Many top college football programs believe that to win big, they must spend big.
Look no further than the first 2026 Associated Press Top 25 Poll. Many of the schools on the list are reportedly spending well over $40M in NIL (name, image and likeness) deals to attract top players and build a championship-caliber roster.
How many schools are spending $40M or more on rosters?
For a story published Monday, CBS Sports‘ Chris Hummer and John Talty polled more than 50 college football insiders — Power Four athletic directors, general managers, personnel executives, salary-cap experts, agents and boosters — to determine how many schools are spending $40M or more. The results were eye-popping.
Per the survey, seven schools are spending $40M or more on their rosters, and five more are on the edge of that number. Below, we’ve grouped those schools into both categories. Like the CBS article, it’s listed in alphabetical order and doesn’t include exact numbers.
Teams spending more than $40M
Teams spending close to $40M
How many of these schools are in the AP Top 25 Preseason Poll?
All of the aforementioned schools are in the preseason AP Top 25. Of the teams spending $40M or more, six are in the top 10, including preseason No. 1 Ohio State. Ole Miss (No. 9) and Georgia (No. 3) are the teams near the $40M line listed in the top 10.
