Analyst says nobody is in Ohio State’s league amid NIL spending boom

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The 2026 college football offseason has seen several developing storylines settle down. From lawsuits to playoff expansion, those issues are now in the rearview mirror. In just over a month, college football will return, and the pursuit of the 2027 College Football Championship will begin. Favorites have already emerged, and one program stands out, not just for 2026, but for years to come.

NIL has changed the game. Few schools possess the financial firepower to build the NIL collectives seen today. Ohio State, however, has both the firepower and the athlete demand to match it. The Buckeyes are reportedly on track to carry a $500 million athletics budget. Half a billion dollars. Paul Finebaum addressed this reality on his show.

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“Nobody is in Ohio State’s league right now,” Finebaum said. “I saw that story the other day, and the idea of a half-billion-dollar athletic budget is truly amazing. Now, remember, Ohio State has more sports than the average SEC program. I would think Texas and Georgia are considerably behind that. It’s just a number, but it’s also where college athletics is.”

A league of their own?

Georgia and Texas are hardly powerhouses lacking financial resources, both carry heavy national pull and can raise funds to compete with almost anyone. Almost anyone except Ohio State.

Although Ohio State fell short in last year’s College Football Playoff, the program still holds the highest ceiling of any team in the country, and not just in football. Ohio State has the resources to compete with any school it chooses to stand toe-to-toe with.

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NIL spending has grown increasingly chaotic. Until regulations step in, schools will keep chasing hundreds of millions of dollars in what remains one giant unregulated pool of money.

Ohio State’s brand, alumni base, and fan base run so deep that $500 million might actually undersell the program’s reach—that figure could easily climb well north of it within a few years. The question now facing Ryan Day: will it be enough to spark a dynasty?

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