A makeover is inevitable for the bowl structure

Hello!

Thanks for reading NIL Wire. We have some topical subjects to share today on the bowl system, Navy’s basketball’s dream season and NIL Go. The bowl system is probably going to undergo a complete reimagining before the 2027, while Navy has defied the odds of the current model, and NIL Go is getting a look under the hood from a Chicago lawfirm.

Enjoy your weekend!

— Kyle

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THE BIG 3

College football’s bowl system faces an uncertain future

The playoff format isn’t the only thing hanging in the balance in college football. The entire postseason ecosystem is in flux. If the College Football Playoff expands again, what happens to the bowl system? And if the field ever reaches 24 teams, can the traditional bowl structure even survive?

In a recent story for Yahoo Sports, Ross Dellenger detailed several ideas circulating among power conference leaders as they look toward the 2027 season and beyond. One concept gaining traction would create a slate of 10 bowl games matching power conference teams, with the conferences themselves controlling TV rights. The expectation is that these matchups would occupy existing bowls.

The media landscape could also look different. Traditional partners will remain involved, but streaming giants like Apple and Amazon have already surfaced in discussions as potential distributors. 

Despite the uncertainty, bowls still have a pulse. There remains a clear appetite for the product. Fans want more football, and the betting market has only amplified that demand. Even the non–CFP bowls averaged roughly three million viewers per game last season, a number that continues to make TV partners pay attention.

Similar conversations are happening within the Group of Six conferences. In conversations I’ve add with conference folks and G6 administrators, their focus is straightforward: add value. That means more revenue for leagues and schools, but also more compelling TV inventory. The future of those bowls is closely tied to ESPN, which owns and operates the majority of the games.

For now, the system is essentially in a holding pattern. Most bowl contracts were extended only one year as stakeholders wait for clarity on the next iteration of the CFP. There are already signs of contraction — bowls in Detroit and Los Angeles have been sunset in recent months, and the Bahamas Bowl was moved to the mainland.

Still, the TV make a case for the games’ relevance. Even as the postseason structure evolves, the data suggests the bowl system isn’t disappearing anytime soon.¹

No NIL, no problem for Navy men’s basketball

College basketball has delivered plenty of great storylines this season. There’s the loaded freshman class, Miami winning its first 30 games and another story that’s inching closer to something historic – Navy trying to make the NCAA tournament for the first time in nearly 30 years.

Whenever a service academy is good at sports, people take notice. The games draw eyeballs, the storylines feel bigger and the approval ratings are always strong. But in the NIL era, competing at a place like Navy has only gotten harder. The recruiting pitch at one place is money. At Navy, it’s serving your country. Which makes what Navy is doing this season even more impressive.

In year one under coach Jon Perry, the Midshipmen are 22–6 and ran through the Patriot League with a 17–1 record to claim the regular-season title. A recent CBS Sports story by Zachary Pereles dug into how Navy pulled it off, and part of Perry’s formula is pretty simple: basketball is the outlet. 

At the Naval Academy, players have to take care of academics and their military responsibilities first. If those things slip, basketball disappears. That structure creates a built-in motivation most programs don’t have.

The service academies are in their deepest rut in modern college hoops history. Army has never made the NCAA tournament. Navy hasn’t been there since 1998. Air Force’s last trip came in 2006. 

Perry believes the key at Navy is experience. According to KenPom, more than 80 percent of Navy’s minutes this season are coming from players who logged the same amount of playing time last year. The second-most is Harvard at 65 percent. 

A stat from Pereles puts Navy’s roster into perspective – there are only 22 power conference seniors who spent their whole careers at one school. Navy has six.

Leading the way is Patriot League player of the year Austin Benigni. Even he dipped a toe into the transfer portal last offseason when longtime coach Ed DeChellis retired, a reminder that service academies aren’t immune to the modern chaos of college sports. But Perry had recruited Benigni out of high school, and the star guard ultimately decided to stay. 

“I take a lot of pride in working here,” Perry said. “I don't ever get to put a uniform on, but I get to put ‘Navy’ across my chest.”

Is NIL Go the next legal fight in college sports?

It’s been a few weeks since the College Sports Commission was in the news cycle. Not anymore. Ross Dellenger had a detailed story for On3 about a prominent Chicago law firm involved in the House settlement poking around about NIL Go. 

Winston and Strawn is seeking examples of delays and heightened scrutiny involving NIL agreements between athletes and third parties. According to emails obtained by Dellenger, the firm is specifically asking for documentation of deals that were delayed or denied outright during the NIL Go review process. Some submissions have been stuck in review for more than 90 days, a complaint that’s been heard since last fall. 

There are questions about potential House settlement violations and whether NIL Go/CSC is being excessive in their delays and denials. The system designed to bring structure to the NIL marketplace could soon face its first real legal stress test.

The latest CSC data, released in January, paints an efficient picture of the system. Seventy-three percent of deals were cleared within a week of submission. More than 17,000 agreements had been approved, representing about $127 million in value. Another 524 deals were denied, totaling approximately $15 million.

So far, none of those denials has been challenged through the arbitration mechanism built into the settlement. But that day is coming, and probably soon. As NIL Go continues to scrutinize high-dollar third-party deals, it’s only a matter of time before one rejected deal becomes the test case. When that happens, the outcome could define the practical limits of NIL oversight under the settlement.

According to Dellenger and administrators I’ve spoken with, denials typically fall into two categories: agreements that resemble pay-for-play arrangements rather than legitimate NIL marketing opportunities, or deals in which the compensation appears significantly misaligned with the market value of the promotional services being provided.

One of the CSC’s growing concerns is that some schools are bypassing the reporting system altogether. The commission has already contacted numerous athletic departments regarding potential unreported deals. 

But what happens if the CSC tries to dole out a punishment when every school hasn’t signed the participation agreement? Without universal buy-in from power-conference institutions, enforcement becomes murky. Administrators have long pushed for clearer rules. As they take shape through the CSC and NIL Go, schools now lobby for modifications that would soften the commission’s authority.

If enforcement power is lessened or rules are tempered, what is the point? 

VIDEO OF THE WEEK

Recruiting is vastly different in the NIL era

The Unafraid Show details some of the anonymous responses Pete Nakos of On3 got in his story about 2026 recruiting. One thing that has happened in the current structure is that kids ask for money simply to visit. Now, this is a small percentage. But it does happen. A “Texas Tech tax” is also mentioned, as in, agents will drive up the price by saying the Red Raiders offered.

NIL BLITZ

♦️ Our friend Matt Brown at Extra Points hit the FOIA jackpot when he unearthed emails between Miami (Ohio) and the (mostly) power conference schools its men’s basketball program tried to play this season.

♦️ Miami AD David Sayler sat down with Front Office Sports to talk about the RedHawks’ schedule and potential NCAA tournament expansion.

♦️ The Trinidad Chambliss saga isn’t over just yet. The NCAA has appealed to the Mississippi Supreme Court to try to prevent the Ole Miss QB from playing in 2026.

♦️ Louisiana Tech is suing Conference USA in a bid to join the Sun Belt a year early.

♦️ Good conversation with Arkansas AD Hunter Yurachek, who touches the widening financial gulf between SEC programs.

♦️ Interesting insight from Puck’s John Ourand on Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark’s basketball ambitions.

♦️ Ohio State AD Ross Bjork talks to John Wall Street about why the Buckeyes chose women’s volleyball as a revenue-sharing sport.

♦️ Former New Mexico State AD Mario Moccia has been hired to lead the University of Missouri’s Every True Tiger Brands. Moccia previously worked at Mizzou.

♦️ USA Today’s Mitchell Northam examines why for the first time in its 49-year history the ACC women’s basketball is being played at a neutral site outside the Carolinas in Duluth, Ga. 

♦️ Division II Maryville is the newest Division I men’s ice hockey program.

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BATTER UP

Today’s Poll Question:

Last Edition’s Poll Results:

What is the best solution for college sports?

• Collective bargaining with athletes - 42%

• Federal legislation - 29%

• Conference-led reform - 25%

• Nothing - 4%