Could the Auburn-Baylor neutral-site 'NIL game' be the start of a trend?

Hello readers,

In today’s newsletter, we’ve got updates on the College Sports Commission, Cody Campbell versus conference commissioners and Auburn’s neutral-site NIL play. Keep reading to get all the latest news from around the NIL world.

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— Kyle

Does your team make the cut?

Tune in live on Oct. 15 at 8 pm (ET) / 5 pm (PT) for the reveal of the Joe Moore Award Midseason Honor Roll, recognizing the top offensive line units in the country. Hosted by CBS Sports personality Jenny Dell, this live YouTube event will unveil the best lines in the country with expert analysis from CBS Sports analyst Aaron Taylor, ESPN analyst Cole Cubelic and more.

The Joe Moore Award is the only college football award given out to a collective unit rather than an individual player, emphasizing the importance of unity, brotherhood and teamwork that define the culture of the offensive line.

Does your team make the cut? The only way to find out is to tune in live on Oct. 15.

Subscribe to the Joe Moore Award YouTube account today and be sure to catch a new episode of Trench Life every Thursday!

KICKOFF

Maine opts into revenue sharing — but it won’t pay any athletes this season

The University of Maine opted into revenue sharing in July. But not a single Black Bear athlete will receive a check from the university this year. 

Maine athletic director Jude Killy told the Portland Press Herald that the athletic department is assessing the process and that opting in was about maintaining flexibility. 

“Opting out would guarantee you couldn’t do anything different than how you’re operating right now or how you’ve operated in the past,” Killy said. “Opting in doesn’t mean we’re going to do different things, but it does provide you the ability to do different things if you choose to.”

Maine will never be confused for Ohio State, Texas or Florida, giant state schools with bloated athletic department budgets. But the school does have a powerhouse men’s hockey program and a proud fan base. According to the Press Herald, only 77 of Maine’s 434 athletes (18 percent) have an NIL deal.

Most of its 17 teams are members of the America East Conference. Each league member will receive a 30 percent reduction in its share of conference revenue for the next 10 years as part of the House settlement. Killy said it’ll amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars each year, a significant amount for the Maines, Vermonts and New Hampshires of the world. 

The Black Bears are not alone in their conference. Instead of direct payments, New Hampshire athletic director Allison Rich is considering cost-of-attendance stipends. 

Maine women’s basketball coach Amy Vachon said the program has only lost one player because of money. Men’s hockey standout Brandon Holt isn’t upset about the lack of funds hitting his bank account.  

“I feel like it could create some animosity between teammates, if this guy’s getting this much money and this guy’s not getting as much money,” Holt said. “All I know is, I’m glad when it gets to that level, I won’t be here.”

As if this isn’t how it works in every walk of life. 

More news and links:

• Former Alabama coach Nick Saban says NIL has hurt the SEC and helped northern schools.

• Rep. Lori Trahan (D-MA) sent a letter to the College Sports Commission expressing concern about the organization “unnecessarily restricting college athletes’ ability to monetize” their NIL.

• Kentucky women’s basketball coach Kenny Brooks says the Wildcats have the NIL and revenue-sharing resources to win the national championship.

VIDEO OF THE WEEK

Cody Campbell is back on the airwaves

Texas Tech billionaire booster Cody Campbell was back on college football broadcasts over the weekend with an ad calling out “powerful special interests.” Major networks balked at airing the ad two weeks ago that criticized conference commissioners, so Campbell substituted “powerful special interests” in place of “conference commissioners.” 

The kerfuffle is evidence of the politics at play in the argument surrounding the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961 and the power conference commissioners hold. This is a classic special-interest fight, complete with lobbyists on both sides and the most powerful forces exerting pressure on decision-makers. 

DOWN TO BUSINESS

Auburn’s neutral-site NIL payday won’t be the last

Neutral-site college football games aren’t uncommon, so when a matchup is announced, it usually doesn’t generate much reaction. 

But that wasn’t the case last week when Auburn moved a 2026 home game against Baylor to Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. 

Why? Because the Aflac Kickoff Game — of course, it has a sponsor — will provide NIL opportunities for Auburn players through promotional appearances for ticket sales and ancillary events, reportedly totaling $5 million, though that number feels inflated.

Welcome to college football in 2025 (or 2026), where the most important currency is keeping players satisfied. 

“Any time we have the ability to advance Auburn student-athletes’ ability to earn third-party NIL compensation, we will take that opportunity,” Auburn athletic director John Cohen said in a press release announcing the move. “The exposure of playing on a national stage against a Power 4 opponent in one of the premier neutral-site games in the country will not only benefit our student-athletes financially, but it will also enhance their brands.”

There was a time when neutral-site games grew in popularity (much to the chagrin of fans) because they filled athletic department coffers. Now, money is going to the players. Will this become another trend? 

It’s already established in college basketball with the Players Era Championship and the College Basketball Crown, two Las Vegas events that present NIL opportunities for players. 

The 18-team 2025 Players Era Championship features over $20 million in guaranteed sponsor NIL activities during ancillary events separate from games. Last season, the 16-team College Basketball Crown awarded $300,000 to the championship team, $100,000 to the runner-up and $50,000 to the semifinal teams that didn’t advance.

Kirby Smart said on the SEC teleconference last week that overtures have been made to gauge Georgia’s interest in moving a game for NIL purposes. 

“I think you’ve got to be careful because you’re working for two different groups,” Smart said. “You’re working to generate revenue for your players, which is the lifeblood of your program. But you’re also trying to entertain and make sure your customers, the home ticket fans, the alumni, the people who buy your seats, are just as engaged.”

It’s reasonable to think that the most successful programs and those one tier below, chasing the Ohio States, Texases and Georgias, would be intrigued by money going directly to players. College sports is a copycat business. If one school discovers a good idea, others will follow. And some will enhance it.  

LSU coach Brian Kelly presented a radical proposal: an NIL tax for hotels during home weekends. It doesn’t sound like a pie-in-the-sky idea, either, as Kelly said it was “on the table.” That scenario could allow schools to save revenue-sharing dollars or perhaps redirect some money to NIL. 

The insatiable quest for money in college sports stems from the paranoia of being out-resourced by competitors, as well as the importance of NIL and revenue-sharing dollars in player procurement and retainment. 

Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin’s assessment was less diplomatic than Smart’s.  

“I like our home games for our fans,” he said on the SEC teleconference. “It does a lot for our community and our town with all the people that come into town for the home games. So I wouldn’t want to take that away from our fans and our community. NIL dollars isn’t the answer to everything. [Auburn has] a lot of them over there. So I prefer in that situation to keep supporting our community and our town and our university that’s been so great for us.”

Kiffin’s quote is part truth, part trolling a rival. Home games are essential for the reasons he stated. But it’s not just about the home fans and the business community being satisfied; home football games literally keep athletic departments solvent. The magic number for the richest departments is seven. Any fewer home games than that, and there is belt-tightening. 

“In a lot of ways, it may be cheaper for some of our fans, with hotel rooms and things like that being a lot cheaper in Atlanta than they are in Auburn on a game weekend,” Auburn coach Hugh Freeze said on the teleconference. “Bottom line is: what is best for helping us build and maintain and retain the roster? It was really hard to argue that this is not a step in that direction.”

Yes, hotel rooms in a major city cost less. But this is world-class spin from Freeze with a hint of disingenuousness. The social media reaction from Auburn fans has skewed negative. Nearly every college football decision since the realignment onslaught in 2010-11 has been made with no regard for fans.

The problem is that the power rests with coaches and ADs who will be inclined to search under every couch cushion and listen to every pitch from Atlanta to New Orleans to Las Vegas about bringing their top-10-ranked team and 20,000 fans to town for an NIL payday. 

When Kentucky coach Mark Stoops says it’s “good for [Auburn], and good for their players” and “we certainly need to find some ways to create some of those dollars,” it’s safe to assume that Auburn’s decision is the beginning, not a one-off experiment. 

“Once we opened up this box,” Kelly said, “I think all of those now become fiduciary decisions that are made by the administration.”

When Auburn traveled to Waco to play Baylor in August, the game was sold out, and a raucous tailgating scene ushered in the college football season. The canvas in Atlanta will be concrete, with a decidedly corporate feel. Mercedes-Benz Stadium is a great host for college football games, but it’s still a domed NFL stadium.

As part of the deal, Auburn will receive nearly 21,000 tickets. Baylor will get 3,000, the typical allotment for SEC road games. 

“This is not only a win for Auburn student-athletes,” Cohen said, “but for Auburn athletics.”

Everyone except the fans.

ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT

Lettuce celebrate a practical NIL deal

Louisville libero Kamden Schrand helped the fifth-ranked Cardinals to two victories last week, improving their record to 14-2. The junior marketing major also struck an NIL deal with Vinaigrette Salad Kitchen, a Kentucky-based fast-casual restaurant that serves gourmet salads, housemade soups and seasonal lemonades.

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