Dooley’s Back Nine Raises Big Questions as Future of College Football Becomes the Sport’s Most Urgent and Unavoidable Conversation Today
College football, once a regional tradition defined by rivalries, pageantry, and campus loyalty, is undergoing a seismic transformation—and few have chronicled this evolution more pointedly than veteran sports columnist Pat Dooley. In his recent “Back Nine” column, Dooley dove headfirst into what many see as the central question looming over the sport: What does the future of college football actually look like?
For fans, coaches, players, and administrators, the answers are anything but clear. Between realignment, NIL (name, image, and likeness) changes, the transfer portal, and the emerging power struggle between the NCAA and power conferences, the game is facing a fundamental identity shift. And for traditionalists like Dooley—who has covered the SEC and Florida Gators for decades—the tone is as much cautionary as it is contemplative.
The sport is still beloved. Stadiums are still packed. Rivalries are still bitter. But change is not only coming—it’s already here. And according to Dooley’s latest take, the college football world needs to prepare for even more disruption.
One of the clearest themes from Dooley’s piece is that the days of traditional conferences are numbered. The Big Ten and SEC are already pulling away from the rest of the country in both revenue and influence. The addition of Texas and Oklahoma to the SEC, alongside USC and UCLA’s entry into the Big Ten, signaled a new era. And more movement is likely on the horizon.
Dooley points out that the so-called “Power Two” could soon become their own governing entity, breaking away from the NCAA to form a football-centric structure driven by television revenue and corporate partnerships. If that happens, we may see a professionalized version of the sport operating under its own rules, schedule, and financial model.
The biggest question Dooley raises: Where does that leave everyone else?
Programs like Oregon State, Washington State, and even some ACC schools could be left behind. Rivalries could vanish. Entire regions could lose relevance. For a sport that once prided itself on tradition, this potential future feels cold and calculated—but increasingly inevitable.
Of all the recent changes to college football, none have been more impactful—or more polarizing—than NIL. What began as a way to allow athletes to profit off their personal brand has quickly become a quasi-free agency, where the highest bidder often wins.
Dooley doesn’t pull punches in describing the current landscape. In his column, he notes that NIL is no longer just about endorsing local businesses or selling jerseys. It’s about massive collectives, multimillion-dollar offers, and players being recruited—or re-recruited—every offseason. The balance of power is shifting from coaches and schools to agents and donors.
For programs with deep-pocketed boosters and savvy marketing, NIL has become a weapon. For others, it’s a constant scramble to keep up. Dooley warns that unless the NCAA or some new governing body steps in to regulate NIL more effectively, the current system could spiral further out of control.
One of his most poignant lines: “If you’re not paying, you’re not playing. And if you’re not winning, you’re not staying.”
That’s the brutal truth many programs now face.
Tied closely to NIL is the explosion of the transfer portal. Once a rarely used tool for athletes seeking a fresh start, the portal has now become the engine of roster construction. Players move freely between programs, and coaches are forced to re-recruit their own rosters every offseason.
Dooley compares today’s transfer portal to NFL free agency—with one major difference: there’s no salary cap, no contracts, and no long-term commitments. A player can leave after one season, cash in elsewhere, and never look back.
This fluidity has hurt player development, according to many longtime coaches. Young quarterbacks, for example, are less likely to sit and learn behind veterans. Instead, they transfer in search of immediate playing time and quick NIL payouts. The result? Teams lack continuity. Depth charts are chaotic. And fans struggle to form lasting bonds with players.
Dooley’s take is simple: “College football used to be about building something. Now it’s about surviving the offseason.”
Another focus of Dooley’s column is how these sweeping changes have reshaped the coaching profession. Coaches at all levels are facing unprecedented pressure—not just to win, but to manage locker rooms, navigate NIL negotiations, and balance relationships with donors, agents, and parents.
The emotional toll is becoming clear. Dooley points to several recent high-profile resignations and burnout cases as signs that the job has fundamentally changed. Recruiting no longer ends in February. Game-planning now includes NIL strategy. And loyalty is in shorter supply than ever.
Dooley muses that the next generation of coaches might come less from the grind of graduate assistant positions and more from the business world, where NIL and branding are more relevant than X’s and O’s. That, too, would mark a significant cultural shift.
For all the talk about realignment, NIL, and transfer portal dynamics, Dooley never loses sight of the group that ultimately fuels the sport: the fans. In his “Back Nine,” he raises an essential question: Will fans stick around if the soul of the game continues to change?
For generations, college football was about regional pride, deep-rooted rivalries, and a connection between athletes and campus culture. But with players changing schools more frequently and long-standing matchups disappearing, the emotional investment fans once made is under threat.
Dooley shares anecdotes of lifelong fans expressing disillusionment. Some no longer know who’s on their favorite team. Others are frustrated with the constant headlines about money, tampering, and lawsuits. It’s no longer the same Saturday ritual they grew up with.
That erosion of connection, Dooley warns, could be the sport’s biggest risk in the long run.
Despite the tone of concern throughout his column, Dooley doesn’t end without offering hope. He argues that the sport needs visionary leadership—perhaps from a commissioner-style figure overseeing the new college football structure. There needs to be guardrails for NIL, transfer rules that promote some form of stability, and scheduling models that preserve the rivalries and traditions that give the sport its heart.
Whether that leadership comes from the NCAA, the SEC/Big Ten alliance, or a brand-new governing body, the need is obvious. College football is bigger than ever financially. But bigger doesn’t always mean better. Without structure, balance, and a return to its core values, the sport risks losing the very essence that made it special.
Dooley writes, “We’re at a fork in the road. We can keep chasing the dollar and hope the fans follow—or we can try to restore some of what made this game beautiful to begin with.”
As the 2025 season approaches, many of these issues will come to a head. Lawsuits are pending. Congress may get involved in NIL legislation. The SEC and Big Ten continue to wield unprecedented power. And players, through collective bargaining and unionization efforts, are gaining more leverage.
It’s an era of uncertainty—and potential.
Pat Dooley’s “Back Nine” may have been written from the perspective of a columnist reflecting on decades of change, but it speaks directly to the future of the sport. If college football is to remain the heartbeat of American Saturdays, it must evolve thoughtfully—not recklessly. It must protect its players, support its fans, and honor its traditions even as it embraces the future.
In the end, the ball is still on the tee. The next drive could define everything.
