Right now, the SEC riches flow to the schools via TV rights, ticket sales and booster donations. None of that is NIL to the player. Unless the schools decide to peel some of that off to the players, which I have heard no indication they will, the players will have to get money from other sources. Is the south the best place to secure NIL deals that pay national/international recognition level types of money? For some it will work. How many?

Maybe SEC boosters will pull back from donating directly to the schools and focus on recruits directly. Is there enough booster money alone to fund Alabama's three deep 5-star roster with lucrative NIL deals? I'm thinking not. $100 handshakes are laughable now for 5-star athletes.

When money hits the table, I think things like tradition, facilities and coaching fall down the priority list. That's not good for the SEC.

I really think we have the wild wild west now. A situation where one billionaire with a soft spot for his old school could tilt the balance of power, regardless of the tradition at that school. A situation where the size of your local media market matters. A situation where 5-star recruits with NFL aspirations will look to maximize NIL revenue for 3 years with little else mattering. Sitting on the bench for Saban may not look so good when you can play in a large TV market for more NIL money.

I think the big boys should be the most nervous. They have the most to lose.

Having said that, unless VT has some billionaire ready to spend I am unaware of, this new world is not good. Then again, the old system wasn't much better for VT.