But strangely enough, not all NIL riches predict success on the field. This year is the first year so there’s no bar for comparison, so we’ll look at the facts going into October, and see what’s happened so far.
These are the NCAAF preseason 2022 NIL rankings according to the definitive source, on3.com. 1st 5, Texas A&M, Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State and Texas round out top 5. Six through 10, Notre Dame, Penn State, Oklahoma, Michigan, and North Carolina round out the 10.
There are five of those NIL top-10 that are not in the top 10. In fact, four are not in the AP top 25. I list them below, with the NIL preseason ranking in parentheses. The schools are Texas A&M(1), Texas, (5) Notre Dame (6), Oklahoma (8) and North Carolina (10) – ranked but not top-10. So your question might be; how did this happen?
NIL top-10 compared greatly to the AP top-25 (preseason)
The NIL top-10 disconnect explained
Here are those four top-10 Texas A&M(1), Texas, (5) Notre Dame (6), Oklahoma (8) that are not in the top-25, much less the top-10. Let’s look at a couple of examples. Here, I’m referencing the AP rankings: Texas(NR), Notre Dame (NR), and Oklahoma(NR) come in with 1st and 2nd year coaches. The disconnect between expected performance and actual performance is usually most accented in new coaching hires.
Texas A&M is unexpectedly unranked after a shocking upset to an FCS team, and a mild upset, but many expect them to be ranked as the year progresses. The fifth team not in the top-10, North Carolina, is still ranked in the teens of the AP and coaches poll. Depending upon late-season performance they may improve to a top-10 team.
Watch this space here as I’ll follow NIL developments at least once a month. We’ll follow NIL top-10 developments as the season unfolds. For a more lighthearted look I took on the strangest NIL deals here you can read this one. This year may be the baseline for all future NIL years. Notes: This top- 10 and top-25 rankings are current through the October 1 – October 8 AP rankings.
