Which 2025 College Football Playoff teams have the most money? Breaking down the field's NIL spending power

Elite spenders highlight this year's CFP bracket, but some teams are doing more with less

Elite spenders

Ohio State
The Buckeyes were not shy about the $20 million price tag associated with their roster a year ago. That investment put Ohio State effectively in its own universe, and while other programs will catch up, it will always have an advantage in the revenue-sharing era as perhaps the most valuable and recognizable brand in the sport. Acquiring and retaining an inordinate amount of college football's biggest stars -- Julian Sayin, Jeremiah Smith and Caleb Downs chief among them this year -- comes with an astronomical financial burden that Ohio State has proven more than willing to tackle.

Oregon
Oregon's relationship with Phil Knight has made playing for the Ducks a lucrative opportunity. With the Nike co-founder committed to doing what it takes to win a national championship, Oregon continues to inch closer to a full breakthrough. That could come as soon as this season, but if not, it is probably only a matter of time. Dan Lanning stacked the most loaded recruiting classes in program history on top of each other and has the No. 3-ranked haul in the 2026 cycle, per 247Sports. The aggressive NIL operation makes his elite talent acquisition both possible and sustainable.

Texas Tech
There is a new player in the college football arms race, and it resides in West Texas. Billionaire booster Cody Campbell made a bold investment into Texas Tech football ahead of last offseason's transfer portal cycle, paving the way for the Red Raiders to acquire game-changing newcomers like David Bailey, Lee Hunter and other immediate contributors responsible for delivering the best season in program history. Campbell's financial backing sets Texas Tech up to compete perennially at the top of the Big 12 and perhaps stockpile enough talent to contend for national championships.

Miami
Miami has been at the forefront of the NIL picture since Mario Cristobal took the head coaching job in 2022. The Hurricanes' efforts reached a new level last offseason when they went all-in on acquiring top transfer Carson Beck on a $4 million deal and turned heads with a $2 million annual commitment to five-star offensive line recruit Jackson Cantwell. Cristobal has long been one of the sport's most talented recruiters. He will only become more dominant if the Hurricanes continue to spend like an upper-class program.

Texas A&M
Texas A&M athletes across all sports received $51.4 million in NIL revenue from July 2024 to June 2025 with an extreme majority of that distributed across men's sports. The most telling part of that number is that the Aggies nearly tripled their war chest from the year prior. Is it a coincidence that the surge in NIL spending came in conjunction with Texas A&M's best season on the football field since 2012? Probably not, considering prized transfer pickups KC Concepcion and Mario Craver were two of the SEC's most productive wide receivers and proved instrumental in elevating the offense to a playoff-caliber level.

Big spender

Ole Miss
Before he departed for LSU, Lane Kiffin became almost synonymous with NIL and the transfer portal at Ole Miss. It was his aggressive approach in those regards that helped the Rebels gain a first-mover advantage, string together the best seasons in program history and emerge this season as a true contender for championships at the conference and national levels. The question now is whether Ole Miss will sustain that willingness and ability to spend at such a competitive rate.

Good, but maybe not as elite as you think

Alabama
Not all that dissimilar to professional stars leaving money on the table to allocate to their supporting casts, Alabama players at the start of the NIL era in many cases were willing to take a discount to play for Nick Saban. While that allowed the Crimson Tide to spread its wealth and build deep, immensely talented rosters, it also meant the program would have to play catch-up after Saban's retirement. To be clear, Alabama is doing just fine on the recruiting trail (Kalen DeBoer just signed the nation's No. 2-ranked class), but its payroll is a hint more modest than some of the other programs in its realm.

Georgia
As a recent two-time national champion with arguably the top active coach in college football, Georgia can afford to be a bit more selective with how it allocates its NIL dollars. Playing for the Bulldogs is such an immense draw that Kirby Smart can outrecruit his competitors with less reliance on paychecks and more emphasis on the potential to win titles and find success down the line in the NFL. Still, Georgia spends handsomely where it needs to, and it hit a home run last offseason in acquiring SEC receiving leader Zachariah Branch through the portal.

Oklahoma
Brent Venables was among the coaches this year who took a pay cut and gave part of his salary back for NIL and revenue-sharing purposes. While the $1 million he agreed to forgo is only slightly more than a drop in the bucket, it showed that Oklahoma recognizes its needs and is willing to be creative in how it funds its roster. The Sooners may not be at the top of the spending ladder, but it is not far off and proved its competitiveness in that space when it went big in the transfer portal and made splashes like landing John Mateer and then-highly regarded running back Jaydn Ott.

Solid spender

Indiana
The Curt Cignetti hire and immediate success that came with it invoked a jolt of energy into the Indiana football program and, with it, a surge in investment. The Hoosiers flexed their financial muscles when they paid up to secure Cignetti with a long-term contract. They spent significantly in the transfer portal to fill roster holes and, most notably, acquired a Heisman Trophy finalist in Fernando Mendoza. And with contributions from Mark Cuban and ideal alignment inside the athletic department, the Hoosiers appear to have staying power as a college football new blood.



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