College football is chaos, greed and dysfunction — and still king

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College football is chaos, greed and dysfunction — and still king | Opinion

College football is chaos, greed and dysfunction — and still king | Opinion

Matt Hayes, USA TODAY · USA TODAY Sports

Thu, Jun 11, 2026 ·

4 min read

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The nonstop negativity and weekly chaos would kill just about any other sport.

Yet here we are with college football, the wondrous yet self-tortured cousin of the big, bad NFL, still standing strong.

Still fighting off all comers from within its own walls. Still playing legal footsie with the federal flippin' government.

Still trying to persevere through the long summer layoff and reach the magical five-month joyride, when the games arrive and an extraordinarily painful offseason is in the rearview.

And ball supersedes all.

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From Bevo to Touchdown Jesus, from the Horseshoe on the Olentangy to The Grove and all points between, all will be forgotten (and forgiven) with the sweet arrival of fall Saturdays.

Because the damn sport is bulletproof.

A unique and rare concoction of historical programs with drastically different plans and purpose. Each with its own traditions and non-negotiables, neatly tucked within a beautifully complex framework that has weathered every storm.

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Indiana Hoosiers claim first national football title over Miami

Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) embraces his family on the field Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, after defeating the Miami (FL) Hurricanes in the College Football Playoff National Championship college football game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.

(Grace Hollars, IndyStar via USA TODAY NETWORK)

Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) reacts after the College Football Playoff National Championship game against the Miami Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium.
(Mark J. Rebilas, Imagn Images)

Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) lifts the trophy after the College Football Playoff National Championship game against the Miami Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium.
(Kirby Lee, Imagn Images)

Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti holds up the trophy as the team celebrates winning the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Hard Rock Stadium.
(Kirby Lee, Imagn Images)

Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) is interviewed by ESPN personality Rece Davis after winning the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Hard Rock Stadium.
(Kirby Lee, Imagn Images)

Indiana Hoosiers defensive back Lincoln Murff (45) celebrates on the field Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, after defeating the Miami Hurricanes in the College Football Playoff National Championship college football game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.
(Grace Hollars/IndyStar, IndyStar via USA TODAY NETWORK)

Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti reacts after the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Hard Rock Stadium.
(Nathan Ray Seebeck, Imagn Images)

Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti celebrates on the field Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, after defeating the Miami Hurricanes in the College Football Playoff National Championship college football game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.
(Grace Hollars, IndyStar via USA TODAY NETWORK)

A national champions flag is is seen after the College Football Playoff National Championship game between the Indiana Hoosiers and the Miami Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium.
(Sam Navarro, Imagn Images)

Indiana Hoosiers defensive back Devan Boykin (12), wide receiver Elijah Sarratt (13) and linebacker PJ Nelson (30) celebrate after the College Football Playoff National Championship game against the Miami Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium.
(Sam Navarro, Imagn Images)

The Indiana Hoosiers celebrates after the College Football Playoff National Championship game against the Miami Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium.
(Kim Klement Neitzel, Imagn Images)

The Indiana Hoosiers reacts against the Miami Hurricanes in the second half during the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Hard Rock Stadium.
(Nathan Ray Seebeck, Imagn Images)

Indiana Hoosiers defensive back Ryland Gandy (10) reacts after the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Hard Rock Stadium.
(Mark J. Rebilas, Imagn Images)

Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) celebrates with wide receiver Charlie Becker (80) after scoring a touchdown against the Miami Hurricanes during the second half of the CFP National Championship college football game at Hard Rock Stadium.
(Grace Hollars, Imagn Images)

Indiana Hoosiers defensive back Jamari Sharpe (22) celebrates with defensive back Louis Moore (7) after making an interception against the Miami Hurricanes during the first half of the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Hard Rock Stadium.
(Kirby Lee, Imagn Images)

Indiana Hoosiers defensive back Jamari Sharpe (22) reacts after getting an interception against the Miami Hurricanes in the second half during the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Hard Rock Stadium.
(Nathan Ray Seebeck, Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images)

What makes anyone think the chuckleheads currently running the show at your respective universities can screw it up? Not that they haven't tried.

They tried to keep television billions from players, and couldn't do that. Tried to then pay the players, and couldn't do that, either.

They tried to redraw the conference footprint with expansion, and inadvertently introduced contraction by eating one of their own.

They tried to finally use a "playoff" and quickly realized they don't have a playoff at all. They have an invitation-only tournament, chosen by a selection committee — no matter how many teams you throw at it.

Because nothing screams playoff football quite like a selection committee.

They tried to govern each other, and quickly realized they weren't governable at all. Then — and this is the biggest whopper of them all — asked dangerously dysfunctional Congress to take a swing at it.

I ask you, who gets things done in a more timely, efficient manner than the 535 elected men and women of Congress?

They've tried billionaires and brokers, private investment and a very public meeting with the leader of the free world. His input?

Put the toothpaste back in the tube!

Thanks, Don. We now return to our regularly scheduled insanity.

I wonder if these brilliant men and women of academia, these stalwarts of their profession, ever sit back and think, "Boy, we really %@#&! this up."

Of course, this is where the blame shifts to the legal system. If only those pesky local judges would stay out of the way, this thing would be jam-up, jelly-tight.

We'd have rules, players would have to follow those rules, and everyone could walk hand-in-hand and live in harmony. But for those dumb judges.

You know, like it was for more than 150 years when universities had the upper financial hand and players had a scholarship. Some were walk-ons and didn't get a dime.

How dare they ask for more? Don't they know they're supplementing women's and Olympic sports?

To say nothing of the reckless budgeting of 300-plus NCAA universities.

The great former Nebraska All-American linebacker (and current Texas A&M athletic director) Trev Alberts said it best long ago: "College football doesn't have a revenue problem, it has a budget problem."

But sure, blame local judges. Blame greedy coaches and players. Blame degenerate gamblers.

Just never, ever look in the mirror.

This absurdity began a little more than a decade ago, when the smartest in the room decided in 2015 to bequeath "full cost of attendance" stipends to players. These "miscellaneous personal and living expenses" were a gift from the billionaires to the worker bees, a cash handout of about $5,000 a semester.

Imagine trying to get away with that insulting pat on the head? It took all of six years for the real world to finally respond, and for states to pass bills and usher in name, image and likeness.

A handful of years later, $10,000 annually will get you a backup long snapper.

And the damn sport is still bulletproof.

Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB .

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: College football remains bulletproof despite nonstop chaos

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