

The simple fix, as suggested by Oregon coach Dan Lanning, is to move the College Football Playoff earlier so that it ends on New Year’s Day and the portal can be a true offseason activity. That way, the hearts and minds of the college football universe don’t have to be so divided and we can actually celebrate a national champion for one season before actually moving on to the next. Of course, since that seems like the right and easy thing to do, don’t hold your breath waiting on it to actually happen.

Q4 3:13 – Ole Miss 27, Miami 24

Huge mistake by Miami again. Trinidad Chambliss fires incomplete toward Harrison Wallace III but Ja’Boree Antoine had a hand full of jersey, drawing a pass interference penalty.

Three plays later, after a 19-yard scramble by Chambliss, Ole Miss finds the end zone. Chambliss calmly connects with Dae’Quan Wright for a 24-yard touchdown to put the Rebels up by a point.

The two-point conversion is good too as Chambliss finds Caleb Odom wide open.

After witnessing Troy Aikman’s tribulations with NIL at UCLA, Joe Buck has no interest in funding Indiana football.

Last month, Aikman told Richard Deitsch he was a one and done with NIL, claiming he wrote UCLA a sizable check to secure a star recruit who ultimately left for another school after just one season. Aikman was further miffed by the fact that he didn’t even get a thank you note for his donation.

It has been widely assumed that current Oregon quarterback Dante Moore is the player Aikman was referring to. And according to UCLA, school protocol prohibits players from knowing which donors contributed NIL funds, thus making thank you notes difficult. Considering NIL has turned college sports into the Wild West, it is odd that a line is drawn at players learning where the money comes from. Protocol or not, Aikman didn’t like his foray into funding college players, and it seems to have rubbed off on Buck.

The Monday Night Football play-by-play voice joined The Morning After on 101 ESPN this week where they discussed his alma mater playing in the College Football Playoff semifinals this week. As a former Indiana University student, Joe Buck is now in the unprecedented position of seeing his favorite college football team morph into a football powerhouse. Unfortunately for Indiana, Aikman’s experience with NIL has already soured Buck on the idea of donating to their football program.


“Troy has talked to me about what went on at UCLA and kind of what he got for the money that he donated and that will not be something that I will be partaking in,” Buck said.

“He left!” Buck added of the UCLA player that supposedly received a sizable check from Aikman. “You don’t get the money back from what I understand…it doesn’t seem like a great program for the donor.”

The good news for Indiana University, who boasts Mark Cuban’s pockets as an alumnus, is that Buck also claims the local wealthy farmers are heavily involved in supporting NIL.

“I’m not being a smart aleck about it, I think there are a lot of farmers around Indiana that are making money,” Buck said. “It’s almost like everybody has come out of the woodwork and it’s like, ‘Let me have my little piece of this’ because it’s been so long and they’re willing to send money in, from what I hear.”

It’s hard to argue with Buck and Aikman. Where’s the incentive to spend big dollars on a recruit who can leave after one season? And we’re not even going to get into the fact those players are prohibited from offering a thank you note in return. But hopefully for Indiana, those hardworking farmers don’t start taking NIL advice from Buck the way he did from Aikman.

Demond Williams Jr.’s dalliance with the transfer portal has come to an end.

The Washington quarterback, who announced Tuesday that he planned to enter the portal despite signing a contract with Washington four days prior, wrote in an Instagram post Thursday that he is “excited to announce that I will continue my football journey at the University of Washington.”

Williams wrote that the decision came “after thoughtful reflection with my family.”

Williams’ return ends a two-day saga over the quarterback’s status.

Williams signed a contract agreeing to return to the Huskies in early January, a Washington source close to the negotiations told The Athletic on Tuesday night. Yet, Williams said in an Instagram post Tuesday that transferring was “best for me and my future.” Williams had not filed any paperwork with Washington compliance officers to have his name entered into the portal before making his announcement on social media.

Washington sources told The Athletic after Williams’ announcement that the program had “no intention” of releasing the quarterback from the contract he signed Jan. 2 and was prepared to pursue legal action to enforce the terms of the contract, according to a person briefed on the situation.

On Thursday night, ESPN reported that Williams was “leaning toward returning,” and a Washington source told The Athletic that the program was willing to “take back” its star.

Shortly after Williams posted that he was returning, Washington head coach Jedd Fisch and athletic director Patrick Chun also released statements on social media confirming Williams’ return.

Statements from Head Coach Jedd Fisch and UW Director of Athletics Pat Chun. pic.twitter.com/gq7wDL0cn5

— Washington Athletics (@UWAthletics) January 9, 2026

“Over the last few days, Demond and I have engaged in very honest and heartfelt conversations about his present and future,” Fisch wrote. “We both agree that the University of Washington is the best place for him to continue his academic, athletic, and social development.

“I appreciate Demond’s statement. I support him, and we will work together to begin the process of repairing relationships and regaining the trust of the Husky community.”

Chun wrote that the situation was “emblematic of the many current issues in college sports,” adding, “It is critical in this post-House, revenue-sharing environment that contracts with student-athletes are not only enforced but respected by everyone within the college sports ecosystem.”

Leaving Washington after signing a contract could have potentially been costly for Williams.

The Big Ten has a revenue-share contract template that its schools use, varying slightly based on different state laws or individual negotiations. Those contracts state that if a player intends to transfer before the end of a payment period, he owes the remaining amount on his contract, unless the school agrees to accept a buyout from the player or the player’s next school, according to multiple copies obtained by The Athletic. The contracts also state that the school is “not obligated” to enter a player into the portal.

In this case, Williams would likely have owed Washington $4 million for the one-year deal if his deal was based on those templates. The buyout also could have counted toward his next school’s revenue-sharing cap, according to Collegiate Sports Commission rules.

However, it’s unclear if such contracts would hold up in court. Williams obtained the services of noted NIL lawyer Darren Heitner earlier Thursday, but it doesn’t appear this will be challenged. Former Georgia defensive end Damon Wilson II last month sued Georgia’s athletic association over its attempt to get $390,000 from his decision to transfer last year. The case is ongoing.

Big Ten officials held a call with the conference’s athletic directors earlier Thursday to assure them that the league office would support Washington in its enforcement of the contract, according to a person involved in the meeting.

Williams followed Fisch to Seattle two years ago after committing to Arizona out of high school. However, before signing with Fisch at Arizona, Williams initially committed to Ole Miss and Lane Kiffin in late 2022. He de-committed the following summer. Williams started the 2025 season, with Fisch not holding back the hype for his quarterback entering the season.

“I would probably say, at this age, not even 19, he’s the best player I’ve ever been around,” Fisch said on the “Until Saturday” podcast last spring. “… My goal from when I started recruiting him in high school, and I told him this, we’re going to partner up and find a way to be in New York City when it’s time for the Heisman.”

Williams has thrown for 4,009 yards and 33 touchdowns against nine interceptions, adding 893 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns in 26 career games at Washington. In his first season as the starter, he passed for 3,065 yards and 25 touchdowns, earning All-Big Ten honorable mention honors.

After Ohio State’s College Football Playoff exit at the hands of the Miami Hurricanes, the Buckeyes have been bleeding players to the transfer portal.

22 Buckeyes have entered the portal as of Wednesday afternoon, including two running backs, James Peoples and Sam Williams-Dixon.

Now, Ohio State may be at risk of losing a third, the program’s star freshman.

Ohio State running back Bo Jackson may be entering the transfer portal if the Buckeyes cannot meet the desired amount he and his camp are seeking. According to WBNS-TV, Jackson is seeking an NIL deal that would surpass what Ohio State’s running backs earned last season and rival some NFL rookie contracts.

“From what I understand, the request from [Bo Jackson] is more than what TreVeyon [Henderson]’s salary was for the New England Patriots this year,” Jeremy Birmingham said on The Beat with Austin & Birm Thursday morning. “And, more than both TreVeyon and Quinshon [Judkins] made in their final year at Ohio State, and maybe combined.”

Per reports from On3, Judkins’ NIL valuation at the end of his Ohio State career was $1.1 million. For Henderson, while less than his counterpart, reportedly made over $700,000 at the end of the 2023 season.

Additionally, Henderson’s contract with the New England Patriots is a four-year rookie deal valued at just over $11 million, with a $4.7 million signing bonus. Henderson’s rookie year base pay with New England is $840,000, with a $1.1 million signing bonus.

Based on those figures, it appears that Jackson and his camp may be requesting the Buckeyes to pay somewhere in the realm of $1.8 million to retain the freshman.

If all the rumors are true, Ohio State will have to decide whether spending a huge chunk of its NIL money to pay just one starter is worth not letting him slip into the transfer portal. A nearly $2 million NIL deal for Ohio State would cost around 10 percent of the program’s total NIL budget of last season, which Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork said cost around $20 million.

Ohio State will have to decide if Jackson’s freshman performance is worth the high pay. During his first year as a Buckeye, Jackson rushed for 1,090 yards (No. 24 nationally) and six touchdowns (No. 120 nationally) over the span of 13 games. Jackson averaged 6.1 yards per carry.

In Judkins and Henderson’s final seasons with Ohio State, the running back duo both rushed for more than 1,000 yards each and combined for 24 rushing touchdowns in 16 games.